Chicken vindaloo is a popular Indian curry known for its spicy and tangy flavor combination, a quick and easy kitchen staple. My version is wonderfully fiery, though you can easily adjust the heat and spice to your preference.
Chicken Vindaloo Recipe
If you are a spicy food lover like I am, you need to give your taste buds a treat and try this amazing Chicken Vindaloo Recipe. It has everything a fiery food lover could want - Flavor, Heat, Spiciness, Pure Satisfaction.
It is most definitely one of my favorite recipes and it is super easy to whip together in the kitchen with very little effort and cooking time.
That's a HUGE PLUS for a slow cook like me!
What is Vindaloo?
"Vindaloo" is a highly spiced curry dish that originated in the Goa region of India. It is known for its fiery and tangy flavors, and is often made with meat, typically pork, beef, goat, or chicken, marinated in a spiced vinegar-based sauce. You can also make it with potato for a vegetarian version.
The word "vindaloo" comes from the Portuguese dish "carne de vinha d'alhos," a dish of meat marinated in wine vinegar and garlic. Historically, when the Portuguese colonized Goa, they brought this dish with them, which was adapted to local Indian ingredients and flavors to create Goan vindaloo.
The dish is known for its intense heat, which comes from the use of red chilies, and pleasant tanginess from vinegar.
I love it with chicken, particularly chicken thighs, which I've included here for this recipe.
Let's talk about how to make Chicken Vindaloo, shall we?
Chicken Vindaloo Ingredients
The full list of ingredients with measurements and printable cooking instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Chicken. Use chicken thighs or chicken breast, or a combination.
- Olive Oil. For cooking.
- Onion.
- Serrano Peppers. Or use Indian peppers, like Kashmiri chilies.
- Tomato Paste. You can also use fresh tomatoes.
- Salt and Pepper. To taste.
- FOR THE VINDALOO MARINADE
- White Vinegar.
- Garlic and Ginger.
- Spicy Red Chili Flakes. I enjoy using ghost pepper flakes for some extra heat, though you can use dried red chilies or flakes to your heat preference.
- Other Spices. Paprika, coriander, turmeric, mustard powder, cumin cinnamon. Freshly ground coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds make for extra fresh flavor.
- For Serving. Cooked rice, fresh herbs, extra chili flakes.
How to Make Chicken Vindaloo - Recipe Method
Marinate the Chicken. The vindaloo marinade is the most important part of this dish, as it imparts an immense amount of flavor that all of us spicy food lovers crave.
Vinegar is a MUST, as is garlic. From there, we're adding in a number of pungent spices to make this amazing, including paprika, ginger, coriander, turmeric, mustard powder, cumin, cinnamon, and a healthy dose of spicy red chili flakes, and salt and pepper, of course.
Try this Homemade Vindaloo Seasoning Blend.
You can also include a bit of sugar if you'd like, either white or brown sugar. I didn't use them this time.
Whisk all of the seasonings together with the vinegar, then pour it over the skinless chicken in a bowl. Or, use a plastic bag that you can seal. This is your curry paste. The chicken should be cut into bite sized pieces.
Refrigerate the chicken for at least 1 hour, though you'll get better results if you let it marinate overnight.
More marinade time = more flavor.
Cook the Onion and Peppers. Heat the oil in a large skillet to medium heat.
Next, cook your onion and chili pepper a few minutes to soften them up. I used spicy serrano peppers here, though you can use milder peppers for a version with less heat.
Cook the Chicken. Next, add the chicken (along with the marinade) and stir. Cook it for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Next, add in the tomato paste, salt, and pepper, and cook stirring a bit, along with about 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth to form a sauce. Fresh diced tomatoes are also a nice addition here.
Simmer the Vindaloo. Reduce the heat an let the whole pan simmer for 15 minutes to 20 minutes, until the chicken cooks through and the flavors develop. You can let it simmer longer if you'd like.
If the vindaloo sauce becomes too thick, just stir in a bit more water or broth until it reaches the consistency you prefer. It will thicken in the pan. It should be the consistency of a good gravy.
BOOM! DONE! Your chicken vindaloo curry is ready to serve! Better than any Indian restaurant. It's so deliciously fragrant. I love it. Such a great recipe. Indian food is filled with so much amazing spice and flavor.
Recipe Tips & Notes
Marinate Ahead
I like to whip this recipe together the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator until dinner time the next evening. It makes for a super quick and easy meal, though yeah, it does require a little bit of forethought.
Heat and Spice Factor
For the wild chiliheads like ME, you can use ghost pepper chili flakes like I did. If ghost peppers are too hot for you, use the typical red chili flakes or cayenne pepper that you find in the store, which are perfectly GREAT for this recipe.
You'll definitely get plenty of heat with them, and I want this dish to please your personal palate, not mine! So go with a heat level you're comfortable with.
Serving Chicken Vindaloo
Serve chicken vindaloo over steamed rice and garnish with fresh herbs and extra spicy chili flakes. Basmati rice is a nice choice, as is a side of naan bread.
If it is too spicy, serve it alongside this Indian Raita recipe, which is made from spiced yogurt. It has a nice cooling effect.
Storage and Leftovers
Chicken vindaloo will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. To enjoy it again, simply warm it in a pot on the stove over gentle heat. Or, warm it in the microwave.
You can also freeze it for 3 months in vacuum sealed bags or freezer containers.
It really is an amazing dish. Give it a try and let me know how you like this curry recipe. How spicy did you make yours? Send pics! I'd love to see them. Till next time!!! -- Mike H.
This Recipe Is In our Cookbook - FLAVOR MADNESS
Did you know that you can find this recipe in our new cookbook FLAVOR MADNESS? It's waiting for you on PAGE 156.
Try Some of My Popular Curry Dish Recipes
- Lamb Vindaloo
- Ghost Pepper Chicken Curry
- Chicken Biryani
- Spicy Thai Curry Chicken Soup
- Homemade Vindaloo Curry Powder
- Khao Soi - Northern Thai Coconut Curry Soup
- Chicken Korma
- Phaal Curry (the Hottest Curry in the World)
- Massaman Curry
- Rogan Josh (Indian Lamb Curry)
- Pav Bhaji (Spicy Vegetable Curry)
Try Some of My Other Popular Chicken Dishes
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations.
Chicken Vindaloo Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 serrano peppers chopped (or use Indian peppers if you can obtain them)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE MARINADE
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon spicy red chili flakes I used ghost pepper flakes for an EXTRA kick
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
FOR SERVING: Cooked rice, fresh herbs, extra chili flakes
Instructions
- Add the chicken to a large bowl.
- Mix your marinade by whisking together the vinegar and all of the seasonings. Pour it over the chicken and rub it into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Longer is better, such as overnight.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion and peppers and cook about 4-5 minutes, until they soften up.
- Add the chicken along with the marinade and cook another 5 minutes to nicely brown up the pieces.
- Add the tomato paste and salt and pepper to taste. Cook another minute, stirring.
- Add ½ cup of water (or chicken broth for extra flavor) and stir until the mixture thins out and becomes a sauce. You can add more water if needed. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Serve as is or over rice with fresh herbs and sprinkled chili flakes. Make it rain!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
This recipe is gluten free.
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 4/21/23 to include new information, photos, and video. It was originally published on 4/20/18.
Brit says
I just finished making this, it was so good! I only had chicken breast but it worked out perfectly and we prefer white meat anyway. Thanks for the excellent recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Brit! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Maria Dalton says
So good!!! definitely brings the heat!! First timer and will def be adding this to our dinner line up 🙂 . Thank you so much!!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
All right! Thanks, Maria! Yeah, this is a good one. I love this recipe.
Rick Starling says
Thank you. Beautiful dish. I did alter it a little. I added yogurt potatoes and a t of garam masala.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds like a perfect addition, Rick!
T. R. says
My favorite neighborhood Indian restaurant just closed down and I used to get the chicken vindaloo every week. I was craving it so I made this and it’s even better than the restaurant’s version. Great recipe. I used Hungarian hot paprika. Thanks-this was amazing.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's great. T.R. Sorry to hear about the restaurant closing, but glad you found a good replacement! I greatly appreciate the comments!
Rich says
Added a red pepper for a little more substance but my gosh, this recipe knocks it out the park. Thank you very much, in now infamous in my family for making a fiery but tastey curry. Thank you very much.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's GREAT to hear, Rich! I love this. Helping to make people famous! =)
John Greer says
Just made the milder recipie, I definately reccomend it! Go for the full 24 hour marinade, it turned out perfectly! I went with serranos too, but I think I will use fresnos next time.
Try this with poppadoms for dipping!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, John! I appreciate it!! Glad you enjoyed it.
LKD says
I cook a lot for Indian food and this recipe was absolutely too notch. Bravo!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, LKD! Very glad you enjoyed it! It's one of my favorites. I get requests for it all the time.
Dan says
My new go to recipe. Tastes amazing. The vinegar definitely gives it a new dimension. Also added some potatoes and half tomatoes. Swapped in some scotch bonnets for real fire and added a little yoghurt with the marinade. Really impressed. Don't know if this is my imagination but are the ingredients similar to Naga curry? Swear it's got a similar taste. Also a favourite of mine. I make a big pot and freeze. Just run out tonight, hence back on here.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Dan. I appreciate it! I do love vindaloo. It can be similar to Naga curry, which uses Naga Jolokias, I believe. Both can get quite hot!
Mark and Claire Poole says
So I cooked this following your recipe almost exactly, which I’m not usually good at doing! Apart from adding a pinch of sugar ,and I must agree with the other comments on this page it WAS amazing. I usually like a madras heat kinda curry but this is definitely going on the regular menu in our house ..... happy????
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, Mark and Claire! Super happy you enjoyed it! This is one of my wife's favorites. She requests it all the time. I have to keep a big batch of Vindaloo Curry Powder in my cupboard just for her. =)
Roula says
This was the best Indian recipe I've ever cooked! I wish I had a pic to send you but we devoured it instantly! I have to say I toned it down quite a lot because the Greek palate is not accustomed to such heat levels. I used dried Cascabel peppers, which I absolutely adore, instead of Serrano and hardly any chili flakes. Next time I'll use more chili to train myself and the family. Thanks a lot for this one!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Outstanding, Roula! I'm super happy you enjoyed it. Isn't it great that you can adjust the recipe to your preferred heat level? Thanks for sharing!!
Alison says
Very good, I only used a prepared vindaloo spice no red chili flakes or fresh hot peppers. My kids love curry and somewhat spicy food so I wanted to see if it would be a tolerable spice level for them. It was not, though my 8 year old enjoyed the taste it was too spicy. But my husbĂ nd and I really enjoyed it. I added potatoes and a ton of cilantro. I also used more chicken broth as I like my curries very saucy. Easy and will make again!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Alison! So happy you enjoyed it! Yes, this one can definitely get spicy.
Joe says
This is a fantastic recipe! I use it as a base for most Curry's i make, balanced but with a real kick.
I tend to mix up the bulk ingredients, changing out half the weight of the chicken for potatoes/mushrooms or cauliflower.
Great stuff!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Joe! I love the addition of the veggies. Quite delicious!
Alison says
How many tsp of the pre-made vindaloo spice mix would you use for the marinade?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I would use 4-6 teaspoons or more, depending on how pronounced the flavor you are looking for. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!