This Chicken Curry will be the best you ever tried! Chicken simmered in a flavorful sauce with coconut milk and yellow curry powder, then served over rice is a 30 minute dinner heaven. This chicken curry recipe is so aromatic!
We love any curry around here, whether it’s lentil curry, shrimp curry or Thai chicken curry.
In my world, everyone should be able to make chicken curry at home. This simple, healthy and absolutely delicious curry recipe will convince you that eating out is unnecessary. I remember even my Ukrainian grandma used to make chicken curry with sour cream in absence of coconut milk. Same with butter chicken in absence of heavy cream.
Chicken curry comes together in 30 minutes in any skillet. Its simple ingredients will surprise you a lot. One thing I highly suggest is to use fresh and quality yellow curry powder. How do you know that? When you open a jar it is so aromatic, you want to eat the jar. 🙂 Mine is organic and I am not saying yours should be but definitely not from a dollar store. I am sharing this because I couldn’t believe what a difference!
My family, all 3 boys, big and small, “inhaled” this coconut curry chicken! I also made brown rice in Instant Pot at same time and dinner was off the charts!
Enjoy!
Ingredients for Chicken Curry
- Chicken: Boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs are the best. Breast is more dry but I feel like rich sauce helps a lot. Dark meat is more fatty and I would love thighs in this curry chicken recipe too.
- Coconut milk: Use coconut milk from a can and not carton. I used full fat but low fat is fine too. Cream accumulation on top during colder months is normal. My favorite brand is Thai Kitchen because it is not gritty, non-GMO and I believe BPA free.
- Onion, garlic and ginger: A lot of onion makes curry sweet and flavorful along with fresh garlic and ginger. You could use 1 tsp dried ginger instead.
- Yellow curry powder and turmeric: As mentioned above, fresh and quality yellow curry powder is the key. You can use any other colour powder and add more if you like things spicy!!! It is such a personal preference and an easy fix. Turmeric adds colour and flavor but you can skip if don’t have any.
How to Make Chicken Curry
I made chicken curry in 12 inch ceramic non-stick skillet in 30 minutes while brown rice was cooking in Instant Pot. Healthy dinner just couldn’t be easier!
- Saute onion, garlic and ginger in generous amount of oil for about 5 minutes or until veggies are translucent and fragrant. Then add curry powder and turmeric and cook for 30 seconds. Mixture will appear dry and you want to stir constantly, but this step will enhance curry flavor drastically.
- Add coconut milk and maple syrup, stir and bring to a boil. Watch coconut cream melt and syrup will make sauce sweeter. You can also use honey or any other sweetener.
- Cook chicken for 15 minutes by adding it raw to a boiling curry sauce. Distribute evenly and make sure it is submerged in sauce. Boneless chicken releases juices, so no broth is necessary. And keep skillet uncovered.
- Thicken the sauce (optional) by adding a slurry of cold water and cornstarch, then let it boil until thickened in a few minutes.
How to Serve, Store and Reheat
Serve chicken curry over brown rice, quinoa or white rice if it’s your jam. I won’t stop praising Instant Pot cause it’s simply the best – I cooked brown rice in it. This is how we eat curry. No salad or naan bread but you can add either.
If you would like to add veggies, sometimes I add 1 lb of finely chopped cauliflower or a bag of cauliflower rice towards the end and simmer for a few more minutes. You might want to stir in additional tablespoon of cornstarch in a slurry as cauliflower will release more water. However, cornstarch is completely optional.
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days in a glass container with a lid. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Reheat chicken curry by simmering on low in a skillet and stirring occasionally. So easy!!!
More 30 Minute Dinner Recipes
- Slow cooker butter chicken
- Instant Pot dal
- Butter chicken spaghetti squash
- Shrimp stir fry
- Teriyaki chicken and cauliflower
I hope you enjoy this chicken curry recipe and be healthy!
Chicken Curry {Quick and Easy}
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless & skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into 1.5" cubes
- 2 large onions chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp yellow curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 14 oz can coconut milk full fat
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 3/4 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp cold water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Cook brown rice or quinoa as per package instructions.
- Preheat large skillet on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add yellow curry powder and turmeric; saute for 30 seconds, stirring often.
- Add coconut milk, maple syrup, salt and stir until incorporated and bring to boil.
- Add chicken, stir, reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a small bowl, whisk cold water with cornstarch and pour over sauce. Stir and cook for a few minutes until sauce has thickened.
- Season with pepper to taste and serve over brown rice or quinoa. So good!
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for 5 days or freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Reheat chicken curry by simmering on low in a skillet and stirring occasionally.
Video
Notes
- If you would like to add veggies: Sometimes I add 1 lb of finely chopped cauliflower or a bag of cauliflower rice towards the end and simmer for a few more minutes. You might want to stir in additional tablespoon of cornstarch in a slurry as cauliflower will release more water. However, cornstarch is completely optional. Just sauce won't be as thick.
- Chicken: Boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs are the best. Breast is more dry but I feel like rich sauce helps a lot. Dark meat is more fatty and I would love thighs in this recipe too. You can use anywhere from 1 to 2 lbs chicken.
- Coconut milk: Use coconut milk from a can and not carton. I used full fat but low fat is fine too. Cream accumulation on top during colder months is normal. My favorite brand is Thai Kitchen because it is not gritty, not GMO and I believe BPA free.
- Onion, garlic and ginger: A lot of onion makes curry sweet and flavorful along with fresh garlic and ginger. You could use 1 tsp dried ginger instead.
- Yellow curry powder and turmeric: As mentioned above, fresh and quality yellow curry powder is key!!! I buy 1 lb of organic Splendor garden curry powder from Amazon. You can use any other colour powder and add more if you like things spicy!!! It is such a personal preference and an easy fix. This curry is mild for kids. Turmeric adds colour and flavor but you can skip if don't have any.
- Vegan: Substitute chicken for chickpeas or cauliflower for a vegan version.
Nutrition
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My name is Olena Osipov. I'm a mom to 2 boys, a wife to Alex and we reside on magical Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. This is our healthy family recipes blog. Originally from Ukraine, I grew up on real food. As an adult, I struggled with diets for years because none worked long-term. Now for over 10 years, I cook easy healthy meals for my family. I can help you with “What’s for dinner?” too.