By Weeknight chicken vindaloo with Patak’s paste. Read the full method and preparation notes before starting.
Saved source attribution: www.pataksusa.com. www.pataksusa.com. pataks.ca. Quantities and cooking sequence follow the saved version.
Before you begin
Read the ingredient list and the full method before starting. Source estimates are not kitchen-test measurements; marinating, cooling and resting notes remain part of the recipe.
Paste Makes Haste — Weeknight chicken vindaloo with Patak’s paste
Weeknight chicken vindaloo with Patak’s paste. Read the full method and preparation notes before starting.
Ingredients
Method
- Microwave the potato pieces in a covered microwave-safe bowl with 1 tablespoon water for 4 to 5 minutes, until almost tender. Drain any remaining water. Start reheating or cooking the basmati rice now.
- Heat the neutral oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and brown for 3 to 4 minutes. It does not need to cook through. Transfer it to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring often, until properly golden rather than merely translucent.
- Add the garlic, ginger, Patak's vindaloo paste, tomato paste, and optional cayenne. Cook for 90 seconds, stirring constantly. Add a splash of stock if the paste threatens to scorch.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and remaining stock. Scrape up the browned bits and simmer for 5 minutes to cook away the raw tomato taste.
- Return the chicken and any juices to the pan. Add the nearly cooked potatoes and simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked and the gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Taste with rice. Correct salt first. Add the optional vinegar only if the finished curry lacks vindaloo tang; Patak's paste already contains acid. Add more cayenne if it needs greater heat.
- Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with basmati rice and garlic naan.
Notes
This version uses a skillet rather than a slow cooker. Chicken vindaloo already cooks quickly; a slow cooker makes the gravy watery and risks soft chicken and disintegrating potatoes unless the onions and spices are sautéed and the sauce is reduced afterward. At that point it has created more work, not less. For the best shortcut, use Patak's Original Vindaloo Spice Paste, not a complete simmer sauce. The paste leaves control over the onion, tomato, salt, heat, thickness, and acidity. If only Patak's Vindaloo Simmer Sauce is available, use one 12.3-ounce jar for 1 pound chicken, omit the spice paste, crushed tomatoes, stock, and optional vinegar, and simmer about 20 minutes. Fresh ginger is best, but 1 teaspoon ground ginger is an acceptable weeknight substitution. Add ground ginger with the Patak's paste rather than with the garlic. The saved source notes cite Patak's official vindaloo product and recipe guidance, with the onion-browning, paste-blooming, potato pre-cooking, and final balance adjusted to avoid a flat jar-sauce result. Sources: https://www.pataksusa.com/products/vindaloo-spice-paste https://www.pataksusa.com/recipes/spicy-chicken-vindaloo https://pataks.ca/recipes/chicken-vindaloo
Where shown, times and yields are saved source estimates, not measured kitchen-test results.
Saved recipe attribution: https://www.pataksusa.com/products/vindaloo-spice-paste https://www.pataksusa.com/recipes/spicy-chicken-vindaloo https://pataks.ca/recipes/chicken-vindaloo
For general food handling, cooling and reheating guidance, read the cooking notes. Browse the recipe notebook for another dish.