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Home Meal Type Dinner
4.88
/5
1 hour hour

Easy Chicken Curry

Dairy Free Dairy-Free Gluten Free Gluten Free Nut Free Nut Free Freezer Friendly Freezer Meal Prep Meal Prep
Jump to Recipe
By: Denise Bustard24 Comments
Posted: 12/30/18 Updated: 9/25/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This quick chicken curry has the most delicious creamy coconut curry sauce, and is made from simple pantry ingredients. Works great for meal prep and leftovers can be frozen!

When it comes to comfort food, nothing beats a delicious creamy chicken curry, right? Today I'm sharing my family's new favorite curry chicken recipe with you!

close up of chicken curry in bowl with rice

This recipe was adapted from my Instant Pot Chickpea Curry Recipe, however I found that this chicken curry greatly benefited from sauteeing first.

The thing I love about this chicken curry recipe is that you can use dried spices that you probably already have in your pantry (and they are all on my Pantry Staples Checklist!). You don't need any curry pastes or spicy chiles. It's not spicy and the kids LOVE this recipe!

Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!

You're going to love this chicken curry recipe because

  • leftovers are the BEST meal prep lunches and you can even freeze them
  • you don't need to track down any curry pastes or exotic ingredients
  • you can customize the spice level, and this is great for kids

Ingredients for curry chicken on cutting board

How to make it

For this recipe, you can swap out any number of the vegetables to what you happen to have in your fridge. I highly recommend boneless skinless chicken thighs as they stay nice and tender in this curry.

  1. Brown the chicken in olive oil, then remove from the pot.
  2. Sautee the onion, garlic and ginger.
  3. Add the spices and toast for 1 minute.
  4. Return the chicken to the pot with the coconut milk, diced tomatoes and all vegetables.
  5. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until all veggies are cooked through.
  6. Stir in the green beans & lemon juice, adjust salt to taste.
  7. Enjoy!

chicken curry recipe in pot before cooking

Can I use chicken curry for meal prep? Yes! I was hoping this could be assembled ahead and frozen for a freezer to pot recipe, but the flavor was just lacking. Instead I would cook this as written and portion out with some rice. This recipe freezes like a dream and makes such a great lunch!

Can I make it? Sure, swap the chicken for chickpeas!

Is this coconut curry chicken spicy? I used mild curry powder and mine was not at all spicy. You can use a medium or hot curry paste, or add in some chiles if you like it spicy.

Can I cook it in the Instant Pot? I haven't tested this exact recipe but I think it would work! I'd sautee everything in the same order as written, then pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then release the rest. *if you try this I'd love to hear how it works out for you!*

overhead view of coconut curry chicken in bowl with rice

Recipe tips

  • I used my 4L Paderno pot (similar to this one)
  • Meal prep containers: I love these ones
  • here’s my favorite chef’s knife that made chopping a breeze (I wish I had bought a good one sooner!)
  • looking for more curry recipes? Check out this Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Lentil Curry, this Instant Pot Chickpea Curry, this Spicy Instant Pot Thai Chicken Curry and this Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chicken Curry

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

gray bowl filled with curry chicken

Easy Curry Chicken Recipe

4.88 from 8 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 40 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr
Print Rate
This quick chicken curry gets dinner on the table quickly and has the most delicious creamy coconut curry sauce. Works great for meal prep and leftovers can be frozen!
8

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1-2 inch cubes)
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 inch ginger (roughly 1 tablespoon; finely chopped or grated)
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder (I used mild curry powder)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 13.5 oz can of coconut milk (400 mL: full fat recommended)
  • 18 oz can of diced tomatoes (540 mL; includes juices)
  • 2-3 carrots (peeled & sliced)
  • 15 baby potatoes (halved, quarter if they are larger baby potatoes)

After cooking

  • 1 ½ cups green beans (fresh or frozen)
  • ½ lemon (juiced; 2 tablespoons)
  • rice (to serve)

Instructions 

  • Heat olive oil over medium heat in a 4 L/ 4 quart pot.
  • Add the chicken, and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink. Transfer to a clean plate and add more olive oil to the pot if necessary.
  • Add the onion, and cook until soft (5-7 minutes).
  • Add the garlic, ginger, spices and salt. Cook, stirring frequently for one minute.
  • Add the coconut milk and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
  • Return the chicken to the pot and add the diced tomatoes, carrots and baby potatoes.
  • Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally.
  • Stir in the lemon green beans and lemon juice and allow to sit for a few minutes, until green beans are slightly soft.
  • Serve with rice or naan bread.

Storage

  • Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.

Tips:

Nutritional info excludes rice

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/8 of batch, Calories: 357kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 80mg, Sodium: 486mg, Potassium: 1167mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 2800IU, Vitamin C: 39.5mg, Calcium: 81mg, Iron: 5mg
Author: Annie Holmes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

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Reader Interactions

4.88 from 8 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




  1. Kristina says

    Posted on 3/30/21 at Posted on 3/30/21

    5 stars
    This is my favorite curry recipe of all time! I've made it more than 5 times and it always turns out so delicious! Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Denise Bustard says

      Posted on 4/19/21 at Posted on 4/19/21

      Wow!! That's such a huge compliment, thank you Kristina! I appreciate you taking time out of your day to come back and leave a review <3

      Reply
  2. Anna says

    Posted on 8/16/20 at Posted on 8/16/20

    When using chickpeas when should I put them in the pot?

    Reply
    • Denise Bustard says

      Posted on 8/20/20 at Posted on 8/20/20

      Hi Anna! That's how I would do it! I don't find they end up too mushy when simmered in a recipe. Hope you enjoy 🙂

      Reply
  3. Ioleen says

    Posted on 12/27/19 at Posted on 12/27/19

    5 stars
    This curry was delicious, thank you! I look forward to trying the chickpea version of it soon 🙂

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 1/14/20 at Posted on 1/14/20

      So happy to hear you enjoyed, Loleen! Thank you for reporting back!

      Reply
  4. Elizabeth B. says

    Posted on 9/16/19 at Posted on 9/16/19

    4 stars
    I made this yesterday to bring to work for lunches. I'm not a big fan of a thin sauce/soup, so I did let it simmer for a while to reduce, and used only 1 lb of chicken because that's what I had, but other than that I followed the recipe closely. I definitely don't think it's 8 servings, but it will last me through 4 lunches for sure with rice. It's delicious. In fact next time I will up the spices as mine was incredibly mild. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 9/16/19 at Posted on 9/16/19

      Thanks for your review, Elizabeth 🙂

      Reply
  5. SC says

    Posted on 9/14/19 at Posted on 9/14/19

    Hello. Quick question: My curry powder already has cumin and coriander in it. But while in the store, another brand did not. Am I to add extra of these spices on top of my curry powder? Or do I just use my curry powder, and if so how much?
    (Recipe calls for: 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp curry powder, 1 1/2 tsp coriander.)

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 9/16/19 at Posted on 9/16/19

      Good question! I would just add them on top and follow the recipe as written. This is the curry powder I use and it says it has cumin and coriander in it as well.

      Reply
  6. Carmen Hayter says

    Posted on 5/17/19 at Posted on 5/17/19

    I had the opportunity to make this recipe last weekend for a planned meal prep lunch this week. My husband and I have enjoyed this all week. This recipe is amazing and so full of flavor. I will be making this one over and over. It is definitely one of my new favorite recipes!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 5/17/19 at Posted on 5/17/19

      I'm so happy you enjoyed, Carmen! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review 😀

      Reply
  7. John Fiala says

    Posted on 5/12/19 at Posted on 5/12/19

    Just made this, and it's quite tasty. Somehow, I failed to add the garlic, but it's still quite good.
    One thing - I wasn't sure how much ginger "1 inch" was, since I was using ginger paste. I went with 2 tbsp.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 5/16/19 at Posted on 5/16/19

      Hi John! I'm so happy you enjoyed! I find that 1 inch = around 1 tablespoon freshly grated, but I'm not sure how much that is in paste. I will clarify in the recipe card 🙂

      Reply
  8. Alex says

    Posted on 4/30/19 at Posted on 4/30/19

    Could I sub chicken breast for thighs?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 5/8/19 at Posted on 5/8/19

      Yes, but be careful to not overcook! Thighs are so much more forgiving. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  9. Jordan Campusano says

    Posted on 2/3/19 at Posted on 2/3/19

    Could you make this in the Instant Pot??

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 2/4/19 at Posted on 2/4/19

      Hi Jordan! I bet that would work well! I would try 5 min high pressure and 10 min natural pressure release (that's what I did for the IP chickpea curry and the potatoes were cooked through!)

      Reply
  10. Peter Nguyen says

    Posted on 1/5/19 at Posted on 1/5/19

    Hi, can we used brushed potatoes instead of baby potatoes?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 1/8/19 at Posted on 1/8/19

      Hi Peter! I had to look up brushed potatoes. If you are cooking them right away, they should be fine. You'd want to cut them into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Unfortunately freezing raw potatoes causes them to brown, so they may not work well for freezer packs. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  11. Erika says

    Posted on 1/4/19 at Posted on 1/4/19

    There's no ginger amount in the ingredients

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 1/4/19 at Posted on 1/4/19

      Hi Erika! Thanks for pointing that out. I just updated the recipe!

      Reply
  12. Seán says

    Posted on 12/31/18 at Posted on 12/31/18

    Hi how much ginger is required?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 1/4/19 at Posted on 1/4/19

      Sorry about that! Recipe is updated now!

      Reply

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