My father in law thinks "korma" may refer to dates, but it's supposed to be derived from the Urdu term for braising. The other two words "shahi" and "murgh" seem to indicate the Farsi words for king and chicken. Plus the dish is supposedly an import from Persia.
I've seen it with made with raisins, but is there an authentic version that uses dates? Or perhaps a separate Persian dish that resembles korma?
As an Iranian, I've never heard of this dish and I'm certain there is no braise or stew with dates in it (at least not in persian cuisine). However the name sounds persian and your father in law is close, except date in persian is spelled "Khorma" (it has an h).
The word "Korma" in this dish name does not mean "date" and it simply means "braise" which is also a reason to not look for a braise with dates in it. Korma is an Urdu word which you can verify via link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korma
Speaking of culinary anthropology, in the middle ages, Persians brought their cuisine to the Indian subcontinent, and to this day a lot of Persian and Hindi names for many dishes are similar. I would safely assume this dish is Hindu or Indian. However, if you are looking to make a stew with chicken and spices, you are welcome to visit my blog and try my Curry Stew which is a delicious Persian/Indian concoction. It does have chicken and a yummy curry sauce. Here is the link, hope you can try and enjoy it. Good luck.
In northern Indian cuisine, "murgh shahi korma" would be chicken (murgh) in a mild creamy sauce (korma) - although as someone rightfully comments there are lots of regional variations - with the term shahi meaning loosely "fit for a king", and usually indicating a dish made rich with the presence of cream and nuts.
Dried fruit (raisins, etc.) would be a common addition, since it's a Mughlai dish.
