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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.
All those delicious flavors and spices make me love a great curry! I love that you included the coconut too!
This sounds like such a flavorful dish! Looks fantastic!
My husband would love this! I need to surprise him for dinner!
This is perfect for weeknights! Looks delicious!
I LOVE curry for dinner! YUM!
Thank you! It was fantastic! I was hesitant at first because of the tomato sauce, but it was great! I used more curry powder, as we like our curries hot. Again, thank you.
I cant find garam masala, can I substitute it for something esle
I would not leave it out – but you can make your own. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/142967/easy-garam-masala/ I also ordered it on amazon for way cheaper than I have ever seen in a store. https://amzn.to/2Or3e0A
Just finished eating this lovely recipe! Cheers all around the table, and even copied the recipe on hard copy! I subbed the tomato sauce for tomato paste and skipped the sugar.
Does the nutritional information include the rice?
I updated it with new information, it includes 1/2 cup of cooked white rice
Such a delicious meal! Easy to make and full of amazing flavors!! Can’t wait to try it!