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Chicken Pathia Curry

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Recipe Card Jump to Video Print Recipe

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

Chicken Pathia Curry in a cast iron pan with two red chillies on top and in the background there is a naan bread and pilau rice, served on the side

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 Recipe

What 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.

Chicken Pathia Curry ingredients on a orange and wooden chopping board which consists of chopped chicken breast, fresh coriander,red chillies, garlic puree, sundried tomato puree, chilli puree, brown sugar ,chopped fresh lime, curry powder, vegetable oil, chopped onion and a jug of water

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.

Cooked chopped onion, sundried tomato puree, garlic puree and chilli puree in a grey cast iron pan
Chopped tomatoes being poured on top of chopped onions in a grey cast iron pan
Squeezing lime juice from a lime by hand on top of brown sugar and the curry sauce cooking in a cast iron pan
Two red chillies added to the pathia sauce cooking in a cast iron dish

Whilst that is simmering you have the right amount of time to get the chicken cooked.

Chopped chicken breast, curry powder, chilli puree and garlic puree in a grey pan
Chopped chicken breast cooking in a pan

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.

Removing two red chillies out of the curry sauce with a silver fork

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.

Pouring the curry sauce into a clear plastic blender
Pathia curry sauce blended in a clear plastic blender
Pouring the blended curry sauce into a cast iron dish

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?

Pouring the cooked chicken breast into the pathia curry sauce in a grey iron pan
Chopped coriander added to the Chicken curry cooking in a cast iron pan
Chicken Pathia Curry in a cast iron pan

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.

Chicken Pathia Curry in a cast iron pan with two red chillies on top and in the background there is a naan bread, pilau rice, salad onion bhajis and samosa served on the side

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!

Picking up the chicken curry with a wooden spoon to serve

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..

Chicken Pathia Curry in a black bowl served with pilau rice, with naan bread, salad onion bhajis and samosa served on the side

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.

A piece of curry chicken and pilaf rice on a silver fork

📖 Step by Step Recipe

Chicken Pathia Curry in a cast iron pan with two red chillies on top and in the background there is a naan bread, pilau rice, onion bhajis and served on the side

Chicken Pathia Curry - Indian Takeaway Style

Luke and Kay - Flawless Food
Chicken Pathia is a popular medium hot curry with a sweet and sour sauce, enjoyed in curry houses all over the UK every day.
We show you to make your own Chicken Pathia, at home using simple ingredients. It is like the curry you get from an Indian restaurant or takeaway.
The sauce is made from scratch using onions, tomatoes, sugar, lime, coriander, curry powder, and chillies.
Cooked in a pan before being blended into a smooth pathia sauce. Chicken is cooked and added after the sauce is made.
Easy to adjust how hot you make it using more or less chillies or chilli puree to suit how spicy you like it?
4.98 from 80 votes
Rate this Recipe
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine British, Indian
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 335 kcal

Equipment

Large cast iron pan or large pan
Non-stick frying pan

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.
    Chopped onion being fried in a grey cast iron pan
  • Add garlic puree, chilli puree and sundried tomato puree, stir through with the onions for 1 minute.
    Cooked chopped onion, sundried tomato puree, garlic puree and chilli puree in a grey cast iron pan
  • Add the following stir between each addition, first curry powder.
    Pouring curry powder over the chopped onions cooking in a cast iron pan
  • Then, chopped tomatoes.
    Chopped tomatoes being poured on top of chopped onions in a grey cast iron pan
  • Add lime juice, sugar and salt.
    Squeezing lime juice from a lime by hand on top of brown sugar and the curry sauce cooking in a cast iron pan
  • Finally, pour in water, and stir the sauce together whilst bringing it to the boil
    Pouring water into the curry sauce from a clear glass jug into a grey cast iron pan
  • 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.
    Two red chillies added to the pathia sauce cooking in a cast iron dish
  • Place oil and chicken into a large pan over medium heat. Add curry powder, garlic and chilli puree.
    Chopped chicken breast, curry powder, chilli puree and garlic puree in a grey pan
  • Stir through and cook for about 15 minutes, check that chicken is cooked through. Take off heat and keep aside until sauce is ready.
    Chopped chicken breast cooking in a pan
  • If used, remove whole chillies, keeping them aside for anyone who likes it spicy, to add back to their serving.
    Removing two red chillies out of the curry sauce with a silver fork
  • Pour the pathia sauce into a blender or into a jug and use a hand blender
    Pouring the curry sauce into a clear plastic blender
  • Blend into a lump-free sauce.
    Pathia curry sauce blended in a clear plastic blender
  • Return the blended pathia sauce into a pan on medium heat.
    Pouring the blended curry sauce into a cast iron dish
  • Add your cooked chicken.
    Pouring the cooked chicken breast into the pathia curry sauce in a grey iron pan
  • Sprinkle in a small handful of chopped coriander.
    Chicken Pathia Curry in a cast iron pan
  • Stir whilst the sauce and chicken warm through for about 5 minutes.
    Picking up the chicken curry with a wooden spoon to serve
  • Serve and add extra chilli, if desired.
    Chicken Pathia Curry in a cast iron pan with two red chillies on top and in the background there is a naan bread, pilau rice, salad onion bhajis and samosa served on the side

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 37gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 790mgPotassium: 824mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 175IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 2mg
Keyword chicken, Curry, Fakeaway, Homemade, pathia, patia, restaurant style, takeaway
Tried this recipe? Share an image on Facebook / Instagram / PinterestPlease mention @flawlessfooduk or tag #flawlessfooduk!

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.

Pin image of our Chicken Pathia Curry in a cast iron pan with two red chillies on top and in the background there is a naan bread and pilau rice, served on the side

More Takeaway Style Recipes

If you love to create your own takeaway-style recipes, try out some of these.

More Chicken Recipes

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Tony

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply

    • 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! 🙂

      Reply

  2. Heather

    5 stars
    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

    Reply

    • 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! 🙂

      Reply

  3. 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!

    Reply

    • 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. 🙂

      Reply

  4. Jaine Wills

    5 stars
    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 🙂

    Reply

    • 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 😉

      Reply

  5. Shaun Edmonds

    4 stars
    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.

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  6. Darrin Beresford

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply

    • 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! 🙂

      Reply

  7. Stephanie

    5 stars
    Brilliant

    Reply

    • 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. 🙂

      Reply

  8. Jenna

    5 stars
    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

    Reply

    • 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. 🙂

      Reply

  9. Ian

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply

    • 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

      Reply

  10. Laura

    5 stars
    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

    Reply

    • 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!!

      Reply

    • Tara

      Hi, Is there supposed to be tamarind in this recipe as I can’t see it in the list? Thanks

      Reply

  11. Stewart

    5 stars
    Easy and does the job!

    Reply

    • Luke

      Thank you, Stewart 🙂
      Pleased you like the chicken pathia curry recipe!!
      Very easy to make at home and delicious 😉

      Reply

  12. Chef Dennis

    5 stars
    This is making me super hungry!

    Reply

    • Kay

      Thanks, Dennis
      So pleased you liked the recipe 🙂

      Reply

  13. Toni

    5 stars
    This was really good and delicious!! Everyone at my house enjoyed this meal!

    Reply

    • Kay

      Thank you so much Toni for the nice comment 🙂
      Really pleased to hear your family enjoyed the chicken pathia recipe!!

      Reply

  14. Amy Roskelley

    5 stars
    I got my first tomatoes from my garden today! This meal is totally happening tonight.
    Thanks.

    Reply

    • Kay

      Thanks, Amy
      Hope you enjoyed the Pathia, let us know how it went?
      Enjoy!!

      Reply

  15. Richard

    4 stars
    Great easy recipe with amazing taste. Can the Pathia sauce be frozen?

    Reply

    • 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

      Reply

  16. Neil Hawkins

    5 stars
    Amazing no need to say anything else. Follow this recipe to the letter for an awesome meal

    Reply

    • 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

      Reply

  17. Sara

    5 stars
    Amazing! Just like a takeaway!

    Reply

    • Kay

      Thanks, Sara
      Really glad you like the pathia recipe 🙂

      Reply

  18. Jessica Formicola

    5 stars
    I've never actually tried pathia but it looks so flavorful and delicious! We will be trying this for dinner one day this week!

    Reply

    • Kay

      Thank you Jessica, I hope you enjoy this Indian Chicken Pathia recipe as much as we do!

      Reply

  19. Raquel

    5 stars
    So flavorful and delicious!

    Reply

  20. Angela

    5 stars
    Definitely one of my next curry I will cook

    Reply

  21. Kaern

    The flavor profile in this curry is really intriguing me - sweet, sour and hot plus that creamy texture!

    Reply

    • Kay

      Hi Kaern
      Thank you for the comment 🙂
      Hope you enjoy this curry recipe, let us know what you think?
      Enjoy!!

      Reply

  22. Gillian Ratford

    5 stars
    I am definitely going to give this one ago it looks fabulous Indian is my husband’s absolute favourite

    Reply

    • Kay

      Hi Gillian
      Thank you so much for the rating, it really is appreciated 🙂
      Hope you and your husband love the curry!!
      Enjoy

      Reply


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Many thanks,
Kay & Luke
Flawless Food