Banana Chicken Curry (Korma-Inspired)

Banana chicken curry is a delicious and unique twist on traditional Indian korma curry. Inspired by the flavours and spices of korma, this dish combines tender chicken with sweet and creamy banana for a perfect balance of savoury and sweet. This easy-to-follow recipe is perfect for those looking to spice up their dinner routine with a touch of exotic flavour. Serve over rice steaming rice or cauliflower for a complete and satisfying meal. Paleo, Whole30 and gluten-free. Recently updated!


Banana chicken curry korma style

Yes, you read that right. Banana chicken curry! Before you turn your nose at the idea of having banana and chicken mixed together, hear me out. I promise that this is one cracker of curry and is definitely worth trying.

Last week I was reading a book, in which the author was describing how surprisingly well banana goes with chicken. It also talked about banana and coconut, which I knew. The same week I had a regular korma curry from a local Indian. Sitting there I thought that if banana goes well with chicken and banana goes well with coconut, then all three should go well together. And then I thought about that chicken korma and the idea for this recipe was born.

What Is Korma Curry?

Korma is a dreamy Indian curry with a creamy sauce made from yogurt, cream, and spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and coriander. It’s usually mild and can have meat like chicken, beef, or lamb, and veggies like onions, carrots, and bell peppers. It’s the perfect comfort food, best served with fluffy rice or warm naan bread. Yum!

Banana Chicken Curry (A La Korma Style)

Now, the curry purists might point out that this is not an authentic korma because I’m not using yoghurt or I’m not using garam masala, but this is an adaptation.

It’s a dairy free curry with all of the flavour elements you would expect from the original but it has an amazing complexity and natural sweetness that comes from the banana. 

Let me point out that the banana flavour is very subtle in this dish, especially once it’s cooked. Banana flavour becomes very mild and beautifully integrated with other spices and seasoning.

Whether you’re a banana fan or not, trust me when I say that this banana chicken curry is amazing. I have high curry standards so I wouldn’t recommend something that I didn’t think would be worthy of sharing.

My partner and I enjoyed it so much that I’m going to cook it again this week. Plus, it’s super easy. I served it with cauliflower rice and some collard greens and broccoli with garlic and ginger. You can have it with regular rice or quinoa, or any other vegetables.

Banana And Chicken Curry Korma Style

More Curry Recipes


Full Recipe & Ingredients

Find the full list of ingredients, instructions and extra cooking notes below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let me know in the comments and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.

Want to Save This Recipe?

Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

Save Recipe

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cooked & Loved

Chicken Korma Curry with banana

Banana Chicken Korma Curry

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Author: Irena Macri
Servings: 4
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Print Pin Save
5 from 3 votes
Calories: 416kcal
Banana chicken curry brings a fun and tasty twist to classic Indian korma. With a mix of korma's famous spices and the addition of sweet and creamy bananas, this dish is a flavour explosion. Tender chicken takes centre stage in this easy recipe, making it the perfect dinner option for those wanting to add some excitement to their meal routine. Serve over rice or cauliflower for a yummy and filling meal.

Ingredients 

  • 1/3 cup almond flakes
  • 1 medium banana broken into pieces
  • 2/3 cup coconut cream thickened part of the coconut milk is fine
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup tomato purée or passata/diced tinned tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons ghee or coconut oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 500 g chicken meat 1 lb., diced
  • 1 medium carrot diced
  • 2/3 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2/3 teaspoon mild curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds or 3-4 cardamom pods
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas thawed out

Instructions

  • Add almond flakes to a medium frying pan and heat over medium heat. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until toasted and golden brown. Stir more frequently in the last 30 seconds as they will start to toast very quickly. Remove to a bowl.
  • Place banana, coconut cream/milk, garlic, tomato purée and water in a food processor. Add half of the toasted almond flakes (reserve the rest for later). Process until smooth, scraping the sides.
  • Heat ghee in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for two minutes, then add ginger and stir through for about 30 seconds.
  • Add chicken and carrots to the pot and stir through. Then, add all of the spices and salt, and stir through until well combined. Pour the coconut banana mix into the saucepan, add lime or lemon juice, stir and bring to boil. Then, cover with a lid, turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, add the thawed-out peas, stir, uncover and cook for a further 5 minutes (no lid on).
  • Serve topped with the remaining almonds and fresh coriander or mint.

Notes

You can make this chicken korma with other meat, prawns or vegetables. If using prawns, cook the sauce with some vegetables first and then add the prawns in the last few minutes of cooking as they don't need much time at all.
For a vegetarian version, I recommend making it with cauliflower, green beans and mushrooms. Frozen peas can be replaced with green beans or broccoli. If making a larger batch, double the ingredients.
Storage: Keep leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. This curry will freeze well. Add a little water when reheating. This can also be made in a slow cooker.

Nutrition

Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 750mg | Potassium: 1017mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2900IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 3mg
Keywords: Paleo, Whole30, Curry, Chicken, Banana, Korma, Indian
Tried this recipe?Mention @cookedandloved or tag #cookedandloved

How To Make Chicken Curry With Banana

Here are some step-by-step photos to guide you along this recipe.

How To Make Chicken Curry With Banana
Chicken Korma Curry with banana
Irena Macri
By Irena Macri

About the author: Hi, I’m Irena Macri. I share delicious recipes that I have cooked and loved. I am a published cookbook author, have been food blogging for over 10 years and have a Diploma in Nutrition. You will find many healthy recipes as well as my favourite comfort food. More about me here | Subscribe to my newsletter and freebies

Comment or Rate This Recipe

Made the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. You don’t need to leave a comment if rating a recipe, unless it’s 3 stars or below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

20 Comments
  1. OMG Irena I just love your recipes and this one sounds like another winner to me, thank you so much!!

    1. My pleasure! I had a few people email me after making it and saying how much they loved it so it was definitely a success. 🙂

  2. I saw the title and thought ‘Yummy’!

    I would recommend using organic bananas and chicken if you possibly can. You’d be surprised at the taste and nutritional benefits – particularlly with the chicken

  3. Hi Irena, I am new to everything and anything Paleo, I guess I just stumbled across it when looking to remove gluten from my diet. As with most things there are contradictions amongst authors as to exactly what is and isn’t Paleo. For example ther are peas in this recipe and I thought that they were a legume and that legumes aren’t Paleo. Please comment.

    1. Hey Steve,

      Green garden peas (as well as snow peas and green string beans) are fine to include every now and then as they are not mature enough to have developed the antinutrients we are concerned with. I hope that helps.

      Irena

  4. This looks divine! I am guessing for anyone turning up their nose to banana in this case (if they find it sweet to go in a savoury dish) then maybe plantains would work….. Yes, no?

  5. Oh my gosh, we had this for dinner tonight, I can not even put into words how delicious it was, thank you, your recipes are so yummy. ?

  6. My husband and I loved this curry. We’re vegetarian and so used Quorn not-meat pieces in place of chicken. It was delicious. Unfortunately our fussy kids didn’t like the banana aspect. Would mango or apple be able to be used instead of banana do you think?

    1. You can definitely use any other fruit or even go without and add a little honey for sweetness instead.

  7. 5 stars
    This was fantastic! We also tried your Japanese chicken curry last weekend and it was also outstanding. So so delicious. Glad I discovered your blog!

    1. Thank you, Stacy!!! So happy to hear you enjoyed this curry. It’s a little different and I love knowing that someone was brave to try it.

  8. 5 stars
    I like indian food. Thanks for sharing this delicious indian dish. I like your way to use the banana in curry. I will try. Keep sharing

See all comments »

You Might Also Like

697 Shares
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap