Make delicious restaurant style Goan Chicken Vindaloo. It is spicy, hot and super flavorful. Serve this with butter naan, any flatbreads, Basmati rice, flavored rice or rotis.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Goan

Ingredients

  • 1½ teaspoon cumin ((or 1 teaspoon ground cumin))
  • 2 inches Ceylon cinnamon ((or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon))
  • 6 cloves ((⅓ teaspoon ground cloves))
  • 10 black pepper corn ((or ½ to ¾ crushed black pepper))
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds ((or ¼ teaspoon ground mustard))
  • 1½ tablespoons coriander seeds ((or 1 tablespoon ground coriander))
  • 2 green cardamoms ((optional, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom))
  • 20 dried Kashmiri red chilies (soaked in vinegar + ¼ cup hot water for 10 mins (or use 1¼ tbsp Indian chili powder))
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup (60 to 80 ml) vinegar ((malt/goan/red wine/ apple cider))
  • 10 (25 grams) garlic cloves ((or 2 tablespoons fine grated))
  • 1½ inch (25 grams) ginger ((or 2 tablespoons fine grated))
  • 2 lbs. (¾ to 1 kg) skinless bone-in chicken ((or 1½ lbs. boneless chicken))
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ¾ to 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons oil ((I use coconut oil))
  • 2 cups (250 grams) onions ((2 medium, fine chopped or processed))
  • 2 small tomatoes ((optional) (pureed))
  • 1 teaspoon sugar ((optional))
  • ¼ to ½ cup hot water ((adjust as required))

Method

Make Vindaloo Paste

  1. Option 1 with whole spices - Grind cumin, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, mustard, cardamoms and coriander to a fine powder. Add the garlic, ginger & soaked red chilies along with the liquid. Grind to a smooth paste.
  2. Option 2 with ground spices – Add all the ground spices, red chili powder, grated garlic & ginger to a bowl. Pour vinegar and water only as required to make a thick paste.
  3. Marinate chicken with the prepared vindaloo paste, salt and turmeric. Cover and set aside for a minimum of 1 hour to overnight in the refrigerator. If using bone-in chicken, don’t rest longer than 2 to 3 hours.

How to make Chicken Vindaloo

  1. Heat oil in a wide pan/skillet and add the onions. Saute on a medium heat till golden, for about 9 to 10 mins. Deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons water (or 1 tbsp vinegar + 1 tbsp water). Cook down for 2 to 3 mins until jammy.
  2. Stir in the marinated chicken and saute on a medium heat for 4 to 5 mins. Mix in the tomato puree if using and cook for another 4 mins.
  3. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick. If the pan dries out in between, pour ¼ to ½ cup hot water. I use about ½ cup but it may be different for you.
  4. If your chicken vindaloo is runny, evaporate the excess moisture by cooking further. It thickens a bit more upon cooling. Taste test and add more salt or sugar to balance the tang.
  5. Chicken Vindaloo tastes best the next day. Refrigerate for the flavors to develop & reheat before serving. Steamed rice, Saffron rice, poee (Goan bread) or any kind of artisan breads or flatbreads like Naan or Tandoori roti go well with this.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.