Quick & Easy Chicken Curry

This chicken curry recipe is creamy, mildly spiced and comes together in less than 30 minutes. Serve it over bed of rice or with naan. Slop up the sensational sauce with naan – heaven!

This quick and easy version of coconut curry chicken recipe is full of flavors and it’s mildly spiced. Tender juicy chicken pieces simmered in flavorful sauce gives you the best tasting curry chicken in less than 30 minutes.

With the number of curry recipes on the blog, it’s clear evident my love for curries. Rice and curry on my plate, I’m in food heaven! I love my curries to be spicy, with lots of spices and flavors in it.

But today’s curry isn’t the traditional Indian chicken curry or a Thai curry. Many readers said to me that the long list of spices that I use to make a curry dish were too hard to find and many wanted mildly spiced curry. So I created a curry chicken recipe that is more suitable to all my readers from the WEST.

This western style coconut curry chicken uses just ONE spice powder, the one that is very easily available – CURRY POWDER. Rest of the ingredients are basic ingredients that you will have in your pantry/fridge. 

Thanks to too many requests from my readers, I had to create a recipe for them.  All my readers from the west, here is a curry just for you.

I call this everyday curry. It’s so simple and so easy to make, you can actually make and eat this curry every single day. Best eaten with rice or slop up the sauce with naan (Indian flat bread).

If you are looking for traditional curry recipe,  try our Instant Pot Butter Chicken.

Curry powder will determine the taste and spiciness of the curry. Choose a trusted brand and use the amount of curry powder suitable for your taste.

Beware – some of the curry powders are overpowering in cinnamon taste, some of them are so bland and flavorless. You need a curry powder that is well balanced in taste and does not taste overpowering with any one single ingredient.  Stay away from such brands.

This curry is  –

1. Uses easily available ingredients.
2. Curry powder is all the spice you need.
3. Cooks in less than 20 minutes.
4. The sauce is sensational.
5. Even kids would love to eat this mildly spiced curry.

What You Need For Coconut Curry Chicken Recipe

Chicken – For tender juicy chicken, use chicken thighs. Boneless are great option, you can use chicken with bones too.

Curry Powder – This is the only spice powder you’ll need. Usually curry powder is not very spicy, but depending on the brand you use, you may want to adjust the quantity of it as per your taste and spice tolerance.

Onions – Onions are starting base of any curry. White or red onions can be used. The flavors start building up from sautéing onion in oil. For creamier curry, use onion paste (onions ground in blender without water).

Ginger and Garlic – Fresh ginger and garlic minced for best texture is used in most curry recipes. It builds up the flavors.

Bay Leaf – Optional. You can add it for added flavors.

Green Peas – Fresh or frozen green peas is added for extra texture and the pop of green color in otherwise boring looking brown curry is really pretty. You can choose to add potatoes as well.

Coconut Milk –  Coconut milk not just adds creaminess to the sauce but also helps in balancing the spice in curry powder. Even if you curry powder turns to be spicy, adding coconut milk will balance the spice out. For rich, creamier sauce use coconut cream instead of coconut milk.

Chicken Stock – Cooking chicken in chicken stock/broth boosts it flavors. You can cook with water if chicken stock is not available.

Oil – Canola oil or vegetable oil is best. Do not use oil with strong flavors.

Cilantro – Cilantro or coriander leaves garnish in the end adds freshness to the curry.

Is This Chicken Curry Spicy?

No, it’s not spicy. This is mildly spiced creamy coconut curry chicken.

But remember spiciness to the curry comes from curry powder. If the curry powder you use is spicy, your curry will turn out spicy. Ofcourse you can balance the spiciness with coconut milk that is added in the end. Make sure to use good trusted brand curry powder that has balanced taste.

Can I Make This Curry Spicy?

Ofcourse, you can! To me the spicier the curry, the better it tastes. But that’s just me. If you can’t handle heat, please follow the recipe as it is, use the mentioned amount of curry powder.

If you want to make it spicy, add a teaspoon(or more) of cayenne pepper along with curry powder to make this curry spicy.

Can I Use Chicken Breasts In This Recipe?

Chicken thighs are definitely the best option. But chicken breasts can be used as well.

What To Serve With The Curry?

The best part of any curry is it’s sauce or the curry base as we call it. This curry has sensational creamy sauce that goes well with –

Steamed Rice

Cilantro Lime Rice

Instant Naan (Indian Flat Bread)

How To Make Everyday Curry(Step-By-Step Pictorials)

Step 1 : Heat oil in a skillet. Fry onion until translucent.

Step 2 : Add bay leaf, minced ginger and garlic. Saute, cook for couple of minutes until the raw smell of garlic and ginger is gone.

Step 3 : Add chicken thighs cut into cubes. Cook in the pan for 2 minutes.

Step  4 : Add curry powder and salt to taste. Cook for 2 minutes.

Pro – Tip : Important step : Cook curry powder in the pan for few minutes, before you add liquids. This will make all flavors come through.

Step 5 : Once curry powder is fragrant, pour chicken stock. You can use any broth or stock or just water to cook chicken. Simmer and cook chicken for 10 to 12 minutes.

Note : Do not add coconut milk at this stage. There are chances of coconut milk getting curdled and split when heated for long. If the consistency of coconut milk is thick, it will definitely split and curdle while cooking. I ALWAYS add coconut milk in the last stage, once chicken is cooked through.

Step 6 : Once chicken is cooked through, add frozen peas and cook for a minute or two. Adding peas is optional.

Step 7 : Reduce heat to lowest temperature, pour coconut milk. For thicker consistency use coconut cream.

Stir and let it cook for a minute.

Step 8 : Remove skillet from heat. Sprinkle coriander leaves or cilantro.

Step 9 : Serve hot immediately over a bed of rice or with naan.

Tips + Variations For BEST Curry Chicken Recipe

Tips :

1. For tender juicy chicken, use chicken thighs.
2. Use trusted brand curry powder. You curry chicken is only as good as your curry powder.
3. For creamier texture, blend onions along with ginger and garlic into a paste (without adding water) and saute paste for 5 to 7 minutes until oil separated from the sides of the pan.
4. You can also use coconut cream instead of coconut milk for creamier, rich, thick sauce curry.
5. Fry curry powder in the skillet for few minutes to bring out all it’s flavors before you add in liquid to cook chicken. It’s important to build in layers of flavors by cooking/sautéing one ingredient at a time, instead of dumping in all in one go.  Giving time for each ingredient to cook will release it’s flavors and adds to the taste of the curry.
6. Add coconut milk in the end. If coconut milk/cream is cooked on high heat for long time, it will curdle and form lumps. Adding in the end will prevent that.

Variations :

1. To make this curry more spicier – add a teaspoon (or two) of cayenne pepper along with curry powder.
2. Tomato paste can be added after you saute onions to make tangy, thicker curry.
3. Instead of chicken you can use other choice of protein. Shrimp, lamb, beef are best options.
4. For richer curry – add ¼ cup of heavy cream or substitute coconut milk with coconut cream.

FOR THE LOVE OF CURRY – MORE CURRY RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE –

Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Thai Panang Chicken Curry

Egg Curry

Chickpea Curry

Thai Butternut Squash Curry

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