Freezing Indian chicken curry---how to retain texture and flavor?

I am planning to cook an oil-rich, Indian style Chicken curry that will look something like this: or this: I am planning to cook a week ahead and freeze them, and my target is to keep the texture and flavor as close to the original as possible. Any freezing technique I should follow to achieve that?

My plan till now:

individually freeze the cooked chicken pieces in a tray, and maybe freeze the gravy separately.
Reheat in an oven in one layer(What temperature?), and sprinkle with garam masala to shore up flavor.

Any more ideas? Thanks!

Best Answer

When freezing meat (or anything really), one of the main places where the texture will change is with freezer burn. This can be minimized by double wrapping and preventing exposure to air. An extra really great way to minimize freezer burn especially given that your dish has sauce, is to cover the food with the sauce and then freeze the whole thing as a giant block. I'd just reheat it in a saucepan.

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Quick Answer about "Freezing Indian chicken curry---how to retain texture and flavor?"

individually freeze the cooked chicken pieces in a tray, and maybe freeze the gravy separately.

Reheat in an oven in one layer(What temperature?), and sprinkle with garam masala to shore up flavor.

Can you freeze Indian chicken curry?

Yes, you can freeze curry. Curry can be frozen for around 3 months. Regardless of whether or not your curry contains meat, it will freeze well, providing it has been well wrapped and protected from freezer burn. Both homemade and takeaway curries freeze well.

Does Indian curry freeze well?

Indian curries, Thai curries, South African curries, any curry you like. Just like spaghetti sauce and lasagna, most curries freeze and defrost extremely well. The truth is, not everything freezes well. Potatoes and carrots, for instance, once cooked, don't freeze well.

How do you freeze chicken curry?

To freeze:

Put the curry into freezer bags, dividing it into portions that you will most likely eat at a time. ...

Removing as much air from it as you can before closing, and place in a large bowl of cold water to cool it down quickly.

How do you make frozen curry taste better?

Garlic, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom do not freeze well, especially when the curry is going to be kept in the freezer for a longer period. Just fry them up with some ghee and add them into the curry when you are reheating it from frozen, to save the taste and flavor.

TASTY CURRY CHICKEN | Easy food recipes for dinner to make at home - cooking videos

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