Nisha Katona Chicken Korma in the Air Fryer

Name: Nisha Katona's Chicken Korma Recipe | This Morning
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 2 cm fresh ginger, finely chopped; 500 g chicken breast, cut into chunks; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 0.5 tsp chilli powder; 1 tsp garam masala; 150 g crème fraîche; 100 ml water; 2 tbsp ground almonds; 1 tsp soft brown sugar; salt; 1 mug basmati rice

Source video by This Morning on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

A quick hob chicken korma demonstrated by Nisha Katona on This Morning. Built on the classic Indian trinity of onion, ginger and garlic, then spiced with turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala, and enriched with crème fraîche and ground almonds. The original is cooked in a pan in about 20 minutes. This version adapts the same method to an air fryer using an air-fryer-safe dish so the sauce can simmer.

Air fryer notes: Original recipe is a hob curry simmered in a pan for around 20 minutes. Adapted to an air fryer by using a heatproof dish or tin inside the basket so the yoghurt/crème fraîche sauce can simmer without drying out. Temperature set to 180°C with stirring at intervals to mimic the pan method. Rice should still be cooked separately on the hob as Nisha describes.

Ingredients

Curry

2 tbspvegetable oil
1 largeonion, finely chopped
3 clovesgarlic, finely chopped
2 cmfresh ginger, finely chopped
500 gchicken breast, cut into chunks

Spices

1 tspground turmeric
0.5 tspchilli powder
1 tspgaram masala

Sauce

150 gcrème fraîche
100 mlwater

Finish

2 tbspground almonds (add late)
1 tspsoft brown sugar (add late)
salt (add late)

To serve

1 mugbasmati rice

Method

Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger.
~5 min
Add the oil to an air-fryer-safe dish or small tin, then stir in the onion, garlic and ginger. Place in the air fryer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once, until softened.
~5 min
Add the chicken chunks and cook for a further 3 minutes to seal, stirring at the halfway point.
~3 min
Stir in the turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala so the chicken is coated in the spices.
~1 min
Stir through the crème fraîche and a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Return to the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring at the halfway point, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has come together.
~10 min
Stir in the ground almonds and brown sugar, season with salt to taste and serve with rice.
~1 min

Frequently asked

Do I need to preheat my air fryer for this korma?

Yes. A 2 to 3 minute preheat at 180°C means the onions start softening straight away rather than slowly warming up, which keeps the total cook time close to the 20 minutes Nisha gives on the hob.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast?

Yes, and Nisha actually says she prefers bone-in meat for more flavour. Use boneless skinless thighs cut into chunks and cook for the same time. Bone-in thighs will need an extra 5 to 8 minutes, check the juices run clear.

Why crème fraîche instead of cream?

Nisha explains that Indian cooks use yoghurt or crème fraîche rather than double cream. It gives a lighter, slightly tangy sauce that is closer to a real korma than the heavy takeaway version.

Why is my korma not bright yellow like the takeaway?

Takeaway kormas often contain food colouring. Nisha's version gets its colour only from turmeric, so it is paler and more golden. Add an extra pinch of turmeric if you want it more yellow.

What dish should I use inside the air fryer?

Any oven-safe ceramic dish, metal tin or silicone mould that fits your basket with room around the sides for air to circulate. The sauce contains dairy and water, so you need a container that holds liquid rather than cooking directly in the basket.

Extraction notes (transparency): Source is a live TV demo with no quantities given for onion, ginger, garlic, chicken, spices, crème fraîche, ground almonds or sugar. Quantities below are reasonable defaults for a 2-portion korma based on Nisha's method but are NOT stated in the transcript. Original is a hob recipe, adapted here to an air-fryer-safe dish. Reviewer should verify quantities against Nisha Katona's published korma recipe before publishing. | Second-pass critique flagged 5 fabricated and 14 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.