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Coconut Chicken Curry is a simple one-skillet go-to meal that can be made in a dozen different ways – spicy and not spicy, extra sweet, extra savory, with broccoli, cabbage, green peppers, potatoes, and carrots.
One can never go wrong with coconut chicken curry, no matter your choice of veggies. Coconut chicken curry gives room for originality.
What Is Curry?
You’ve probably come across the word “curry” – whether it be on restaurant menus or packaged jars in the market.
Curry is a complex blend of spices and herbs that are made differently in various countries. It’s generally prepared in a rich sauce that’s cooked with veggies, meats, or fish.
Ingredients
This one-pan coconut chicken curry meal is so easy to make with the help of curry powders and a few fresh ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need.
- 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.
Coconut Curry Chicken FAQs
What Makes Curry Sweet?
- Cooking the onions slowly and for a longer period causes the onions to brown and develop a sweeter flavor.
- Coconut milk makes this curry sweeter than using regular cream.
- We add a little bit of brown sugar (optional) for sweetness.
- Coriander is a naturally sweet spice. Curry powder tends to be on the sweeter side as well (more on this below).
What Does Curry Powder Taste Like?
Curry powder has a unique flavor with both savory and sweet spices. Cumin, turmeric, and bay leaf give curry powder a deep, earthy and savory flavor while the sweet spices such as cinnamon and cloves add brightness and sweetness.
With all of the various coconut products, it’s hard to know what will work best in your coconut curry chicken. To help, I’m breaking it down below.
Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream?
- Coconut milk has the liquid consistency of cow’s milk. It’s the basis of most Thai curries and is made by simmering 1 part shredded coconut to 1 part water.
- Coconut cream has a much thicker and richer consistency than coconut milk. Coconut cream is made from simmering 4 parts shredded coconut to 1 part water.
- 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.
Can I Use Coconut Cream in Curry?
In this coconut curry chicken, we use full-fat coconut milk. Lite coconut milk won’t thicken and give you a rich full flavor like regular coconut milk. Coconut cream tends to be too thick (and overpoweringly coconut flavored) for this coconut curry chicken and cream of coconut is far too sweet.
Storing Options
If you have leftovers (which you probably won’t), this can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, either in separate containers or mixed together.
You can also freeze curry for up to 2 months if stored properly in freezer safe containers. But if you’re planning to freeze the rice, make sure to place it in the freezer right while it’s still warm. You want to keep the moisture locked in so that when you re-heat, it’s still nice and soft.
Below is a step-by-step simple guide on how to make coconut chicken curry. Enjoy!
Coconut Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 coconut or 600mls (2½ cups) coconut milk
- 12 chicken drumsticks or 500g boneless chicken
- 3 mushrooms
- 1 red onion
- ¼ green bell pepper
- ½ red bell pepper
- ½ yellow bell pepper
- 2 medium sized carrots
- 3 stalks spring onions
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp thyme
- 3 tbsp curry powder
- 2 small seasoning cubes
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the coconut milk and mix with the corn flour. Set aside.
- Shred the green, red and yellow bell peppers with the mushrooms and chop the onion.
- Marinade the chicken pieces with the onion powder, thyme, some salt, black pepper and half of the chopped onions.
- Put it in a pot with little water, stir over medium heat till it is well steamed.
- Add the coconut milk mixture and the curry powder, cover and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and once it boils again, chopped carrots, green & red bell pepper and green peas.
- Cover and once it simmers, add salt and more water if necessary.
- Leave to cook until the chicken is tender and the veggies are well cooked.
- Serve with boiled white rice, boiled white coconut rice, pasta, mashed potatoes and other boiled staple foods.
