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.
Absolutely love this chicken curry I will do it again and again.
Gave some to my friends who are moving house & they have put an order in for more
Thanks jo
Wow, you’re turning into the curry fairy for your friends, huh? Love that they’re already placing “orders!” Thanks for sharing the curry love and keep on cooking! 🍛💕
The meal was delicious AND my kids ate it! During dinner, I kept thinking about different things I could add – this would be a great dish to serve at a party with a bunch of optional toppings (dried currents, shredded coconut, crushed cashews, etc.) for fun.
I also, as usual, ended up omitting and substituting items, and adding a few extra. The curry definitely allows for changes in the recipe.
Glad you loved the Coconut Chicken Curry! It’s indeed a versatile dish. Your topping suggestions sound delightful, and it’s always great to adapt recipes to personal preferences.
Iv made this and it’s delicious. How would I do it in a low and slow cooker?
To make this curry in a slow cooker: First, brown the chicken in a skillet for enhanced flavor. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker and add the rest of the ingredients like onions, spices, tomatoes, and coconut milk. Cook on ‘low’ for 6-8 hours or ‘high’ for 3-4 hours.
My fiancé sent me this recipe and I tried it last night! It was delicious!! The flavor was excellent!! But we felt like it should have been thicker. It was very thin. I looked back over the recipe and I feel like I followed it exactly. (I am very OCD!!) Is there a way to make it thicker? Thank you!
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the flavor! If you’re looking for a thicker curry, there are a few things you can try:
Reduce the sauce longer: Letting the curry simmer for a bit longer can help reduce and thicken the sauce.
Cornstarch slurry: Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water, then stir it into the curry and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Coconut cream: Using coconut cream instead of coconut milk can result in a richer, thicker curry.
Thanks for giving the recipe a go, and I hope this helps for next time! 😊🥥🍛
Awesome!!! Will definitely try!! Thanks so much for your response!
Jo,
This recipe is absolutely amazing!!! I cooked up 1 cup of white rice, and added it INTO this dish. So amazing and I couldn’t stop saying “wow, this is so good.”
Thank you!
Thank you for trying out the recipe and sharing your experience! I’m thrilled to hear you loved it. Adding rice into the dish sounds like a wonderful idea. Keep enjoying and happy cooking! 😊🍛🥥
Just finished making this chicken curry. It was wonderful thank you ,will be making this again.
Thrilled to hear you enjoyed the coconut chicken curry! Looking forward to you making it again. Thank you for trying the recipe!
Recipe was fabulous, would do again and again.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe was excellent ! I did enhance it a bit by some reading some of the comments, added Thai curry paste and thickened with a bit of corn starch. Some may hate this, but wish I would have added raisins. Very good dish otherwise and glad I made it
So glad you enjoyed the curry and made it your own with those tweaks! Adding raisins sounds like a fun twist for next time. Thanks for sharing your experience! 🍛😊
Thank you for your comment! I was just commenting and was wondering how to make it thicker! So how much of the curry paste & corn starch did you use? Thank you so much!!
I answered your original question. 🙂
Easy to make and really nice👍
So glad you enjoyed it!
This is our go to curry recipe, delicious 😋
It’s incredibly rewarding to know that it has become a favorite in your household. I appreciate your kind words, and I hope this dish continues to bring joy and delicious moments to your table.
easy, versatile and full of flavor! Added some cashwes to my version, and mmm, mmm, m! very good 🙂
Adding cashews sounds like a wonderful twist for added crunch and flavor. Thank you for sharing your experience and tweaks!
Very easy and tasty. I drained the tomatoes and let it cook for 10 more without the lid and it was still thin. Next time I might reduce chicken broth and add some sweet potatoes
Draining the tomatoes and letting it cook a bit longer without the lid are great adjustments for reducing the liquid. Adding sweet potatoes sounds like a delicious idea that would also help thicken the curry a bit. Thank you for sharing your experience and tips! I appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear how it turns out next time with your modifications. 😊🍛
This is wonderfully easy to make. I halved the recipe, but added the whole can of coconut milk, plus some extra curry powder, cumin, ginger, turmeric and some potatoes. It’s good, but more curry-like than authentic curry! Did use a bit of corn starch to thicken. It’s a recipe that’s fun to doctor and hard to ruin! Thank you.
Your additions sound like a flavor explosion—in the best way possible, of course! Adding the extra spices and potatoes must have amped up the heartiness and complexity of the dish. Using a whole can of coconut milk probably gave it that extra creamy goodness, too. I love that you find the recipe versatile and hard to mess up; that’s always my goal! Thanks so much for sharing your own culinary spin!
Wonderful recipe, very tasty, very easy. Next time I will drain the tomatoes as I like a thicker sauce.
Your feedback on draining the tomatoes for a thicker sauce is a great suggestion; customizing recipes to suit your own preferences is what home cooking is all about. Thank you for sharing your experience, and I look forward to hearing how it turns out the next time you make it.
I love everything about this recipe. It’s quick, one pot, inexpensive, everyday ingredients.
I made this recipe because I was craving curry and it did not disappoint! I was a bit worried with how liquid everything was at the start but I added 5-7mn uncovered to the 20mn timer and it came out perfectly. I used medium curry powder and fresh coriander at the end for extra flavour and we had it with paratha and white rice. Absolutely de-li-cious! This is going to find its way to our dinner table on a weekly basis! <3
Wow, your comment just made my day! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the coconut chicken curry and found it quick and easy to prepare. It’s always a win when a recipe becomes a weekly staple, right? Your tweaks—using medium curry powder and adding fresh coriander—sound absolutely delicious. Pairing it with paratha and white rice? Perfect choices! Thank you so much for sharing your experience, and I’m thrilled that this dish will be a frequent guest at your dinner table! ❤️🍛