Baked Chicken Korma or Doi Moorgi

My grandmother had a recipe, that she liked to call Doi Moorgi. Literally translated Yogurt Chicken. Something my mother often colloquially calls Moorgir Korma, or Chicken Korma.  It makes sense, as like korma it is a creamy chicken dish, slow cooked with yogurt, nuts and fragrant spices. Working with my mother, I have even created a baked version of this dish. Now for the longest time, I have not been so sure about the texture. The taste not surprisingly is spot on. The texture has been a little thinner. Until I did this on a sheet pan. So yes, a perfect tray bake sort of chicken korma. And instant pot fans, I already have you covered.

And, yes I modified my grandmother’s recipe, of course I did this with my mother’s blessing. Chances are that I do that unwittingly quite often. Truth be told, anything from my grandmother’s culinary repertoire is something I make from instinct and passed down ideas. No concept of recipe writing here. The key to this dish is a generous use of fried onions. And guess what, the store made variety works. Marinating the chicken the night before significantly improves the flavors.

This baked version emerged during my busy soccer mama days. I am still busy, just that they do not play soccer no more. It is still comfort food in my household. And with several layers of variations you will be surprised as to how well this turns out. The magic of this is the hands off nature of cooking.  It is one of those simple recipes that taste ever so good. Dare I say, ever so elegant.

This recipe emerged and was recreated several times this soccer season and it is time for it now to see the light of day and be remembered for posterity at least in my household. I find adding the lime gives it a nice fresh touch. Serve this with steamed rice, or store made naan, perfect for that wind down meal or your next festive occasion. Just to make life even easier here is a visual to help you with the process.