Spicy Chicken Vindaloo With Potatoes

Calling all spice & heat lovers! Tangy, spicy, and packed with flavor, this one-pot chicken vindaloo recipe is perfect for when you're craving some fiery heat. Juicy chicken and tender potatoes are slow-cooked in a vibrant homemade vindaloo paste, delivering bold flavors that rival your favorite restaurant take out.

Crank up the heat as much as you dare - we love ours pretty hot! Pairs beautifully with  steamed basmati rice.

On weeknights, flavorful indian chicken recipes are a hit with my family. My kids adore North Indian classics like dhaba chicken curry or palak chicken. Meanwhile, my husband gravitates toward curries infused with south indian flavors of tamarind, coconut, and curry leaves, such as chettinad chicken, and chicken vindaloo.

Chicken Vindaloo - A Love Story (With Heat!)

I have been making vindaloo chicken curry for quite a few years now and it has always hit the right chord with his tastebuds. It isn't a dish I grew up with, but over time I've perfected a version we both love (and I hope you will too!). If you are a spicy food lover, the complex flavors of this dish will entice you! 

Vindaloo's journey is a delicious one! It started in Portugal, via a portuguese dish 'carne de vinha d'alhos' in which a wine and garlic marinade is prepared for meat. It sailed to Goa,India with Portuguese explorers. There, it got transformed with local spices, hot chilies and vinegar (usually palm vinegar), slowly becoming the fiery vindaloo we know today.

However, chicken vindaloo is rarity in Goa. You will find pork vindaloo there. The chicken version is the invention of indian restaurtants. Chicken is marinated in vindaloo masala, a spice paste of vinegar, garlic, ginger, and various spices such as cumin, coriander, and red chili peppers. Thereafter, the marinated chicken is slow cooked in generous amount of oil to make this spicy curry.

Do you have to add potatoes? No, they are optional. I think reataurant owners started adding potatoes to simply stretch the quantity of dish. However, I must admit that they are one of the most delicious part of vindaloo experience since they bring a unique texture and absorb the flavorful sauce.

Which Chicken Cut

1. I prefer using chicken thighs in my recipes, whether boneless or bone-in, though chicken drumsticks are also a great option. Use skinless chicken, as skin on chicken is not typical in Indian cooking.
2. However, you can use chicken breast if you prefer; just adjust the marination and cooking times accordingly. If adding potatoes with chicken breast, consider partially cooking them beforehand. I suggest par boiling or shallow fry the potatoes.
3. Regardless of the cut, aim for 1.5 to 2-inch chicken pieces to prevent dry chicken, as it tends to shrink while cooking. Don't cut chicken in strips (again not common in indian curries).
4. Lastly, you could use pork, lamb or beef in this recipe.

Vindaloo Paste

Undoubtedly, a well made spice blend is the soul of vindaloo curry. My vindaloo paste recipe takes inspiration from the cookbook "50 curries of India" by Camila Punjabi. She happens to one of my favorite indian food writer. I have adapted her recipe to suit our taste preferences.

Vindaloo paste needs to be intensely fiery(though you can make it mild), wonderfully fragrant, pleasantly sour, while at the same time balanced enough so that we can still taste the chicken and potatoes.

For the tangy flavors I use vinegar. For the heat, I use dried Kashmiri red chillies. I like to de seed few of the red chillies so that the paste isn't searing hot. You can use a mild chili variety. The whole spices like black mustard seeds bring in pungency while spices such as cinnamom, star anise and cloves add warmth and aroma.

For those of you with limited spices in your pantry, there's no need to worry. I've listed substitutions below to ensure you can still make vindaloo in your kitchen.

Ingredients

• Chicken - I use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Read the post above for more of my suggestions.
• Potatoes - I like using russet potatoes. You could use yukon gold /yellow potatoes.
• Vinegar - Is a must. I use malt vinegar. Red wine vinegar is a good substitute.
• Curry Leaves - I purcahse from indian grocery stores. They have a citrus, anise notes when it comes to flavor. There is no substitute. Skip if not available.
• Avocado Oil - Or any neutral cooking oil. I dont use olive oil for cooking indian food since it interfers with the taste.
• Tomato Sauce - Authentic vindaloo does not have tomatoes, however many indian restaurants add it. We love the taste so I add a bit of canned tomato in my recipe. Tomato paste can be added too.
• Kashmiri Chilies- I use a comination of dried red chilies and kashmiri chilli powder. If your use cayenne pepper powder (quantity mentioned below).
• Whole Spices - Cloves, black mustard seeds, star anise, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds,coriander seeds and whole black pepper. Read below on how to use ground spices for making vindaloo paste.
• Jaggery - We need a little to balance the tang & heat of vindaloo paste. Use brown sugar instead.
• Other Ingredients - onions ( I use red onion), fresh garlic (is must) and fresh ginger (avoid using store boughts pastes), salt.

How To Make Vindaloo Chicken

Make The Wet Vindaloo Paste

1. Pour hot water over whole red chilies. I soak them in the blender jar itself. Leave for 10 minutes to soften. 
2. Once chilies are re hydrated, add all the whole spices, curry leaves, ginger and garlic and vinegar to the blender jar. Blend to a smooth paste.

OR to make vindaloo paste with ground spices, in a bowl, mix together below ingredients :-

• ¾ tablespoon kashmiri chili powder (or paprika)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder(hot, or cayenne pepper, adjust to taste)
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• ½ tablespoon ginger paste
• 4 tablespoon vinegar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard

Marinate the Chicken

3. Pour half of the vindaloo paste over the chicken. Add salt and coat the chicken in the marinade very well. Let marinate for at least 1 -2 hours. You can marinate for 4-6 hours as well. I dont recommend marinating overnight since the high quantity of sour elements like vinegar and tamarind can change the texture of chicken during long marination. Save the remaining marinade, we will use it when we make the sauce.

Make the Vindaloo Curry

4. To a cooking pot(I use 12 inch stainless steel indian style kadai(wok)), add the oil and let warm up.
5. Add potatoes to the hot oil. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt and lightly brown the potatoes on all sides without cooking them through. Using a slotted spoon, take out the potatoes in a bowl and set aside.
6. To the remaining hot oil, add the chopped onions. On low medium heat, brown the onions until lightly brown. Takes about 5-6 minutes. Don't brown too much else the taste of onions gets overpowering.

7. To the browned onions, add the vindaloo paste that we saved and kashmiri red chilli powder. Fry on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. 

8. Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade now. Add curry leaves and on medium high heat fry the chicken with onions for 3-4 minutes until you see no pink/raw chicken. This searing process boosts the flavor of vindaloo rightaway. At abouit 5 minutes, you will see chicken starting to release its juices.

9. Next go in the shallow fried potatoes, tomato sauce and about ½ cup water. Please keep in mind that the chicken will release its juices once we cover. You can add more water at any stage.
10. Cover the pot and let slow cook for low heat for 15-18 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender(but not mushy).
11. Uncover, add the jaggery taste & adjust the salt. Another thing to keep in mind is that vinegar will cook off, so if you feel that vindaloo is less tangy, add a splash of vinegar to bump it up. At this stage,you can add water to adjust the consistency as per your wish. Let simmer uncovered or another 5 minutes.
12. Let the vindaloo curry rest for 20-30 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

Recipe Tips

• Make sure that the potatoes do not turn mushy else they will spoil the sauce.
• Like most indian curries, vindaloo tastes better after resting for few hours or better yet - next day. Plan leftovers.
• You could make the vindaloo paste as part of your meal prep over the weekend. Store for 5-6 days in the fridge.
• Adjust the spice level of vindaloo sauce by reducing or increasing the amount of chilies.