Coconut Chicken Curry
This coconut chicken curry recipe is crazy delicious! The coconut milk and subtle heat of the curry make the perfect combination.
This meal? It was crazy delicious. Not only did it taste incredible but as it was cooking, my house smelled like curry heaven (actually it smelled like that for days after – potent ingredients!).
Honest to goodness, I hoarded the leftovers and sent my husband to work with PB&J and ate this for lunch for three days and I still wasn’t tired of it.
The flavors are utterly amazing – the sweet coconut milk and subtle heat of the curry made the perfect combination.
I omitted the cayenne and used paprika, which was perfect for my family since we like the low-end of spiciness. Initially, I was skeptical about the potatoes, but oh my, I think their velvety goodness was my favorite part of the dish.
I’m not exaggerating when I say this meal could easily make it in a weekly meal rotation and I would love it every time.
If you have never made curry or swear you don’t like it, give this one a try – I can almost guarantee it will make you a fan.
What to Serve With This
- Rice (or better yet, Coconut Rice)
- Fresh, seasonal fruit
- Spinach Strawberry Salad with Homemade Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
Coconut Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks or strips
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika, substitute cayenne pepper if you like the heat
- ½ onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 medium red potatoes, cut into chunks
- 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk, light or regular
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, Italian style
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Hot cooked Jasmine rice or brown rice
Instructions
- Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil, curry powder, and paprika in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat for two minutes, until fragrant (but don’t let it burn). Turn the heat up to medium and stir in onions and garlic and cook 7-9 minutes more or until onions are very clear.
- Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through or nearly cooked through (it will continue to simmer in the next step).
- Add potatoes, coconut milk, tomatoes (I lightly crushed the stewed tomatoes with my fingers before adding), tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine.
- Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30-40 minutes. The sauce thickens slightly upon standing, but is great served piping hot (and a bit thinner), too.
- Serve with Jasmine rice (or your favorite rice) and garnish with cilantro, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: slightly adapted from Favorite Family Recipes
Is this recipe spicy? I would love to make it but my little kids only like mild curries.
It really depends on the heat level in the curry powder that you are using – each brand and variety of curry powder differs a little, but if you have a mild curry powder that you like, it shouldn’t be spicy (and you can cut the curry powder in half too)
I just wanted to let you know that I live this recupe so much and have been making it for a few years now, it is one of my go to clean out the fridge type meals (along with quiche and quesadillas) because literally anything works in it! I usually do a vegetarian curry and throw in whatever old vegetables I have in the fridge, along with a handful of nuts or raisins if I have them on hand. It always turns 0ut wonderfully and is one of my family’s favourite meals. This along with some rice and naan makes a wonderful, healthy meal for all of us when the fridge is looking bare and all I have is a mish mash of sad droopy vegetables (or even frozen). Thanks again
This is really, really, REALLY good! I used 1 tsp paprika and 1/2 tsp cayenne, and it’s nice and hot eaten straight as a soup or stew but of course tones down a lot if served over rice.
It freezes beautifully, and like so many things, it also gets even better as leftovers! Another home run that’s even easy to make — thank you yet again!!!
Hi Mel,
Love this recipe and make it regularly. Delicious 🙂
Just wondering if there is a variation you could recommend to replace the chicken and make it a vegetarian dish?
Thanks,
Aisling
You could probably try loading it up with veggies (zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli)??
I’m honestly not sure, sorry! Maybe try adding cauliflower and chickpeas?
I will give that a go. Thanks for the suggestions 🙂
I grew up eating my Mom’s version of curry, and while that is super tasty, this is wonderfully different! The coconut milk is not overpowering, but gives this dish a certain something. This is part of our regular rotation because it tastes just as good as leftovers for the week. Thanks for another great recipe, Mel!
Always my favorite recipe of yours
We enjoyed this! I ended up adding some additional veggies. Carrots when I was sauteeing the onion and 1/2 a red pepper when it was simmering. I also found it needed more curry powder, perhaps the kind I was using was week. Thanks for the recipe!!
I was licking my plate– loved it! The only disappointment was that it turned “red” (obviously) with the tomato juice. I had told my husband I was making a yellow curry (his favorite). I thought it looked yellow in the pic. Are the different colors of curry based on what type of curry powder you use? (my powder was yellow) or what other ingredients are in it? Is there another of your curry recipes you recommend that stays looking “yellow”? Also, I love your crockpot idea.
Hi Kami – yes, the color of the curry will be dependent a lot on the type of curry powder you are using, although the one I use is kind of yellow-ish brown, too. It could also just be how the pictures look online – sometimes it’s hard to tell the color exactly.
I make this curry quite a bit and wanted to leave a note about the potatoes. I use the Japanese satsuma sweet potatoes and it is just about perfect. I don’t know if can get these where you live, but they are a game changer.
Thanks for all you do!
Made it, loved it, saved it!
The kiddos “endured” so long as I let them put ketchup on it… one day they’ll appreciate good food… maybe! For the hubs and I, this was a definite “make again”! Thanks!
I really wanted to like this dish, but it disappointed my family. In our opinion the chicken did not pick up the flavor of the curry the way we thought it would. This was an OK dish.
I made this for dinner tonight. We really, really loved it. I followed the directions except I totally forgot the sugar – and I’m kind of glad I did because I just don’t see sugar in Indian food. It just doesn’t seem to go and I don’t see it as being necessary. Otherwise, I’ll be making this again. I didn’t think I’d like the potatoes but everything else I’ve made from your website have been awesome so I thought I’d try it – and I’m glad I did. This was simply delicious!
Your style is unique compared to other people I’ve read stuff from.
Thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this site.
Yum! I subbed Tofu for the chicken, but the sauce was so good, I think we will start making it every week! Such a versatile recipe too, you can swap out the protein and add different veggies. I ran it through the my fitness pal calorie calculator and with the tofu substitution and using white rice, for a serving size of 1 cup rice and 1 cup curry the calorie value came in at 384 and was very filling. Healthy and delicious!
This was yummy! Do you think it would freeze well?
Becky – good question! I haven’t tried it but my theory is that it is always worth freezing at least once to see how it goes.
Man, this was sooo good! I’m beginning to realize that coconut and curry are a new favorite flavor combo for me. Served it over your coconut jasmine rice to give a little extra coconut boost…delish! Thanks for another winner!
Made this for dinner last night for my husband and I and it was delicious-so tasty we both went back for seconds! I omitted the sugar and added more curry and cayenne (we like things spicy). Substituted sweet potato for the regular potatoes and loved it!
That was DELICIOUS!!! It was so easy too! I love your website and haven’t had a bad recipe yet!!! Thanks
We had this for dinner tonight and it turned out great! The best homemade curry recipe I have tried. Thanks for sharing!!
Loved this recipe, but it had been around 40 min. of simmering and my potatoes were still rock hard ;(. Had to take them out and boil separately. Other than that annoyance, this was supper delicious!
Testing 1 2 3
1hr later
It’s wonderful!
I ground up the tomatoes,mushrooms and 3/4 of the peas,makes a nice thick purée to add if its watery.It tastes beautiful with naan though
Thx Mel
Oh Mel you should try Massaman it is totally addicting. I will try this out soon and let you know if it is similar. 🙂
Hey Mel,
Is this recipe like Thai Massaman Curry? I am looking for an easy Massaman Chicken recipe. I made your Indian butter chicken last night, so easy and so good. So I am hoping to find a Chicken Massaman recipe and hope you have one. 🙂
I’ve never had that curry dish, Natalie, so I don’t know if this is similar. Good luck if you try it!
LOVED this! We made this tonight. I only used 1 tsp of paprika and there was still plenty of heat for my not-heat-adventuring mouth. We also only used 1 lb of chicken and light coconut milk. This was a great meal, thank you!
Made this tonight with some leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it was amazing, mm mm mmmmm! Love the spice from the curry and the sweetness from the coconut milk and the sugar. Came together easily in one pan which I also love. Thanks for another winner, Mel!
I am in the middle of making this. I had to sneak a bite and OH MY is it good.. 🙂 I have been looking for a coconut chicken curry with potatoes recipe for quite a while. I had some in a little Thai Restaurant once and have never been able to find it or come close to duplicating it until now..
The only thing I had trouble with is it didn’t seem like enough liquid (oil) to saute everything at the beginning. I had to add a little extra oil, but this is definitely filling my house with yummy curry goodness right now!
I just found your website today through Pinterest and now I am going to be looking at all your other recipes. 🙂
Thanks!
You are amazing. This is the BEST curry meal I’ve ever made!! I might have added a little too much cayenne (I used 1 tsp cayenne plus 1/2 tsp paprika), but I still love it. Makes it taste even more authentic. The only thing I did different was I added red and yellow peppers instead of potatoes. Thank you for sharing such wonderful recipes.
I guess that my family is the only ones on here that didn’t care for this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly. I used paprika instead of the cayenne pepper. I don’t know, but this recipe was just “ok”. It seemed like it was missing something though. Also, I thought it was strange to eat potatoes on top of rice.
Made this for the first time tonight. Tonight was one of those “What’s for supper??? Better go check Mel’s blog quick and find something!” nights. Ideally I wanted to make it with your soft wrap bread or naan but with the late start it wasn’t going to happen. I also found out I was out of rice but I did have time and ingredients for biscuits! 🙂 Coconut chicken curry spooned over buttered biscuit halves (fluffy whole wheat biscuits recipe from allrecipes.com) was just fabulous and I quickly got over breaking any curry “rules” of serving with rice. Just thought I’d let anyone know in case they’re short on time or rice. 🙂
Thanks SO much for this recipe and your site!
Laura – I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you! Each stove varies in temperature but on my stove, I simmer it on about medium, sometimes medium-low. I’m surprised your potatoes were still firm after 45 minutes of simmering…try cooking it at a bit higher temperature. The goal is to get a pretty vigorous simmer going on (active, light bubbles popping on the surface constantly). Good luck if/when you try it next time!
Hi Melanie,
I attempted to make this tonight and failed miserably. When you say simmer for 30-40 minutes, is that on medium temperature? I turned my heat to low and let it simmer and 45 minutes later my potatoes are still hard–as if they weren’t even cooked. I’m kind of a newbie at cooking, I guess–so what do you think went wrong? Should I have kept my temperature on medium to let it simmer? We love curry, so I was so excited to try this! Thanks for your help!
Hi Melanie,
I attempted to make this tonight and failed miserably. When you say simmer for 30-40 minutes, is that on medium temperature? I turned my heat to low and let it simmer and 45 minutes later my potatoes are still hard–as if they weren’t even cooked. I’m kind of a newbie at cooking, I guess–so what do you think went wrong? Should I have kept my temperature on medium to let it simmer? We love curry, so I was so excited to try this! Thanks for your help!
Laura
I found you via pinterest and made this tonight for dinner. I omitted stewed tomatoes because I didn’t have any – but this was fantastic!!! I too will be hoarding the leftovers! Thank you for such a easy recipe!
I made this for dinner tonight and wasn’t paying as much attention as I should have because I put in a 14 oz. can of tomato sauce rather than just an 8 oz one! I kept thinking it looked nothing like your picture and finally figured out what I did! It was still very yummy and my husband and I both had seconds. Even my 5 year old and 3 year olds ate it (drinking lots of milk between bites- I used 1 tsp Paprika and 1/2 tsp. Cayenne- it was still pretty spicy!!!) Thanks for all your great recipes. I have been loving them! I don’t know how you do all of this with those boys!!
I wanted to let you know that he loved it!!! Thanks again!
I have this cooking in the crock pot right now and IT. SMELLS. SO. GOOD! My husband was giddy when I told him I was making curry. Coconut + Curry = heaven to him! I don’t know who is happier – my husband or me. He is so thrilled that I actually cook “real” food now. No more boxed/frozen food. What a downer that would be after all this deliciousness. I feel so much better about it, and it’s all because of your yummy and easy to follow recipes. I am just so happy I stumbled upon your site. I can’t wait to keep trying more and more recipes! How exciting!!! I can cook after all!
By the way, about the stewed tomatoes. Geez, I’m such a newbie. I assumed that I just needed to add the tomatoes without all the juice in the can. Did I do it right?!?
Hi Susannah! I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes. I really hope your husband enjoys this curry!
In a recipe, I will always state whether the tomatoes should be drained so in this case, I always add the tomatoes undrained (I add the tomatoes with their juice) but don’t fret – it will be fine either way! It’s not a big deal…let me know how it turns out!
I made this tonight and it turned out great! Mine wasn’t as yellow as yours though; it was very red. I figured it would be because of the tomato sauce but yours had it too and was still yellow. I don’t know. Regardless of color, the taste was amazing. My husband had 4 helpings while exclaiming, “This is so good, I just can’t stop!” Thanks for another great recipe! Oh ya, and I halved the recipe (for just 2 of us), so I borrowed an idea from your sticky coconut chicken and used the leftover coconut milk as part of the water in the rice. Yum!
I’ve made this before just without the potatoes. It is SO yummy. I really love to add in chunks of avocado right before I serve it. My 2 year old loves this with the avocado in it too. It’s a nice burst of cool and creamy while you’re eating.
Hmm.. I’m sort of a novice in the cooking world. I probably did something wrong. I seem to be the only one whose potatoes didn’t soften enough. I think next time I’ll take the crock pot route. You can’t really go wrong with the crock pot. Other than that, the taste was excellent.
I can see why you like this so much. It is so good! I like things on the saucy side, and this was the perfect amount of sauce. Everyone in our family loves curry, so I’m always glad to find a new recipe. This is a keeper!
This was yummy! Not sure which one I like better, this or the basil chicken coconut curry. I guess I will just have to make both often. My 2 year old ate ALL his dinner tonight. Is it weird I find it shocking a 2 year old loved curry? Thanks for another great dinner!
P.S. the quinoa worked great. I think I would probably like it more with the brown rice, but this is a great grain to use.
We will be making this tonight! Atzimba, thanks for the quinoa idea. That is what I’m going to serve it over. We eat a lot of brown rice in this house, and it will be nice to change it up a bit. Excited to try this recipe!
Wow! This was amazing. My husband’s friend from his childhood came over for dinner. When he learned that we were going to have curry he wasn’t as exited… But when he got home with his family, oh the smell sold him over. But when he ate it, he thought that he had died and gone to heaven… And I am not exagerating, nor am I the greatest cook. But this curry was fabulous. I served it over quinoa and wild rice combo.
Thanks for all your recipes!!
Made this the other night and it was amazing! My husband came in from work and I thought he’d just die on the spot! He LOVES curry and was shocked to come home to the smell. My kids even loved it! My 8 yr old said that he wanted me to make it every week. Thanks for a great new recipe!
Charlotte – wow! Great reaction from your husband…glad it tasted as good as it smelled.
o m g – this is super delicious. thanks so much for this recipe! 🙂 you rock, mel!!!
Thanks, Shelvia!
A suggestion… boil the potatoes first for a few minutes to soften, then add… found cubed russets still firm to the bite after 30 minutes on the stove. i wouldn’t bother browning the chicken either — 30 minutes in the broth, the chicken would done anyway. nice recipe!
Thanks, atlantagator!
I LOVED this dish! I made it for my husband and he loved it too! It’s now one of my favorite dishes to make and eat!
Shelly – this is one of my all-time faves so I’m glad that you and your husband loved it, too.
Yep, super delish. I chopped my onions instead of slicing. I didn’t even add the stewed tomatoes (knew kiddos wouldn’t like them). And it turned out yummy! THANKS!
Thanks, Annabeth!
I’m kind of an Indian food snob, because I love it so much and have had really good food at restaurants, so I’m very picky about my curry. This was fantastic! We like heat, so I did the cayenne pepper, but I think next time I may do 1 tsp cayenne and 1/2 tsp paprika. My husband liked the sweetness factor and wanted even more. I’ve also had your chicken tikka masala (fantastic!), naan and mango lassi and they were so good! We had the bean curry too, but it didn’t have as much flavor as I wanted, but I think I’ll add more garam masala or something to it. Have you ever tried making a pakora or samosa? They’re really good too!
Ashlee – glad you’ve liked those Indian recipes. I’m actually posting a new recipe I tried for tikka masala and it is fantastic – should be posted next week. I haven’t tried pakora or samosa – if you have a good recipe, feel free to send it along to me!
Jenny – I automatically love people who love this recipe since it is such a favorite of mine. Thanks for checking in to let me know you liked it!