Chicken curry may have originated in India, but it is a firm dinner favorite throughout the Emerald Isle. Many Irish people purchase their curries at local Chinese take-outs, but I prefer to cook mine from scratch.
Table of Contents
Apple and Raisin Curry
A few chopped apples and raisins add a perfect sweet surprise to this dish. Whether you like to eat your curries with rice, or naan bread, or Irish style with a side of chips (french fries), I hope you enjoy this recipe.
If you prefer a smoother curry sauce to pour over your chips, my recipe for chips and curry sauce can be found here.
Ingredients for Apple and Raisin Chicken Curry
Here you’ll find a quick list of what you’ll need for this recipe. Check out the printable recipe at the bottom of this post for US and Metric equivalent versions of the recipe. There you can choose the measurement system that works best for you.
- powder
- turmeric
- ground coriander
- ground ginger
- ground cumin
- ground cinnamon
- cardamom
- chili powder
- butter
- onion
- minced garlic
- chicken breasts
- plain yogurt
- tomato paste
- granny smith apples (diced)
- golden raisins
- water
- chopped cilantro (to garnish if desired)
- cooked rice (to serve)
Directions for Apple and Raisin Chicken Curry
Here you’ll find step-by-step photographic instructions to help you recreate this recipe successfully. There are plenty of tips included along the way.
Most curry recipes simply use store bought curry powder. I like to use curry powder as the base for a special spice mix to enhance the flavors in this recipe.
Create your own spice blend by mixing curry powder, turmeric, coriander, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, and chili powder. If you like a very spicy curry you can add more chili powder.
You can use two to three teaspoons of this blend for a milder curry, but if like me you like a spicier dish, you can use the complete blend in your dish.
Melt the butter in a large skillet, or you can use a large pot or Dutch oven like me.
Sauté the chopped onions and garlic for 3 to 5 minutes.
Then add the spices and stir continuously as you cook the spices for another 5 minutes.
Add the chicken and cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring to completely coat the chicken pieces with the spices.
Mix the yogurt and tomato paste together.
Add it to the chicken together with the water.
This recipe calls for 4 cups of water, which creates a curry with quite a bit of sauce. If you prefer a thicker, less soupy curry then cut the water down to 3 cups.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for an additional 40 minutes.
Add the diced apple and raisins, and simmer for an additional 10 to 20 minutes.
Peel and dice your apples just before adding them to the dish. If sliced too early the apples can turn brown, and don't look very appealing in the finished dish.
Prepare the rice according to the package directions. I like to use basmati rice for a true taste of India.
Serve the curry hot over cooked rice.
I hope you enjoy this little taste of India, enjoyed by so many Irish people today.
Recipe Card for Apple and Raisin Curry
Here's a short video summarizing the steps for making this delicious chicken curry.
Here is the printable recipe card for your kitchen files.
Apple and Raisin Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon coriander ground
- ½ teaspoon ginger ground
- ½ teaspoon cumin ground
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon ground
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 3 large chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 3 small granny smith apples diced
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 4 cups water reduce to 3 cups if you prefer a thicker curry
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped to garnish if desired
Instructions
- Combine the spices and mix well together.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes until onion starts to soften.
- Add the spices. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.
- Add the chicken, mixing to fully coat it in spices. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Blend the yogurt and tomato paste together and add to the chicken mixture.
- Add the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer the curry for 40 minutes.
- Add the apples and raisins and simmer for an additional 10 to 20 minutes.
- Serve over hot cooked rice. Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired.
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
Happy curry cooking from my Irish home to yours.
Thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
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Aimee
Yum! We just had dahl for dinner tonight! We buy whole chickens, and shred the meat for 2-3 other meals...I'm always looking for new ways to create other meals with me chicken- thanks for this delicious looking recipe!
Irish American Mom
Aimee - I just love dahl. I spent 4 months in India many years ago, and my spicy taste buds were definitely awakened. Indian food is just delicious. I love to make curries, curries and tikka masala. My husband just loves Indian food too.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Mantitlement
This chicken curry dish looks amazing. I am definitely going to recommend this recipes to my friends. Thanks Dan from Mantitlement
Irish American Mom
Hope you enjoy it.
All the best,
Mairead
Joanel Read
thank you Irish American mom for helping me create a good Irish eating experience for our family today. I just love that we ate curry instead of the American version of Brisket and cabbage
Irish American Mom
Dear Joanel - I'm so happy you enjoyed this curry. Irish people love to eat curry, even if it originated in India. I hope you had a lovely St. Patrick's Day.
Best wishes,
Mairead
Lisa
The flavor was lovely, but mine came out very thin. Not sure what happened. 🙁 Would it be because I used leftover cooked turkey? A little dollop of mango chutney kicked it up nicely as well.
Irish American Mom
Lisa - I'm so glad you liked the flavor of this curry. I think you may be correct about why your curry was thinner than expected. Because you used pre-cooked meat their may have been less cooking time for the sauce to thicken. I love your tip for adding a dollop of mango chutney.
All the best,
Mairéad
Sarah
Trying this recipe, loving the flavours. I just realised you need to keep the lid off for reducing, making the sauce thicker! Maybe this will help Lisa.
Irish American Mom
Hi Sarah - Keeping the lid off for reducing the sauce is important. Thanks for pointing out this tip. I hope you enjoyed this curry.
All the best,
Mairéad
Donna Hersom
Hi! Could I replace the ground cinnamon for a stick of cinnamon and leave the chili out as we don't like hot dishes. Is cardamon also a hot spice. I am not familiar with some of the spices.
Irish American Mom
Hi Donna - Definitely leave the chili out if you don't like hot dishes. You may not need a whole stick of cinnamon, since the cinnamon is only a subtle background flavor for this dish. Maybe try a half stick instead of the ground cinnamon. Cardamom is a little hot, with a strong flavor and aroma (hints of lemon, mint, and smoke). The curry powder will add most of the heat to this dish so be sure to use a mild curry powder if you don't like heat. I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Barry Cull
The sauce was quite thin. Are 4 cups of water really necessary? Just wondering whether one could get away with 2 or 3 cups.
Irish American Mom
Hi Barry - Curry sauce for chips is usually a little thinner than a regular curry, but if you prefer it a little thicker I would definitely use less water, or simmer it for a little longer on a low heat to allow it to thicken.
All the best,
Mairéad
Peter
The flavors in this curry are wonderful- thanks for a great curry recipe.
Irish American Mom
Hi Peter - Thanks for stopping by and rating this recipe. I'm delighted you like this dish.
All the best,
Mairéad
Sorcha Ó Cleirigh
Genuinely the worst curry recipe I have ever seen. Apple and raisins in a curry? Just no. No no no. No Irish people put this filth in curries. Just... please, do everyone a favour and remove this dirt recipe.
Irish American Mom
Hi Sorcha - I've published your comment to let readers know of your disapproval, but I definitely won't remove the recipe just because you deem it to be the worst curry recipe you've ever seen. I did take note that you wrote it's the worst recipe you've ever seen, and not tasted, so I'll assume you didn't actually cook it. I'll let others be the judge, because it's actually a delicious recipe, so I'm not ashamed of it. I'm as Irish as you are, and I have every intention of continuing to create any kind of curry I so desire. I don't know when we Irish became the web police on all things curry. It's only a recipe. Take it or leave it.
All the best,
Mairéad Ní Ghadhra
Eoghan
Well said.
I love some fruit in a curry, in fact many Indian curry recipes contain fruit and those that don’t are almost always served with fruit on the side in some form of chutney.
Irish American Mom
Thanks Eoghan. Glad you like a fruity curry too. Many years ago I spent four months in Andhra Pradesh in India, and I had many curries with added fruit. And Indian chutney is simply delicious with a curry.
All the best,
Mairéad
Nicola
This is the recipe my English mother has used for over 50 years and yes I can say with all honesty it is the most disgusting curry I have ever been made to eat, apples and sultanas should never be in a curry, I've lived and travelled extentively and will be asking my punjabi, other Indian familys, Thai, Malaysian, Chinese etc if they would ever add these to an authentic curry
Irish American Mom
Hi Nicola - I lived in India for a few months, and I know that this curry is definitely not one found on any Indian menu. It's an English or Irish curry for sure, and definitely not a traditional curry. Thanks for letting us know that your English mother made a very similar curry for over 50 years.
All the best,
Mairéad
Molly Dennehy
I love all these recipes and the generosity ~wonderful videos and
visuals, so well done. I've made many of the the recipes. I enjoyed
this curry with my family but I found it to be to be soupy with
4 cups of water? maybe I made a mistake...but I thought perhaps
I should have put the raw rice into the pot to cook with the meat
sauce? I did simmer it a long long time to condense and spooned
it over premade rice in the end as directed- it was delicious!
Irish American Mom
Hi Molly - Thanks for your feedback about this curry. We like a lot of sauce in our curries, so it may be too soupy for others. I'll add a little note in the recipe and on the blog post to let people know they may need to cut back on the amount of liquid used. Thanks so much for this tip. I'm glad the flavors were good and that you found it delicious. Thanks for trying out my recipes, and for your kind words.
All the best,
Mairéad
Charles Brown
This is the nearest I can get to a good old fashioned cafe curry for the husband, do leave out the apple and cut the sultanas to 1/4 cup otherwise to sweet and chop your sultanas finely as their is nothing worse than a lump of sweet squidge. Happy eating
Irish American Mom
Hi Charles - Thanks for stopping by to share your tips to keep this curry a little less sweet. I'm so glad you like the spice blend in this recipe.
All the best,
Mairéad
n
this is an insult to the Indians
Irish American Mom
This curry may not be for everyone, and definitely not a true Indian curry. I assume you mean that this curry is an insult to the Indian people. However, it's actually pretty tasty.
All the best,
Mairéad