Malai Chicken Curry is curdling in the Pan

I am trying to prepare a rich, creamy malai chicken curry but it's turning out to be a disaster as the marinade curdles when I put in into the pan.

Here are the steps: I marinated the bite-sized cut chicken breast pieces with 1/2 cup yoghurt, 1/2 cup fresh cream along with salt and ginger-garlic paste. The marination time is about 24 hours inside the refrigerator.

When I am ready to cook, I take out the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and add it to heated oil in a pan and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. When I lift the lid after 10 minutes, its an unappetizing sight of curdled cream and whey floating on top instead of a creamy texture.

Where am I going wrong?

Thanks in advance,

Suddha Ray

Best Answer

The cream and yoghurt will separate and curdle if you bring it up to a boil. If you cook the dish longer at a lower heat, you should be able to avoid this. Slow cooking will tend to make the chicken more tender as well.

You need to keep the temperature of the yogurt below 190F (88C) to avoid having the milk proteins (mostly casein) react with acidic ingredients in the recipe and curdle. The acid comes from the yogurt itself and the ginger-garlic paste (most commercial, prepared ginger-garlic pastes have citric acid or similar as a stabilizer). You need to cook the chicken (and marinade because of its contact with the chicken) thoroughly, until it gets to up to at least 165F for food safety, but you do not want the sauce to get to 190F or boil.

If you've made kadhi before (a curry from yoghurt thickened with chickpea flour), it is the same concept -- it will separate and curdle if you let it boil.

Likewise, if you're making paneer from milk you want to get it close to boiling so that it WILL form the protein bonds when you add acid in the form of lemon juice or vinegar.

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Quick Answer about "Malai Chicken Curry is curdling in the Pan"

Slow cooking will tend to make the chicken more tender as well. You need to keep the temperature of the yogurt below 190F (88C) to avoid having the milk proteins (mostly casein) react with acidic ingredients in the recipe and curdle.

Why did my butter chicken sauce curdle?

Curdling occurs when the proteins in a sauce denature and bind together, separating from the water and tightening up into curds. Dairy or egg-y sauces can curdle for several reasons: There might not be enough fat in the sauce; skim milk will curdle much more easily than other, fattier dairy products.

How do you keep butter chicken from curdling?

Add teaspoon or two of flour to the yogurt before adding to the sauce will greatly reduce the chance of curdling. Also add the yogurt at the end of cooking and keep it no higher than a bare simmer. Adding yogurt slowly helps too.

Will sour cream curdle in a curry?

Fret-not though as sour cream offers the best texture and flavor when cooking hot sauces. It's not as delicate and contains just enough fat to prevent curdling or separating\u2013 even when boiling. Here's an easy shrimp curry recipe to kickstart your fun weekend.

Why does my butter chicken look grainy?

yeah, it looks like you denatured the proteins in the yogurt. this is what is causing the grainy texture. you need a dairy with a higher fat content. Yogurt doesn't have enough fat content to keep from splitting and should only be added just before serving and off the heat.

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