Unashamedly lifted from one of his YouTube videos, I had to write down Jamie Oliver’s cornershop curry as it’s a blinder. It’s not complicated, but I’ve made it twice and people have begged for more.

The whole thing is up there, but I’ve written it out below so I can make it again without having to watch the video! Go and check it out though, lots of classic Jamie shortcuts that don’t compromise on flavour. The gimmick is – as you may have guessed – is it is made from all store cupboard ingredients, or things easily found from your local convenience store. Jamie Oliver’s cornershop curry has now entered my regular rotation as a crowdpleaser. His approach is a fusion of traditional Indian flavours and techniques with a modern twist, making it a popular choice for UK home cooks and foodies alike.

My recommendation – not sponsored! – is to use Geeta’s mango chutney. It’s so good. Sweet but really heavily spiced, it builds a great base for this gravy and serve more on the side for dipping. Terrific!

I make one significant change: I brine the chicken breasts. If you have the time dunk your meat in salted water for a few hours beforehand; the chicken will be moist and so tasty. Very difficult to overcook too. Completely optional but I always do that if I’ve had time to prep.

By using ingredients that are readily available in most UK convenience stores, this dish is very accessible regardless of location or cooking experience. What’s great about Jamie Oliver’s cornershop curry recipe is that it can be easily adapted to suit different tastes and dietary requirements. For example, you can swap out the chicken for tofu or chickpeas to make it vegan or vegetarian-friendly. You can also adjust the level of spiciness to your liking, by adding a more potent curry paste. The versatility of this recipe makes it a go-to for busy weeknights or impromptu dinner plans, and the fact that it’s both delicious and nutritious is an added bonus.

Want more midweek curries? Try my turkey tikka, or this cauliflower and lentil curry. Or for more of a showstopper, my whole roast chicken katsu curry.

jamie oliver's cornershop curry

Gary @ BigSpud

A dead easy weeknight curry recipe you can knock out with common ingredients.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Brining 6 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Calories 1300 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the chicken and brine:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 star anise
• table salt see method
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

For the curry sauce:

• 1 tablespoon curry paste whatever you like
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 cm piece of ginger
• 1 large pepper deseeded and diced
• 1 heaped tablespoon mango chutney
• 400 g tinned tomatoes
• 400 g light coconut milk

Instructions

 

For the brine:

• Cover the chicken with a sheet of greaseproof paper, and bash them to about 2cm thick. Take a bowl deep enough to carry the chicken and put on scales. Fill with water and note the weight. Work out 6% of that weight (I usually shout at Google for the answer) and add that much salt. Add the star anise and turmeric, stir well and submerge the chicken. Leave in the brine between 3 and 6 hours.

For the curry sauce:

• Peel and coarsely grate the onions, garlic and ginger. Put a large non-stick pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and the grated onion, garlic and ginger, stirring regularly.
  
• After a few minutes add the pepper. Once the veg has softened, stir in the curry paste, followed by the mango chutney. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid it catching and burning.
  
• Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon and scraping up any sticky bits from the base of the pan. Simmer for a few minutes.
  
• Pour in the coconut milk then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the consistency of your liking. You may wish to add a splash of water to get it right.
• Drain and pat dry your chicken, discarding the brine ingredients. Either using a grill or frying pan, cook the chicken quickly on both sides over a high heat.
  
• Remove the chicken to a board and thickly slice. If the chicken isn’t cooked through that's a good thing, as it will finish cooking in the sauce and not be overcooked. Stir the chicken slices into the simmering sauce for the last 5 minutes, or until cooked through. Season the sauce to your liking.
  
• Serve the curry with rice and / or bread, and extra mango chutney.

Notes

You can sub out the protein for almost anything else, a piece of fish, cauliflower, tofu, seitan, whatever you want. Sub in a hotter paste for more fire in your belly.

Keyword curry, easy