Coconut Chicken Curry
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This Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry is delicious, healthy, made in one pot and best of all ready in only 30 minutes! Forget take-out, this is about to become your new family favorite.
Do you have some ingredients taking up space in your pantry that you just want to use up? I had that the other day with some diced tomatoes and some coconut milk, I knew I could get a scrumptious curry out of it when the time came – and the time came quickly. So here we are, a nice little creamy coconut milk based curry studded with tender chicken and some perfectly intense seasoning.
I love curries because they’re quick, full of flavor, and taste just as good the next day. They’re also very beginner friendly, especially this recipe – it’s as easy as a curry can get!
Never cooked curry?
Well don’t fear – it can be simple, quick, and completely delicious! Originating in India, curry describes a variety of dishes, typically sauces, that contain a variety of exciting and complex spices. My favorite curries by far are coconut milk based because they’re so creamy and delicious.
- Chicken – Skinless, boneless and cubed up into bite sized pieces.
- Olive oil – We want an oil to saute our sauteables in, I love the flavor from olive oil in a recipe like this but you can always also use something light like canola.
- Spices – Just a bit of curry powder today, that’s all you need for this delicious dish!
- Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
- Onion – Chopped up and ready to be sautéed till perfectly translucent.
- Tomatoes – We want a can of diced tomatoes and some tomato paste to get some of that perfect acidic flavor. I used fire roasted tomatoes because I just love, so if you’ve got them, use them.
- Coconut milk – Just 1 can is all we need for a perfectly creamy, coconut-y curry.
- Sugar – We need a hit of sweetness to combat all the acidic savory flavor we have going on. I just used some granulated white sugar.
- Chicken broth – Low sodium so as to control the sodium content of our curry!
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
How to make Coconut Chicken Curry
- Cook the chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the chicken to the Dutch oven and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.
- Finish the dish: Add the onion, garlic, curry powder and stir. Cook for 2 more minutes then add the chicken broth, coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar. Stir everything together, bring to a boil then cover with a lid. Turn the heat down and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with parsley and serve over rice.
What else can I add to my curry?
Curry is such a perfect blank canvas! You can incorporate so many amazing flavors, textures, and ingredients to achieve whatever it is you want to plate for yourself or your loved ones. So let’s use up some of whatever is taking up valuable space in your pantry.
Veggies
- Peas
- Bell pepper
- Butternut squash
- Zucchini
- Eggplant
- Chickpeas
- Potato
Meat
- Shrimp
- White fish
- Lamb
- Beef
Instant Pot
Rather than using the stovetop and saucepan method, this curry can be prepared in an instant pot in a matter of minutes. Turn the instant pot to the sauté setting and add the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant the other ingredients can be added. Turn the manual setting on high and set the timer for 2 minutes.
Always wait a further 10 minutes for the pressure to release naturally before opening. For more information on preparing an instant pot curry, refer to this recipe.
Leftovers
Curry should be safely sealed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 3 days. If you want this curry to last, my advice is to freeze it. Ensure that it is fully cooled before sealing and use a shallow container to ensure even freezing. Stir well while reheating.
How to serve
- Any kind of rice you like. I like to make some fluffy jasmine rice to spoon this delicious mixture over or coconut rice.
- Naan Bread
- Spoon this curry over french fries for a British classic
- A light, simple salad like this Cucumber Salad
- These Roast Potatoes With Indian Spices
More Must Try Curry Recipes:
- Coconut Shrimp Curry
- Thai Red Chicken Curry
- Butter Chicken
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Skillet Chicken Satay
- Chicken Korma
- Thai Inspired Green Curry Tofu
- Beef Rendang
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Coconut Chicken Curry
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds chicken breasts (skinless and boneless, cut into bite size pieces)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
- 14 ounce coconut milk (1 can)
- 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes (1 can)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Cook the chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the chicken to the Dutch oven and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.
- Finish the dish: Add the onion, garlic, curry powder and stir. Cook for 2 more minutes then add the chicken broth, coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar. Stir everything together, bring to a boil then cover with a lid. Turn the heat down and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with parsley and serve over rice.
Equipment
Notes
- Curry should be safely sealed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 3 days.
- If you want this curry to last, my advice is to freeze it. Ensure that it is fully cooled before sealing and use a shallow container to ensure even freezing. Stir well while reheating.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Followed this almost exactly but used a rotisserie chicken for white meat instead of cooking the chicken, and added baby potatoes, a yellow squash, and a red pepper. Also some turmeric and crushed red pepper. Served with rice and naan and fresh coriander on top. . This made a lot with all the veggies, we got about 8 servings, and it tasted even better the next day.
I tried a couple different variations of this recipe. My first time making it I followed the recipe exactly, and as many others have stated the sauce was far too liquidy. The next time I made it I omitted the chicken broth and also made sure to fully drain the tomatoes. I also substituted the olive oil for coconut oil. It came out a bit better, but I still would recommend adding some heavy cream or something to make the sauce creamier.
Was looking to make a curry as I remembered I had coconut milk in the cupboard. Tweeked it a little and added potatoes and carrots and celery.
Very nice. Xx
This was fantastic. I added 1.5 tbls of fish sauce, cashews, 1.5 tbls of garam masala, and subbed brown sugar for the white sugar.
I thickened it up with 1/3 cup whipping cream and some cornstarch
I also added red peppers and at the end I added some chopped celery.
This definitely fixed my Thai/Indian craving and I surprised my wife with how good it is
Don’t know why people are dunking on the amount of liquid, when you can soak the leftovers in it! Do other people not soak their rice in it? Curry is one of those dishes that taste even better the next day. Ngl, I could eat it with a spoon. I had a bit of liquid left over that I’m gonna pour over reheated fried rice.
I followed the recipe, though I did soak the chicken in a yogurt curry marinade for most of a day, and browned it separately in a wok before putting in the pot. I also forgot the tomato paste; I guess the French were onto something with this mis en place thing. I sautéed the onions, garlic, and curry powder in the wok, too; this turned out to be a mistake, as the powder stuck to the wok. Next time (and there will be a next time), I will do that part in the pot. I added potatoes, because… well, potatoes are awesome sponges.
The flavor was awesome, only it made four servings instead of six. Possibly our ideas of what constitutes a serving are different? 🙂
It’s great that you found a way to personalize the recipe to your taste preferences. As for serving sizes, they can indeed vary depending on individual appetites and preferences. It sounds like your version was a hit regardless! Enjoy the leftovers with your reheated fried rice!
Absolutely beautiful. Didn’t have chicken stock so used water, didn’t have tomato paste so substituted pizza base sauce – gave it a nice herb flavor, and I also added 2 small carrots thinly sliced this was a stunning dinner. Forgot photos – it disappeared to quickly
So glad you liked it!
This recipe was ok. Way too much liquid.
Absolutely love this recipe and a great hit with my family too. I’ve made it both with chicken and a vegetarian version too. I do find the sauce a little too much with the chicken but the vege version is our favourite which soaks up the lovely sauce just right. I just swap out the chicken for a small sweet potato, small white potato, tinned chickpeas, tinned green lentils and a handful of chopped cauliflower. Everything else is exactly the same. Delicious flavours and a regular meat free dish in our household now, with just enough spice even for our two little fussy eaters!
Thank you for your kind comment, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was a wonderful recipe. I did use less broth and less sugar and left uncovered to thicken the sauce but followed everything else in the recipe. Very nice curry and my husband who likes bland more than spice loved the curry in this dish. It had a lot of flavor.
So glad you guys enjoyed it!
I sought out a “recipe” that had the elements of my mom’s chicken curry of the 70’s but with the ability to make it more modern. THIS WAS IT!! The only thing I can say is don’t add the chicken broth, not needed, as it was, I needed to reduce this a long time to get the consistency where I like it. I also omitted the sugar and added sweetened coconut flakes and in place of parsley, I used cilantro. I also added a tad of red pepper flakes… not to make it hot but more of that back of the mouth umami flavor. I served with naan tonight (cuz I had it) but will do rice for the lunches made from leftovers. I topped each serving with additional cilantro and coconut. The family went insane! TY!
I’m so happy to hear the chicken curry was a hit with your family and that you could tweak it to match your mom’s classic with a modern twist! Thank you for your wonderful comment.
Quick, easy, and flavorful! I kept the lid off for a few minutes at the end to thicken the sauce to our liking. Love it! Thanks.
Good recipe. Sauce could be thicker. I added some ginger and cayenne to give it a little boost.
I have lived all over including the far east and have many cook books dedicated to all kinds of cuisine. Today was super busy, and while I know how to make a dish like this, it was SO nice to find a well curated and organized recipe! The results were great, but most importantly, the presentation of ingredients, steps, etc. were super easy to follow. We like “sauce,” so the proportions of liquid for our tastes were perfect. I wouldn’t describe the sauce as watery, just generous, and easily thickened by simply cooking it down a bit. One step that I did add, and this is just habit, not sure it makes a difference, but I sauteed the onion and garlic in oil first and then added the curry powder. When it was fragrant I added the cubed chicken and coated it in this mixture before cooking as directed. I think it enhances the flavor of the chicken, but again, it is just habit and personal taste. I made enough to freeze some for later, but the way my family is eyeing the dish I doubt that will happen! This is my first time on your site and I will be back!!
Great idea, I’ll do that nex time!
As an indian, we always saute our onions and garlic before adding chicken or veggies. It’s the base to all our cooking.
We loved the flavours! I would just like the sauce a bit thicker, so will incorporate others’ tips on thickening or add potatoes. Yummy.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I loved it .i put stock cubes and it was enough liquid after adding the coconut milk and tomatoes also I added a spoonful of cornstarch with a little water and mixed it and added it to the curry as I wanted it a little thicker.. next time I want to try with veggies 😊