Chicken Pathia is a popular medium hot curry with a sweet and sour sauce, enjoyed in curry houses all over the UK every day.

Find out how to make your own Chicken Pathia at home, using simple ingredients. Just like you get from an Indian restaurant or takeaway.
How to make Chicken Pathia Curry?
Check out the video below to see how you can make your own Chicken Pathia from scratch.
Jump on down to the recipe card to get cooking straight away, or continue reading for more tips on making your curry.
Jump to RecipeWhat is a Pathia Curry?
The traditional Pathia (pronounced without the h - Patia) originates from Persia.
This authentic dish has been adapted by Indians and is now selected as one of the UK's best curry dishes served in all British Indian restaurants.
Ingredients
Pathia sauce is made from scratch using onions, garlic, chillies, curry powder, tomatoes, brown sugar, lime juice and coriander.
For the most authentic taste. Use 1 ½ tablespoon of tamarind concentrate, instead of using light brown sugar and lime juice.
However, as tamarind concentrate is not always easy to find. Lime & sugar will give you a similar sweet and sour flavour to the pathia sauce!
Making Pathia Sauce
Follow the recipe instructions making the sauce first and leave it to simmer.
Whilst that is simmering you have the right amount of time to get the chicken cooked.
Is Pathia hot?
Pathia curry is usually a medium spiced curry. But with this recipe, you are making your own version so you get to decide how mild or hot you like it.
Easy to adjust how hot you make it using more or less chillies or chilli puree. Or use different strength curry powders.
Mild Curry
To keep it mild use a mild curry powder and only 1 teaspoon of chilli puree with the sauce, none with the chicken.
Omit the fresh chillies if no one wants them on their plate!
Medium Hot Curry
For a medium spiced curry, follow the instruction and ingredients we have used in this recipe card.
We use 2 teaspoon chilli puree in the sauce and 1tsp of chilli puree with the chicken.
Another good idea is to add chillies kept whole and cooked in the sauce.
Don't blend them into the sauce, instead, add to the plate of whoever wants a little extra kick to their curry!
Hot and Spicy Curry
To spice it up more, use a hot curry powder and throw in some extra chilli puree.
Also instead of keeping the fresh chilli peppers whole, roughly chop them, then blend them in with the sauce!
And if you some like it hotter then others you can always add some freshly chopped chilli to just their plate?
What chilli pepper to use?
We like bird's eye chillies, they are small but have nice heat to them.
If you want to make it hotter, try using a stronger chilli, such as habanero or ghost peppers. These will give a hot spicy kick! Check out this pepper heat scale by pepper joes, to help you decide which chillies to use?
Blending curry sauce
Once the sauce has finished simmering use a blender (a handheld blender can be used instead) to make the pathia sauce smooth and lump-free.
This may seem like a bit of a fuss at the time, but it is what makes the curry more like a takeaway style.
Now with your pathia curry sauce ready, its time to add your cooked chicken and some coriander.
Have a taste test of the sauce and add more fresh chopped chilli now if wanted more spicy?
Just warm it all through before serving.
Serve chicken pathia curry, with your usual Indian side dishes. Such as, Naan, Coconut Pilau Rice, onion bhaji, tomato, cucumber and onion salad with Cucumber and Mint Raita and Mango Chutney.
Can I use something other than chicken?
The pathia sauce is cooked first so you can add whatever you like to it after the sauce has been blended.
Chicken is a firm favourite for a curry. Lamb, prawns, king prawn, fish, duck or vegetables will work well too!
Simply cook the chosen meat, fish or vegetables in a separate pan, whilst the sauce is cooking. Then add together after the sauce has been blended and warm through with the sauce.
If you prefer chicken tikka, you will need to plan ahead to marinate and cook the chicken in yoghurt and spice before adding to the pathia curry sauce..
The smooth pathia sauce is perfect for dipping your naan bread in and mixing into the pilau rice!
Can I make ahead?
Chicken Pathia Curry can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheat in a pan or in the microwave, making sure it is hot throughout.
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Chicken Pathia Curry - Indian Takeaway Style
Equipment
Ingredients
Pathia Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Sunflower Oil substitute with Ghee
- 2 Onions
- 1 flat tbsp Garlic Puree or 6 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 teaspoon Chilli puree can use chopped fresh chillies instead (add extra if want hot)
- 1 tablespoon Sundried Tomato Puree can substitute with normal tomato puree
- 2 tablespoon Curry Powder substitute for hot or mild curry powder as desired
- 1 tin Chopped Tomatoes
- ½ tablespoon Brown Sugar
- ½ Lime (juice only)
- 350 ml ( 1 ½ cup) Cold Water
- Salt
- 2 Bird's Eye Fresh Chillies You can use more or less or stronger chillies
- Handful Fresh chopped corriander leaves substitute with 1 teaspoon dried leaf coriander
Chicken to add to sauce ( see notes if using other meat/ vegetables for cooking time)
- 1 tablespoon Sunflower Oil substitute with Ghee
- 3 large Chicken Breasts chopped into chunks
- 1 tablespoon Medium Curry Powder substitute for hot or mild curry powder as desired
- 1 teaspoon Chilli Puree can use minced fresh chillies instead
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Puree or 2 garlic cloves crushed
Instructions
- Fry the onions in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic puree, chilli puree and sundried tomato puree, stir through with the onions for 1 minute.
- Add the following stir between each addition, first curry powder.
- Then, chopped tomatoes.
- Add lime juice, sugar and salt.
- Finally, pour in water, and stir the sauce together whilst bringing it to the boil
- If using fresh chillies add now. (See the blog post for more information about chillies.) Leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Whilst it simmers cook your chicken.
- Place oil and chicken into a large pan over medium heat. Add curry powder, garlic and chilli puree.
- Stir through and cook for about 15 minutes, check that chicken is cooked through. Take off heat and keep aside until sauce is ready.
- If used, remove whole chillies, keeping them aside for anyone who likes it spicy, to add back to their serving.
- Pour the pathia sauce into a blender or into a jug and use a hand blender
- Blend into a lump-free sauce.
- Return the blended pathia sauce into a pan on medium heat.
- Add your cooked chicken.
- Sprinkle in a small handful of chopped coriander.
- Stir whilst the sauce and chicken warm through for about 5 minutes.
- Serve and add extra chilli, if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Now you know how to make a chicken pathia, why not check out our King Prawn Masala Curry, Basa Fish Curry or Homemade Lamb Curry. Or, if you fancy something different try out our Thai Green Beef Curry.
More Takeaway Style Recipes
If you love to create your own takeaway-style recipes, try out some of these.
Tony
Very nice, Saturday night is curry night for us, lovely flavour and texture, i blended until absolutely smooth,as it does make a big difference, also added the juice of a whole lime and a little more sugar than was in the recipe. All in all a really tasty ,quick and easy curry.
Luke and Kay
Hello Tony, thank you for such an amazing review of our Chicken Pathia Curry! We're thrilled to hear that it made your Saturday night even more enjoyable which is exactly what we strive for. We're glad to hear that you blended the curry until it was smooth which brought out its best flavour - and adding the extra lime and sugar made it even tastier! We appreciate your feedback and pleased to learn that you found this recipe both easy and delicious. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience with us--we look forward to sharing more of our recipes with you in the future! 🙂
Heather
This recipe is absolutley bangin'! i have made it 4 times now, and i feel I have finally nailed it! I'm now confident enough to make it for my fussy friends 2mo. All the other recipes i have tried have left me feeling a little disappointed, but not this one. The only addition I make is sometimes stirring in a bit of spinach a few minutes before finishing, and tomorrow, i'll tikka up some king prawns and add those too! Thanks for sharing!! 😉
Heather
Luke and Kay
Thanks so much for your review, Heather! We’re thrilled that you’ve had such success with our Chicken Pathia Curry and are so happy to hear that you have mastered it. We love hearing about the changes and adaptations our guests make to customize this recipe; spinach and king prawns are perfect additions, they sound delicious!
We look forward to hearing more about your successful evening entertaining friends with this dish, all the best! 🙂
Ian Wyatt
This is the third time I've cooked your recipe for chicken pathia and it's the closest to a restaurant quality dish I've come across! We always have pathia or dhansak as a takeaway and I've tried countless recipes but this is hands down the best! I have to confess though, I do add a small amount of tamarind, a tablespoon of mango chutney and towards the end some quartered Vine ripened tomatoes, oh and I make my own curry powder which makes all the difference, top marks guys!
Luke and Kay
We are delighted that you're enjoying our Chicken Pathia Curry recipe, Ian! It's so wonderful to hear that this is the closest one you've come across to a restaurant-grade dish. We appreciate you taking the time to adapt our suggestion by adding small amounts of tamarind, mango chutney, and tomatoes. Making your own curry powder also sounds like a great way to add that extra flavour. 🙂
Jaine Wills
Absolutely scrummy. If ever we get a takeaway, we always get either a Pathia or a Dhansak. No need from now on - we just need the Dhansak recipe now though 🙂
Luke and Kay
Hi Jaine, thank you for your wonderful review! We're so glad that our Chicken Pathia Curry recipe has earned five stars from you and that it has become a favourite at home!
We are working on creating even more recipes here in our kitchen, and we'll be sure to prioritize the Dhansak recipe next. I will keep you updated, and I am sure it won't take too long before you have a new favourite curry dish 😊 In the meantime, you could try out some of other curries like Chicken Balti Curry - Indian Takeaway Recipe or Chicken Bhuna Curry they are delicious 😉
Shaun Edmonds
Lovely curry, and easy to make at home, but I'm not sure you can call it Indian Takeaway Style, or BIR, as it's called in the UK, very close but not quite there. All restaurant curries are made with a base gravy, the additions you add determine the type of curry you want. Here you've made the Pathia sauce complete, and beautiful it is, don't get me wrong, but restaurant style is constructed differently.
Luke and Kay
Hi Shaun, thank you so much for your review! We're delighted that our Chicken Pathia Curry was easy to make at home and has a lovely taste. We appreciate your thoughts on what is generally referred to as “takeaway style” here in the UK – we understand it functions differently than restaurant-style curries and we always strive to bring authenticity to the dishes we create.
Darrin Beresford
This recipe is bang on, Super quick and easy to make and tastes even better than the ones from the top local take away or restaurant! Love it and I would highly recommend anyone who likes pathia and is thinking of making one to give this recipe a try!
Luke and Kay
Thank you for trying out our Chicken Pathia Curry recipe, Darrin! We're glad you enjoyed it and that it was quick and easy to make. The flavours are spot on too, just like the ones from your favourite local takeaway or restaurant. Thanks again for giving it a try, and we hope you'll make it again soon! 🙂
Stephanie
Brilliant
Kay
Thank you for your kind words, Stephanie! We're so glad you enjoyed the Chicken Pathia Curry. It's one of our favorites too. 🙂
Jenna
Made this at the weekend for a party we was having it went so quickly and everyone commented how amazing it was…. I’ve made pathia for a few years but always followed another recipe with so much more ingredients, I found this recipe which seemed to have a lot less and also the option to make a lot more. I’m so glad I did it saved me a lot of time and (stress) the only changes I made were lemon instead of lime (in authentic curry’s I’ve always had lemon that’s why and didn’t want to risk changing) and added a little honey. I also used a whole cooked roast chicken in my recipe that I just added into at the end… and a little cream to take the spice down. But everyone absolutely loved it thank you
Kay
Thank you for trying our Chicken Pathia Curry Jenna, and for taking the time to write a review. We're so glad you enjoyed it! I'm happy to hear that you found our recipe easy to follow and that you made some modifications of your own that worked well for your party. Thank you again for trying our dish, and we hope you'll give us a try again in the future. 🙂
Ian
Really delicious recipe, was getting fed up with various curry recipe's I kept finding online and them being very underwhelming. My Fiancee really likes Pathia curries so came across yours and thought I'd have one last shot and I'm so glad i did. It's bursting with flavor and just the right amount of spice to set it off. We added one little secret ingredient though when we blended the curry (1tbsp mango chutney) which added just enough extra sweetness and turned down the heat ever so slightly.
This will be a staple for our weekly menu for a while I reckon.
Plus the curried chicken is really nice on it's own for adding to a wrap or in a salad so we discovered two things in one.
Kay
This is Luke's favourite curry too! The addition of mango chutney sounds fantastic, so glad to hear you enjoyed it. We have a few fantastic curry recipes now, our latest is our chilli paneer an Indo-Chinese curry, which has a great combination of sweet and spicy that you may like? Oh and check out our Cumin Rice and our aubergine bhaji for fantastic side dishes to the pathia.
Kay & Luke
Laura
Fantastic! We used the lime and brown sugar, as we could not get Tamarind. Please can we have an Aloo Gobi recipe? You made this really easy to do and the family loved it. I only made one mistake. I didn't read it properly and chopped the chillies so I had to fish them out, as it would have been far too hot. Cannot wait to make it again! Thank you so much
Kay
Thank you so much, Laura, for that great comment and rating 🙂
It's always a big bonus to hear that your family loved our chicken pathia curry; we will try and look into making an Aloo Gobi for you, and we will let you know when it comes out on the blog 😉
If you like making homemade curries try out our Chicken Bhuna Curry its delicious!!
Tara
Hi, Is there supposed to be tamarind in this recipe as I can’t see it in the list? Thanks
Stewart
Easy and does the job!
Luke
Thank you, Stewart 🙂
Pleased you like the chicken pathia curry recipe!!
Very easy to make at home and delicious 😉
Chef Dennis
This is making me super hungry!
Kay
Thanks, Dennis
So pleased you liked the recipe 🙂
Toni
This was really good and delicious!! Everyone at my house enjoyed this meal!
Kay
Thank you so much Toni for the nice comment 🙂
Really pleased to hear your family enjoyed the chicken pathia recipe!!
Amy Roskelley
I got my first tomatoes from my garden today! This meal is totally happening tonight.
Thanks.
Kay
Thanks, Amy
Hope you enjoyed the Pathia, let us know how it went?
Enjoy!!
Richard
Great easy recipe with amazing taste. Can the Pathia sauce be frozen?
Kay
Hi Richard,
Yes, this Pathia sauce can be frozen and kept in the freezer for 3 months. Defrost for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator before reheating.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Kay
Neil Hawkins
Amazing no need to say anything else. Follow this recipe to the letter for an awesome meal
Kay
Thanks, Neil, for that great comment and rating 🙂
Really glad you enjoyed the chicken pathia recipe; this is one of our favourites!!
We have a few other curries on our blog you might like; let us know if you try them? enjoy
Sara
Amazing! Just like a takeaway!
Kay
Thanks, Sara
Really glad you like the pathia recipe 🙂
Jessica Formicola
I've never actually tried pathia but it looks so flavorful and delicious! We will be trying this for dinner one day this week!
Kay
Thank you Jessica, I hope you enjoy this Indian Chicken Pathia recipe as much as we do!
Raquel
So flavorful and delicious!
Angela
Definitely one of my next curry I will cook
Kaern
The flavor profile in this curry is really intriguing me - sweet, sour and hot plus that creamy texture!
Kay
Hi Kaern
Thank you for the comment 🙂
Hope you enjoy this curry recipe, let us know what you think?
Enjoy!!
Gillian Ratford
I am definitely going to give this one ago it looks fabulous Indian is my husband’s absolute favourite
Kay
Hi Gillian
Thank you so much for the rating, it really is appreciated 🙂
Hope you and your husband love the curry!!
Enjoy