Chicken Vindaloo (Goan-style Hot and Sour Chicken)

Chicken Vindaloo is a popular Portuguese influenced Goan Indian curry. It's simultaneously spicy and sour, due to the addition of vinegar. You can easily adjust the spice level by making this at home, and can swap out the chicken for other proteins such as pork!

(This recipe originally used pork instead of chicken and was published in March 2015, but was updated with new photos and content in 2022; instructions for making pork vindaloo are included in the Expert Tips section and recipe card notes).

Vindaloo is an Indian curry dish deriving from the Goa region of India. With its Portuguese influence, it's notoriously spicy with an acidic/sour element from the use of vinegar.

Portuguese explorers brought a dish called “carne de vinha d'alhos“ when they came to India. It literally means "meat cooked with wine and garlic." Goans adapted the dish by adding Indian spices and replacing the wine with vinegar, resulting in the fiery vindaloo curry we are more familiar with today.

Vindaloo curry was originally made with pork, but can be made with chicken (like in this recipe), lamb, or beef. You can use the same basic technique with whichever protein you prefer. Just be sure to cook the other proteins longer if needed until they are tender.

Chicken vindaloo from restaurants often includes cubed potatoes, but that's not necessarily authentic. This was likely done to reduce preparation costs, but is not part of the original basic recipe. I personally don't use potatoes in mine, but you could if you wanted.

If you're hesitant about the notorious spiciness of vindaloo, you can tame it by cutting down on the chilies. You'll still retain the wonderful layers of flavor and spice that make chicken vindaloo such a popular and appealing curry both inside and outside of India.

Although the ingredient list may seem daunting, if you have a well-stocked spice cabinet, it may only require purchasing a few specialty items. This chicken vindaloo recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.

Ingredient notes

• Spices: This chicken vindaloo recipe uses a lot of different spices! It's preferable to grind whole spices in a spice grinder, but I've also included measurements for the ground spices if needed. These are the spices you'll need for this recipe: cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cardamom seeds (found inside cardamom pods; I used ground cardamom in mine since I didn't have the seeds), cinnamon stick, mustard seeds (black preferred but I used brown), ground coriander, ground turmeric.
• Dried Indian Red Chilies: In addition to the spices above, you'll need some dried Indian red chilies. There are different varieties with varying heat levels. These include Indian red chilies (a bit spicier, and what I have) and Kashmiri red chilies (slightly less spicy). You may substitute other types of dried chilies if needed, but spice levels will vary significantly depending on what you use. Some chicken vindaloo recipes use 10 or more dried chilies, as it's typically a very spicy dish. Making it homemade allows you to customize the spice level more easily. I use 2 Indian red chilies and it has a more comfortable spice level for my family (still spicy but not out of control). This results in a less fiery red color than if you were to add a lot more chilies, but the flavor is fantastic regardless.
• Chicken: I use cubed chicken breasts in this chicken vindaloo, but you could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you'd prefer. You'll just need to cook them a bit longer until they're fork-tender.

How to make it

Grind cumin seeds, dried chilies, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, and mustard seeds in a coffee or spice grinder. Transfer the ground spices in a small bowl, stir in the vinegar, salt and brown sugar, and set aside (PHOTOS 1-2).

Heat oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add sliced onions and fry, stirring frequently, until the onions turn brown and start to crisp. Remove from the pot.

Transfer the cooked onions to a blender or food processor. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water and puree the onions. Add the ground spice mixture to the blender or food processor and puree until smooth. This is the vindaloo paste.

Rinse the blender or processor and add chopped ginger, garlic cloves and 2 to 3 tablespoons water and blend until you have a relatively smooth paste.

Add oil to the pot that you cooked the onions in, and heat over medium-high heat. Add about half the chicken pieces and sear lightly on all sides, a few minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Remove to the bowl with the other chicken and set aside.

Now add the ginger-garlic paste into the same pot. Reduce the heat and stir the paste for a few seconds (PHOTO 3). Then add the ground coriander and turmeric. Stir for another few seconds (PHOTO 4).

Add the seared chicken pieces and any juice that has accumulated in the bowl. Stir to coat (PHOTO 5), then add the vindaloo paste and ¾ cup water (PHOTO 6).

Bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat to simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Garnish the chicken vindaloo with chopped cilantro and serve with basmati rice and/or warm naan.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Expert tips

Using a mini food processor or smaller smoothie blender will yield better results for pureeing the onions and the ginger-garlic mixture. If your blender or food processor has a very large size bowl, the food will push to the edges as the blades spin and won't puree as smoothly.

You can cook your chicken vindaloo a day ahead and refrigerate. The flavors will further develop overnight, and the result will taste even better the next day.

Some people like to marinate their meat in the vindaloo paste for several hours or overnight before cooking. You could certainly do this if you'd like, but the recipe I have adapted from Madhur Jaffrey, an award-winning Indian cookbook author, doesn't do that, so I never have either and the results have still been amazing.

I realize that this chicken vindaloo isn't the bright red color you may be used to for a vindaloo curry, but keep in mind we aren't using 10 super hot red chilies here (which would add a bit more red to the dish). Some people also add some tomato puree, but this really isn't a classic ingredient here either. Take my word for it, this curry is very delicious just as it is.

Variation: This post originally featured a pork vindaloo recipe instead of chicken vindaloo. To make pork vindaloo, follow the recipe as instructed but replace the chicken with 2 pounds of trimmed pork shoulder meat cut into 1-inch cubes, add 1 cup water instead of ¾ cup water in step 6, and cover and simmer for about 1 hour until the pork is tender.

Other recipes you may like

• Indian Chicken Korma
• Murgh Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)
• Chicken Saag (Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry)
• Murgh Masala (Chicken Masala)
• Murghi aur Masoor Dal (Bombay-style Chicken Dal)
• Aloo Chaat
• Chana Dal (Bengal Gram)
• Punjabi Dal Makhani
• Jeera Rice (Indian Cumin Rice)

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