Chicken Balti Recipe

The Balti. Birmingham’s finest and one of the most notable curries to have been ‘created’ in the UK.

Many folk don’t know that ‘Balti’ is the method to how the curry is cooked – not the actual curry! The beauty of it is that you can have pretty much ANY curry ‘balti style’. It simply means to be cooked in a balti bowl. It’s something I always opt to do if possible.

The balti bowls add a different element of seasoning and authenticity. It allows curries to almost caramelise around the edges which adds to the flavours for sure.

This dish is a spin on what you would typically get if you asked for a ‘balti’ if you were in an Indian restaurant.

Balti style curries are typically a drier curry, meaning you don’t have masses of sauce for your rice to soak up but I must admit, I am more of a fan of a wetter curry so this recipe is with that in mind. If you prefer a dryer curry, feel free to add less stock or to cook the curry for longer so that some of the water reduces.

Key Points

• If you don’t want to use tikka, you can replace this with plain cooked chicken. If you need a super simple Chicken Tikka marinade, check out our webstore.
• If you don’t want to use a freshly grated tomato, you can use a tomato puree mix of 2tbsp of puree to 8tbsp of water. Fresh is always better though!
• If you prefer a drier curry, use less stock or let the curry reduce some of the water by cooking the currier for longer during step 5.
• For an authentic balti, you will need an authentic balti bowl. These can be used for all different types of curries too – not just this one! I use the Birmingham Balti Bowls – they’re the best in the business.