This easy Chicken Keema Curry recipe is the perfect quick and tasty weeknight meal. Spicy ground chicken with aromatic spices and minimal effort—dinner is served!

This chicken keema curry is the answer to your weeknight dinner woes!

Craving something flavorful and comforting that’s not a lot of effort? It’s the perfect candidate for a rotation in your weeknight meals.

Flavorful minced chicken curry, with a side of rice, roti or bread and you’ve got yourself a wholesome meal with not a lot of ingredients!

Why you’ll love this recipe

This chicken keema curry ticks off so many boxes! It is the perfect weeknight meal.

Nutritious and filling with lean ground chicken
Flavorful with lots of familiar spices
Quick recipe – ready in 30 minutes – perfect for a weeknight
Serve it with roti, rice, or even quinoa .
Leftovers make the perfect sandwich filling!

Recipes you’ll love

If you’re looking for more recipes, here are some of our favorites:

Ingredients & Notes

Chicken keema (ground chicken) – we used chicken keema in this recipe, but you can use a similar recipe for ground beef (keema)
Fried Onions – make your own fried onions, or use store-bought. If using store-bought fried onions, try to use a brand that does not use flour to coat the onions, like the Nawabi brand found on Amazon.
Crushed or chopped Tomato – Crushed tomatoes will make this is a quicker recipe. Fresh, chopped tomatoes will take a little longer to cook.
Oil (neutral) – any neutral oil you have will work – we often use canola or avocado oil.
Kasuri methi – dried fenugreek leaves – add an earthy, savory, and nutty taste to this curry you’ll love! You can omit it if you don’t have it on hand, but we highly recommend it in many curries.
Ginger-Garlic Paste – or equal parts crushed ginger and crushed garlic. This paste is a popular pantry item for Pakistani and Indian food. We love making a big batch of ginger garlic paste at home and having it ready in the fridge.
Whole Spices – bay leaf, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black peppercorn – The whole spices are added at the beginning of the recipe so that they get a chance to bloom.
Ground Spices – cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, red chili, salt – these all complement the flavors of the ground chicken really well!
Garnish – cilantro, green chili, ginger – the green chilis add heat, and the cilantro adds a fresh garnish at the end.

How to make Chicken Keema Curry?

In a pot, add oil on low heat and the whole spices: cumin, big cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. Let it cook till fragrant.

Add the fried onion and cook for a minute. Make sure it does not burn. If the oil is too hot, add a couple of spoons of water to cool it down.

Add ginger garlic paste and cook for a couple of minutes.

Then add the ground spices – coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, red chili powder, and salt. Cook until the oil separates.

Add a couple of tablespoons of water and cook until the ingredients are well-blended.

Add the crushed or chopped tomato. If you add chopped tomato, it will take a little longer to cook compared to crushed tomato. Cook for a couple of minutes till well blended.

Add the chicken keema (minced or ground chicken), mix well, and cook till the meat is tender. It takes little time to cook. Cover and continue cooking for a few minutes.

Finishing touches: Crush the dried fenugreek leaves on your palms and add them to the curry. Sprinkle the garam masala and add green chili if using. You can garnish with thinly sliced Ginger (optional)and cilantro.

Recipe Tips

Serve with hot roti, tandoor roti, or paratha.
Crushed tomatoes will make this is a quicker recipe. Fresh, chopped tomatoes take a little longer to cook.
This curry can be made saucy or dry, depending on your preferences. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water while cooking the curry if you prefer a saucy curry – to serve with rice (or quinoa).

What to serve with Chicken Keema curry

This chicken keema curry is a delicious main dish served alongside warm chapati, tandoori roti, or simply plain Basmati rice.

We also love using chicken keema as a filling for sandwiches, or try adding it to your omelet for a hearty breakfast!

If you’re looking for side dishes that pair well with this dish, here are some of our favorites:

If you’re looking for more easy weeknight recipes to make, here are some of our favorites:

If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess

Chicken Keema

This easy Chicken Keema Curry recipe is the perfect quick and tasty weeknight meal. Ground chicken with aromatic spices and minimal effort—dinner is served!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 30

Total Time 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, Pakistani

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound Chicken keema
½ cup fried onion
½ -1 cup crushed /chopped Tomato
½ cup oil
1 tablespoon Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tablespoon Ginger/garlic paste

Whole Spices

1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon cumin
4 inch stick Cinnamon
2 Black Cardamom
3 green cardamom
4 cloves
10-15 black peppercorns

Ground Spices

1 teaspoon Cumin powder
1 tablespoon Coriander powder
½ -¾ teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ teaspoon Garam Masala
½ -1 teaspoon Red chili powder
Salt as per taste

Garnish

Chopped cilantro
1-2 Green chili chopped/sliced optional
Sliced ginger

Instructions

In a pot, add oil on low heat and the whole spices: cumin, big cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. Let it cook till fragrant.
Add the fried onion and cook for a minute. Make sure it does not burn. If the oil is too hot, add a couple of spoons of water to cool it down.
Add ginger garlic paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the spices – coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, red chili powder, and salt. Cook until the oil separates.
Add a couple of tablespoons of water and cook until the ingredients are well-blended.
Add the crushed or chopped tomato. If you add chopped tomato, it will take a little longer to cook compared to crushed tomato. Cook for a couple of minutes till well blended.
Add the chicken keema (minced or ground chicken), mix well, and cook till the meat is tender. It takes little time to cook. Cover and continue cooking for a few minutes.
Finishing touches: Crush the dried fenugreek leaves on your palms and add them to the curry. Sprinkle the garam masala and add green chili if using. You can garnish with thinly sliced Ginger (optional)and cilantro.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve with hot roti, tandoor roti, or paratha.

Keyword chicken keema, chicken keema curry