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Home Collections Curries

Chicken Curry

By:Nagi
Published:13 Mar '19Updated:6 Nov '20
385 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Simple shouldn’t mean bland – and this Chicken Curry recipe knocks it out of the park! A mild, creamy coconut curry sauce made with just 5 ingredients (from scratch!), it tastes so good for something so quick, you will be amazed.

If you want to go all out, serve this with Soft No-Yeast Flatbreads to slop up the sauce (it’s basically naan, but much easier to make!)

Close up of easy Chicken Curry served over rice in a rustic black bowl.

Chicken Curry

Curries are notorious for lengthy ingredient lists to achieve the richly spiced sauces and punchy flavours. And while we’d all love to be able to whip up a from-scratch Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken whenever the craving hits us, it’s simply not viable.

So today, I’m sharing the best SIMPLE chicken curry that I know. This recipe is a Western style curry – it’s not a traditional Indian curry, Thai curry, nor any other cuisine. And here’s why you’re going to love it as much as I do:

  • (Very) short list of ingredients

  • Curry powder is the only spice you need

  • Creamy curry sauce with mild coconut flavour

  • 30 minute recipe – from scratch!

This chicken curry is the perfect way to get your curry fix without being in the kitchen all day!

Overhead photo of Chicken Curry in a black skillet, fresh off the stove

What you need for Everyday Chicken Curry

Here’s what goes in this Everyday Chicken Curry.

  • Curry powder – the only spice you need! Any brand is fine here.

  • Garlic, ginger and onion – fresh aromatics add a flavour boost that makes all the difference with quick curries! It’s the same when making quick Thai Green Curry or Red Curry using store bought paste.

  • Chicken broth/stock AND coconut milk – for creaminess and flavour. We’re just using 1 cup of coconut milk here – this isn’t intended to be an overly rich, heavy coconut sauce.

  • Chicken – thighs are best because this curry needs to be simmered for 12 minutes for the flavours to develop. But yes, it can be made with breast – but the steps need tweaking otherwise you’ll complain that the chicken is dry!!

  • Peas – optional! Try other diced veg!

  • Coriander/cilantro – lovely freshness and flavour boost. Coriander haters – use chives or green onions instead.

Don’t let the short list of ingredients fool you. The curry sauce tastes SO GOOD!

Ingredients in easy Chicken Curry

Curry Powders

These are the curry powders I currently have in my pantry – but I’ve used plenty of other brands in the past. Curry powder is used in all sorts of recipes, not just Indian curries, including:

  • Thai Satay Chicken

  • Satay Chicken Curry – basically it’s chicken satay skewers in curry form, with loads of peanut sauce!

  • Chickpea Potato Curry – very popular with readers!

  • Curried Rice and Curried Sausages

  • Vegetable Curry and Cauliflower Curry

  • Singapore Noodles

  • Easy Thai Coconut Soup

Curry powder

How to make it

There’s nothing groundbreaking about how this chicken curry is made. The one key step is to fry off the curry powder. This brightens up the flavour of the spices + creates more golden bits on the base of the pan, and both of these things add more flavour into the curry sauce!

So don’t skip this step. 🙂

How to make easy Chicken Curry

Close up of Chicken Curry in a black skillet, fresh off the stove

Make it your own!

This recipe is all about the curry sauce, so it’s really versatile in terms of what you can put in it, as well as extra add ins. Here are some options:

  • Other proteins or vegetarian – make this with beef, lamb, pork, turkey, shrimp/prawns, fish or vegetarian. See directions in the recipe notes;

  • Make it SPICY! This is not a spicy curry. So to add heat, either use HOT curry powder, or add cayenne pepper or ground chilli powder;

  • Make it richer – use coconut cream instead of milk. Or use more coconut milk and simmer to reduce for longer; and

  • Add tomato paste to thicken the sauce a touch and make the sauce a darker colour. Use about 1.5 tbsp.

Try this curry with a side of Green Bean Salad, my friend JP’s famous Iceberg Lettuce salad, or this no-mayo Cabbage Salad.

Serve it over rice, or even mashed potato or noodles. Basically anything that can be doused with that coconut curry sauce! ~ Nagi x


More cosy Chicken recipes

  • Slow Cooked Chicken Stew and a faster Chicken Stew (Casserole) – on the table in under an hour!

  • Chicken Stroganoff

  • Chicken with Mushroom Gravy

  • Chicken Pasta of your dreams!

  • Chicken Pot Pie

Close up of simple Chicken Curry over rice, ready to be eaten

The Curry collection

  • Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken

  • Thai Red Curry or Green Curry – quick 30 minutes, or from scratch

  • Massaman Curry and Beef Rendang – two of the most iconic curries in the world

  • Biryani – the BEST chicken and rice in the world

  • Dal – Indian lentil curry

  • Goan Fish Curry – an authentic, spicy fish curry with coconut from the south of India

  • Indian Coconut Curry sauce – A stronger, more heavily spiced coconut curry sauce than this recipe

  • View all Curry recipes


Watch how to make it

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Close up of easy Chicken Curry served over rice in a rustic black bowl.

Easy Chicken Curry

Author: Nagi
Prep: 8 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 28 mins
Mains
Western
4.91 from 139 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe video above. This is a Western style curry, and it's the easiest chicken curry I know how to make with the least ingredients possible without sacrificing tastiness! Very mild, not spicy at all (assuming curry powder is mild).

Ingredients

  • 1.5 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola)
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 2 tsp ginger , grated
  • 1/2 onion , finely chopped
  • 500g / 1lb chicken thighs, sliced (Note 1)
  • 2.5 tbsp curry powder (Note 2)
  • 270 ml / 1.25 cups coconut milk , full fat (9 oz) (Note 3)
  • 1.5 cups (375 ml) chicken stock low sodium
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas
  • 1/4 cup coriander / cilantro leaves , chopped

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook garlic, ginger and onion for 3 minutes until onion is translucent.
  • Add chicken and cook until it it changes from pink to white.
  • Add curry powder and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add coconut milk and chicken stock. Stir, lower heat to medium and cook, simmering rapidly, for 10 minutes until sauce reduces and thickens.
  • Add peas and salt. Cook for a further 2 minutes, then taste to see if it needs more salt. Garnish with coriander.
  • Serve over rice, noodles or mashed potato!

Recipe Notes:

1. Chicken -skinless boneless thigh is best because it stays juicy even after the required simmering time. 
  • Chicken breast - sprinkle with 2 tsp extra curry powder plus pinch of salt and pepper. Sear first in a bit of oil then remove (no need to cook through). Follow recipe - fry off curry with just the onion. Add breast back in towards end of sauce simmering, just to finish cooking.
  • Shrimp/prawns or fish pieces - as above with breast.
  • Other proteins (beef, turkey, lamb, pork) - use a quick cooking cut that's tender and juicy, slice or dice. Follow chicken breast steps.
  • Vegetables - add into sauce based on cooking time.
2. Curry powder - any brand is fine, I use Clives and Keens. Use Mild for not spicy, Hot for spicy! Note: different brands have different saltiness, so taste sauce at end to see if it needs more salt.
3. Coconut milk - Full fat has better coconut flavour and is creamier. Light is ok but add 2 tsp cornflour mixed with splash of water (to thicken sauce slightly).
4. Nutrition per serving, excluding rice.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 383cal (19%)Carbohydrates: 10g (3%)Protein: 29g (58%)Fat: 25g (38%)Saturated Fat: 14g (88%)Cholesterol: 118mg (39%)Sodium: 295mg (13%)Potassium: 665mg (19%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 270IU (5%)Vitamin C: 13.4mg (16%)Calcium: 55mg (6%)Iron: 4.8mg (27%)
Keywords: Chicken Curry, Coconut Chicken Curry
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

I forgot to share this when I published Gozleme! (Turkish stuffed flatbreads) I took them down to Jeff, a local who lives down at the dog park and he gave them a big thumbs up.

And there’s Dozer. Being shameless!!!

Dozer Jeff Bayview gozleme

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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385 Comments

  1. Felicia S says

    December 12, 2022 at 2:51 pm

    5 stars
    I love this curry. It is so very easy and tasty. You are a magician. This is something we have on very high rotation but I haven’t made it for a while been too busy enjoying the recipes from the book. Which are so great. A very good investment. Thanks for sharing your passion with us Nagi! You have improved the nightly dinners around the country if not the world!

    Reply
  2. Lucy says

    October 30, 2022 at 9:51 am

    5 stars
    Thank you so much, Nagi! Was craving a curry but didn’t want to be in the kitchen for too long especially after a long day at work. I have made this recipe a number of times and is still my go to curry recipe. You are magical!!! I was wondering if this can also be done with lamb but omit the coconut milk? 🤔

    Reply
  3. Nona says

    October 26, 2022 at 2:46 pm

    Made this today and it was delicious. Did not have coconut milk, so used regular milk & heavy cream. Sauce was thin, but I added cornstarch with the cream & it turned out perfect! Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Andrea Cropper says

    October 13, 2022 at 10:51 am

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner at church. It was a hit! Got so many compliments! I added a little coriander and turmeric. It was delicious! A definite keeper! Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Jacqueline says

    October 7, 2022 at 6:13 pm

    5 stars
    Quick, easy and an absolute winner! We love this chicken curry! We probably have it once a fortnight due to its flavour, week night speediness and it reheats perfectly for lunch!

    Reply
  6. Rock says

    September 18, 2022 at 9:50 am

    Made this for the first time tonight. I’ve never cooked curry anything. This was delicious! Substituted the coconut milk with evaporated as that’s all I had. So good. I will be adding this to my rotation! Thank you

    Reply
  7. Kathy says

    September 15, 2022 at 3:16 am

    5 stars
    Made this tonight. Whole family loved it. I have made it once before, but found 2.5 tablespoons of curry powder too much. Tonight I used 2.5 teaspoons and it was perfect.

    Reply
  8. Jo says

    August 13, 2022 at 4:49 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! I needed a quick recipe that I could make up easily between online meetings (and used up the homemade chicken stock that I couldn’t fit into the freezer!). This absolutely fit the bill.
    My alterations were:
    Used pre-cooked chicken (again, trying to clear freezer space)
    Used two large mushrooms and a whole onion to up the veg count
    Slightly jiggled the stock to coconut milk ratio, but that was more because of the amount of stock I had available.
    Served over cauliflower rice.
    I was a little worried that it would be runny because of the mushrooms (as they add extra water), but the cauli-rice absorbed it all really easily.
    Definitely going on to the make again list – thank you Nagi!

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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