This chicken curry recipe has a rich coconut curry sauce with aromatic spices. Serve it over rice for a quick weeknight meal.
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Recipe Highlights For Chicken Curry
- Flavor: This curry chicken recipe is flavor-packed. The creamy sauce has a delicious curry flavor and is slightly sweeter than coconut milk.
- Skill level: So simple! Just cook the chicken and veggies, then simmer in the sauce.
- Budget tip: Frozen peppers and onions will stretch this recipe out even more.
Ingredient Tips For Chicken Curry
- Chicken: Use boneless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe.
- Coconut milk: Use full fat coconut milk (ensure it’s not coconut cream).
- Curry: Yellow curry powder adds a distinctive color and a warm, earthy flavor, while red curry paste is a bit more complex and contains aromatics like lemongrass and lime. You can use just one or the other (add a bit extra), but I recommend both if possible.
- Fish sauce: Fish sauce adds a savory umami. If you don’t have fish sauce, you can replace it with some soy sauce.
Variations
- Spice up the dish with red chili flakes, diced Thai chiles, or sambal.
- Stir in a little plain yogurt for extra tang and creaminess.
- Add some chopped tomatoes.
- Garnish with extras like sliced green onion or a little squeeze from a wedge of lime to marry the flavors.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken curry is delicious served over plain white rice, basmati rice, or coconut rice. It’s also delish over zucchini noodles.
Serve with a side of steamed broccoli, sauteed green beans, or some bok choy.
Storing Curry Chicken
- Separate leftover chicken curry from rice (if using) and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Before reheating, add a little coconut milk, chicken stock, or water to loosen the sauce.
- Freeze portions in zippered bags (without the rice) for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Curried Favorites
Did your family love this Chicken Curry recipe? Leave a rating and a comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts diced into bite-size pieces
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small yellow onion or white onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 15 ounces coconut milk canned, full fat
- ½ cup chicken stock or water, optional
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- salt to taste
- 1 handful cilantro roughly chopped
- 4 cups cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and minced garlic. Cook until onions are fragrant and softened.
- Add chicken to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, allowing it to brown slightly. Stir in the curry powder and paste, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Pour in coconut milk and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Add the water or chicken stock, and simmer until the curry reaches the desired consistency.
- Stir in the brown sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice. Taste and season with additional salt if desired.
- Top with fresh cilantro, serve over cooked rice.
Notes
- Adjust the thickness of the curry sauce to preference. Add chicken stock or water to thin it after simmering or simmer longer to thicken the sauce.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, Indian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
It a a question actually. Can you make this recipe without the fish sauce if I do not have it ? Will it change the flavor dramatically or not at all?
Hi Nena, if you don’t have fish sauce on hand you can omit it from the recipe, I don’t think it will change the taste much. Let us know how it turns out for you!
I have made this five times now, and each time I fall in love all over again. It’s seriously so good!! I haven’t needed to use broth, and I cut fish sauce in half because my family doesn’t care for it. Otherwise I follow the recipe exactly. I love putting the sauce over steamed broccoli as well… delicious!! Thank you!
So I was a little hesitant to try this cause of the comments some people said it was really bland and some said it was great plus I’ve never cooked Indian food so I was nervous lol. But this is amazing . I like spicy food so I did add some more red curry paste and I also a a cube of chicken bullion and then I added a handful of tomatoes just to give it some more color . Soooo good!! Thank you for the recipe!
I have not eaten curry chicken before and he enjoys this kind of food. This is our favorite curry chicken. I make it from scratch every time even the yellow curry powder from scratch. I have used both lime and lemon juice but I do make it spicier than what this is. One of our picky eating friends loved it.
Amazing!! It was like eating restaurant food!
Do you know this will freeze and reheat well? I’m looking to make some meals for the freezer. Thanks.
Hi Amy, we haven’t tried to freeze this recipe but it should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. :)
Followed recipe, so good. I am putting this in my recipe box before i lose it! Hit for the whole family
Made this tonight and it was delicious!
Very delicious recipe. Ended up being pretty bland. Had to add a couple tablespoons more of both curry paste and curry powder. My boyfriend, who is a picky eater, absolutely loved it! Will definitely making it again!
We made this in the Ninja Foodie – sautéd mostly frozen chicken & ingredients for 5 min, then pressure cooked for 12 min, then 5 min slow pressure release. Had it over Basmati. Fantastic! We will have this on a regular basis, major dinner discovery. Even our picky 14yo loves it. Thank you for this recipe.
Hi thanks I love this recipe so much it was very easy to prepare. I’m just learning how to cook and reading the step by step directions were easy
Added ginger root, sliced red pepper and frozen peas….used a can of cream of coconut….delish!
Cream of coconut is a SWEETENED version of coconut cream. It’s generally used in drinks or desserts. With all the added sugar, it’s not a great substitute for coconut cream or coconut milk and, IMO especially not a good choice in curries!
A serious Tantalising one!
Absolutely delicious as is…my children loved it. We ate it with Jasmine rice
My husband said the curry chicken tasted just like the restaurant we go to.
It was a hit, will make again !
Very tasty. Didn’t need the optional broth/water nor salt. I have made this twice in the past week already. Tastes just like what I’d find in an Indian restaurant where I live.
Added mushrooms and kale and it was a 10/10
So easy and flavorful! I like cooking curry dishes and this put a new twist on my current recipes!
This wad so good. I topped it with some shredded coconut, dried cranberries, and peanuts and cashews
I tried the simple chicken curry recipe and we just loved it!
I will try the more complex one now
Yum!!! My husband and I really enjoyed this, although he wanted it a little spicier but I enjoyed it as it was. What would you recommend to add to make it hotter?
Hi Krit, you could add some additional red curry paste to increase the spicy-ness!
this almost had absolutely no flavor, no spice, adding the like lime juice was DEFINITELY a mistake. this taste nothing like authentic curry and definitely will not make again. we had to add triple the spice, and still wasn’t good. the lime juice added a tangyness that ruins the dish. DO NOT USE THE LIME JUICE.
Sorry to hear that Rachel, this recipe is a huge hit with readers as written!
I think you’re nuts. This is an objectively good recipe….I can understand that there may be individual choice to add more of some ingredients but overall, I’ve made this for a lot of people and they all love it.