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Easy Coconut Chicken Curry is a quick and easy one pan dinner made with chicken, coconut milk, and warm curry spices. Quick, flavorful, and perfect for weeknights.
If you’re craving something warm, flavorful, and comforting that is easy enough for a weeknight, this Easy Coconut Chicken Curry is exactly what you need. It’s rich, creamy, and packed with bold curry flavor, yet comes together in one pan with simple ingredients you can find at any grocery store.
Tender chicken simmers in a rich coconut milk sauce loaded with garlic, and curry powder and garam masala, creating a meal that tastes like it simmered all day (even though it didn’t). Serve it over fluffy rice or with warm naan, and you’ve got a dinner that feels special without being complicated.
Ingredients You’ll Need
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- Chicken – I use chicken breasts, but you could also use chicken thighs
- Vegetable Oil
- Onions
- Garlic
- Curry Powder
- Garam Masala
- Tomato Sauce
- Coconut Milk – use the kind that comes in a can
- Sugar – just a tiny bit helps balance the acidity of the tomato sauce
- Salt & Pepper
Easy Coconut Chicken Curry
Video
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil
- 1 – 1 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into cubes
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoon curry powder
- 1 Tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 oz coconut milk
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- Cilantro for Garnish
- 2 cups cooked white rice
Instructions
- In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and onions to the pan. Sprinkle curry powder, garam masala, salt and pepper over chicken. Cook for 4-5 minutes until browned.1 Tablespoon canola oil, 1 – 1 1/2 pounds chicken, 1 small onion, 2 Tablespoon curry powder, 1 Tablespoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.2 cloves garlic
- Mix in coconut milk, tomato sauce, and sugar. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes.14 oz coconut milk, 8 oz tomato sauce, 2 teaspoon sugar
- Serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro.2 cups cooked white rice, Cilantro for Garnish
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Coconut Chicken Curry
- Chicken. Brown the chicken and the onions together in a skillet with the spices. Everything cooks together and the heat helps develop the flavors in the curry.
- Garlic. Once the chicken is brown on the outside (but not necessarily cooked through) add the garlic and cook for about a minute until you start to smell it.
- Sauce. Pour in the coconut milk, tomato sauce and sugar. Mix everything together and bring it to a simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Serve. Once it is nice and thick it is done. Serve over rice with cilantro
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Thicken Sauce. Your sauce will thicken as it cooks, but if you use a light coconut milk, you may have a thinner sauce that you are used to with curries. Mix 1 Tablespoon cornstarch with 1 Tablespoon of water and add to the pan to thicken the sauce if desired.
- Spice. This is not a spicy curry as written, but you can definitely add some heat if you like. You can add actual peppers with your onions if you want, or you can add cayenne pepper in with the coconut milk to give it some heat.
- Coconut Milk. You want to use the one in the can, not a carton that is meant for drinking. You can see I used one from Thrive Market here, but you can use the Thai Kitchens brand one that most grocery stores well in the Asian aisle.
Storage
This makes for great leftovers, store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If you have a large amount leftover, you can store the chicken and rice separately and reheat the curry in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through. Or you can store over the rice and microwave for a quick lunch the next day.
Curries also freeze really well. Store the curry, without the rice, in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Let it thaw in the fridge before reheating and serving with rice.
Curry can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. This is ready in under 30 minutes and it is so full of flavor. It uses ingredients you can find in the normal grocery store, so you don’t have to run around town and make special trips to the Asian market. You really can make a delicious curry in no time for a quick and easy dinner.
I need to try this Coconut Chicken Curry! It sounds incredibly delicious! YUM!
The best ever chicken dish! Coconut and curry are so good together!
This dish is so flavorful!!! Can’t wait to make it
So flavorful and easy to make too. Would make it again!
I love how creamy it is! Perfect for dinner any night of the week!
My daughter and I enjoyed this for our lunch the other day, and we just loved the flavors! Such an easy and very flavorful dish that I will definitely make again!
Hi! I have made this dish before and absolutely love it. We are having friends over who are gluten free and dairy free, will this recipe work for them? If not, what substitutions would you recommend? Thanks!
I believe everything in this is gluten and dairy free, but I would check the label on the brand of products you are using. I don’t specialize in those kinds of recipes, so without checking each product you are using, I would hate to guarantee it.