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 tbsp 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 tsp 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 tsp 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 the chicken in yoghurt and spice.
We will be posting another blog soon with how to make chicken tikka which can be added to this pathia sauce.
The smooth pathia sauce is perfect for dipping your naan bread in and mixing into the 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 through out.
Chicken Pathia Curry - Indian Takeaway Style
Equipment
Ingredients
Pathia Sauce
- 2 tbsp Sunflower Oil substitute with Ghee
- 2 Onions
- 1 flat tbsp Garlic Puree or 6 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 tsp Chilli puree can use chopped fresh chillies instead (add extra if want hot)
- 1 tbsp Sundried Tomato Puree can substitute with normal tomato puree
- 2 tbsp Curry Powder substitute for hot or mild curry powder as desired
- 1 tin Chopped Tomatoes
- ½ tbsp 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 tsp dried leaf coriander
Chicken to add to sauce ( see notes if using other meat/ vegetables for cooking time)
- 1 tbsp Sunflower Oil substitute with Ghee
- 3 large Chicken Breasts chopped into chunks
- 1 tbsp Medium Curry Powder substitute for hot or mild curry powder as desired
- 1 tsp Chilli Puree can use minced fresh chillies instead
- 1 tsp 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 still 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.
I've never actually tried pathia but it looks so flavorful and delicious! We will be trying this for dinner one day this week!
Thank you Jessica, I hope you enjoy this Indian Chicken Pathia recipe as much as we do!
So flavorful and delicious!
Definitely one of my next curry I will cook
The flavor profile in this curry is really intriguing me - sweet, sour and hot plus that creamy texture!
Hi Kaern
Thank you for the comment 🙂
Hope you enjoy this curry recipe, let us know what you think?
Enjoy!!
I am definitely going to give this one ago it looks fabulous Indian is my husband’s absolute favourite
Hi Gillian
Thank you so much for the rating, it really is appreciated 🙂
Hope you and your husband love the curry!!
Enjoy