An easy takeaway-style chicken pathia curry — tangy, sour and sweet in every bite. Ready in about 30 minutes, it’s perfect for a midweek meal or a simple weekend feast.
Serve with pilau rice, naan bread, poppadoms and plenty of mango chutney. This curry is also freezer-friendly and easy to double for guests.
Chicken pathia is a popular medium-hot, sweet-and-sour curry. The bright, tangy notes come from tamarind paste and lime juice, balanced with light brown sugar and a tomato base for depth and body.
✔️ Why should you try it?
- Quick and easy medium-hot chicken curry, ideal for busy evenings.
- Tangy, sour and slightly sweet tomato-based sauce that’s full of flavour.
- Freezer-friendly — prepares well in advance.
- Easily doubled to feed a crowd.
🛒 Ingredients
Chicken – 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces.
Olive oil – a mild olive oil for frying.
Garlic – 3 cloves, finely chopped (add more if you love garlic).
Onion – 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped.
Red chilli – 1 mild red chilli, chopped (use a hotter variety if you prefer more heat).
Ginger – 1 tbsp, peeled and grated.
Spices – cinnamon, medium curry powder, chilli powder, smoked paprika, fenugreek and tamarind paste.
Lime – juice of ½ lime.
Brown sugar – 1 tbsp light brown sugar to balance the sourness.
Passata – 400 ml (or a 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes if you prefer a chunkier sauce).
Tomato puree – 2 tbsp for concentrated tomato flavour.
Water – 100 ml, optional to thin the sauce if desired.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card below includes ingredient quantities and structured instructions.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan or a shallow casserole on medium heat. Fry the garlic, onion, chilli and grated ginger for 3–4 minutes until softened.
- Add the diced chicken and cook for 3–4 minutes until the pieces start to change colour.
- Stir in ½ tsp cinnamon, 3 tbsp medium curry powder, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp fenugreek and ½ tsp tamarind paste, coating the chicken and aromatics in the spices.
- Pour in 400 ml passata, add 2 tbsp tomato puree, squeeze in the juice of ½ lime and stir in 1 tbsp brown sugar. Simmer for 10–12 minutes over a medium heat. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add about 100 ml boiling water and mix through.
- Finish with chopped fresh coriander and serve with rice, naan, mango chutney and raita.
Top Tips
- If tamarind paste is unavailable, double the lime juice and brown sugar amounts called for in the ingredient list to approximate the sweet-and-sour balance.
- A sprinkle of garam masala at the end lifts the aroma and deepens the overall flavour.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve with pilau rice or plain boiled basmati rice, naan bread, mango chutney and cooling raita. For a curry night, pair with a vegetarian dish such as a creamy halloumi curry or a Quorn-based curry so everyone has options.
📖 Variations
- Turn up the heat by increasing the chilli powder and using a spicier fresh chilli.
- Swap chicken for king prawns, lamb or beef; adjust cooking times accordingly.
- Add a handful of baby spinach at the end of cooking — the residual heat will wilt it into the sauce.
- Make a vegetarian pathia using Quorn pieces or two cans of drained chickpeas.
🥡 Storage
Store: Keep the curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Reheat thoroughly in the microwave or gently on the hob until piping hot.
Freeze: The curry freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool completely before freezing and defrost thoroughly in the fridge before reheating.
❓ FAQs
Pathia is a sweet-and-sour curry that became popular in the UK. It blends tangy tamarind and citrus with a spiced tomato base for a distinctive flavour.
Tamarind paste comes from a sour, dark fruit that adds a sharp, fruity sourness common in Indian and Southeast Asian cooking.
Pathia is typically medium-hot with a pleasant spicy kick. Adjust the chilli to suit your taste.
😋 Related recipes
Try other curry favourites such as Lamb Balti, Thai green beef curry, leftover chicken curry, chicken korma, chicken pasanda, keema matar, mango chutney chicken curry or king prawn masala.
Recipe
Easy Chicken Pathia
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 red chilli, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 4 chicken breasts, diced
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp medium curry powder
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp fenugreek
- ½ tsp tamarind paste
- Juice of ½ lime
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 400 ml passata (or a 400 g tin chopped tomatoes)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 100 ml water (optional)
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped (to serve)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan or shallow casserole. Fry the garlic, onion, chilli and ginger for 3–4 minutes over medium heat until softened.
- Add the diced chicken and fry for 3–4 minutes until the chicken starts to change colour.
- Stir in the cinnamon, curry powder, chilli powder, smoked paprika, fenugreek and tamarind paste, coating the chicken and onion mixture.
- Pour in the passata, add the tomato puree, squeeze in the lime juice and stir in the brown sugar. Simmer for 10–12 minutes over medium heat. Add 100 ml boiling water if you prefer a thinner sauce.
- Serve topped with chopped coriander alongside rice, naan, mango chutney and raita.
Notes
Top Tip: If you don’t have tamarind paste, double the lime juice and brown sugar called for to recreate the sweet-and-sour balance.
Storage: Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat thoroughly before serving.
Variations: Make it hotter, swap proteins, add spinach, or make it vegetarian with Quorn or chickpeas.
Nutrition: Values are approximate and calculated using online tools; actual values may vary.