Spicy, tangy and rustic, chicken Cafreal is a delicious and hearty curry with its roots in Goa.
The curry comes together in under 20 minutes, and is great to make and serve as a quick lunch or dinner.
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The best part? You can meal prep the dish too!
Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need three sets of ingredients to make the chicken Cafreal curry.
For the paste
- Coriander leaves: A bunch
- Cumin seeds: 2 tsp
- Black peppercorns: 1 tsp
- Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
- Green chilies: 2-3
- Ginger: 1 inch
- Garlic cloves: 7-8
- Cloves: 3-4
- Cashews: 5-6
- Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
- White wine vinegar/ Vinegar of your choice: ½ cup
For the chicken
- Chicken: 250-300 grams
- Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
- Salt: ½ tsp
For the curry
- Oil: 2 tbsp
- Bell pepper (cubed): 1 cup
- Prepared chicken
- Remaining paste
- Water: ½ - 1 cup
How to Make the Chicken Cafreal Goan Curry
Got all the ingredients ready? Here’s what you’ll need to do next to make the chicken Cafreal curry.
In a blender put coriander leaves, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, green chilies, ginger, garlic, and cloves.
Next, add the cashews, turmeric powder, and vinegar.
Blend into a smooth paste.
Take the chicken in a mixing bowl. Add half the amount of the prepared paste along with turmeric powder and salt.
Mix well. Let the chicken rest for 15-20 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the green bell peppers and saute for 1-2 minutes.
Next, add in the marinated chicken. Saute and cook the chicken for 10-12 minutes.
Add the remaining of the paste and mix well.
Saute for another 5-6 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.
Add water and let the curry simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Serve hot with rice and salad of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
In addition to the chicken, I also added some chopped bell peppers into the curry. You could try adding other veggies of your choice.
Potatoes, zucchini, baby corn, broccoli and mushrooms are all great veggies that you can add into the curry. 
Your leftover chicken curry can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, and then reheated when you want to. I would recommend using an airtight container to store it.
The curry can be reheated in the microwave or over the stovetop on low heat. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Chicken Cafreal Goan Curry
Making the chicken Cafreal curry is super easy, but you might want to take note of these tips and tricks too.
- While you can use almost any cut of chicken for this recipe, I would recommend using bone-in chicken thighs for the best flavor. Chicken thighs are also quite tender and soft, which is another plus.
- To bring a bit more flavor to the paste, you can also add some fresh mint leaves and cilantro leaves into the mix.
- To tone down the spice in the dish, you can add some sesame seeds or poppy seeds while making the paste, and also reduce the amount of green chilies you’re adding in.
- I used vinegar to bring a bit of tanginess into the curry, and also to tenderize the meat. If you want to, you could swap this for some lemon juice or even some tamarind pulp if you have it at hand.
- This curry is meant to be slightly dry as compared to other curries. If you want the curry to be runny, you can loosen it up by adding a bit of water into it.
- If you want to, you can also marinate the chicken up to a day in advance, refrigerate it, and then put the curry together when you want to.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This flavor-packed chicken Cafreal is a great dish to enjoy as a main, teamed up with some steamed white rice or naan, or any other bread for that matter.
If you want to go the extra mile, you can also serve it with some salad on the side to make it a complete meal.
Enjoyed this rich and flavorful chicken curry? Inspired to try some more such recipes? Here are a few good ones to try out.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Cafreal Goan Curry
Ingredients
Ingredients for the paste
- 1 bunch Coriander leaves
- 2 tsps Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Black peppercorns
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 2-3 Green chilies
- 1 inch Ginger
- 7-8 Garlic cloves
- 3-4 Cloves
- 5-6 Cashews
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ cup White wine vinegar, Vinegar of your choice
Ingredients for the chicken
- 250-300 grams Chicken
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Ingredients for the curry
- 2 tbsps Oil
- 1 cup Bell pepper, cubed
- Prepared chicken
- Remaining paste
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
- In a blender put coriander leaves, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, green chilies, ginger, garlic, and cloves.
- Next, add the cashews, turmeric powder, and vinegar. Blend into a smooth paste.
- Take the chicken in a mixing bowl. Add half the amount of the prepared paste along with turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Let the chicken rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the green bell peppers and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add in the marinated chicken. Saute and cook the chicken for 10-12 minutes.
- Add the remaining of the paste and mix well.
- Saute for another 5-6 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.
- Add water and let the curry simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve hot with rice and salad of your choice.
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