Simple shouldn’t mean bland – and this Chicken Curry recipe knocks it out of the park! A mild, creamy coconut curry sauce made with just 5 ingredients (from scratch!), it tastes so good for something so quick, you will be amazed.
If you want to go all out, serve this with Soft No-Yeast Flatbreads to slop up the sauce (it’s basically naan, but much easier to make!)
Chicken Curry
Curries are notorious for lengthy ingredient lists to achieve the richly spiced sauces and punchy flavours. And while we’d all love to be able to whip up a from-scratch Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken whenever the craving hits us, it’s simply not viable.
So today, I’m sharing the best SIMPLE chicken curry that I know. This recipe is a Western style curry – it’s not a traditional Indian curry, Thai curry, nor any other cuisine. And here’s why you’re going to love it as much as I do:
(Very) short list of ingredients
Curry powder is the only spice you need
Creamy curry sauce with mild coconut flavour
30 minute recipe – from scratch!
This chicken curry is the perfect way to get your curry fix without being in the kitchen all day!
What you need for Everyday Chicken Curry
Here’s what goes in this Everyday Chicken Curry.
Curry powder – the only spice you need! Any brand is fine here.
Garlic, ginger and onion – fresh aromatics add a flavour boost that makes all the difference with quick curries! It’s the same when making quick Thai Green Curry or Red Curry using store bought paste.
Chicken broth/stock AND coconut milk – for creaminess and flavour. We’re just using 1 cup of coconut milk here – this isn’t intended to be an overly rich, heavy coconut sauce.
Chicken – thighs are best because this curry needs to be simmered for 12 minutes for the flavours to develop. But yes, it can be made with breast – but the steps need tweaking otherwise you’ll complain that the chicken is dry!!
Peas – optional! Try other diced veg!
Coriander/cilantro – lovely freshness and flavour boost. Coriander haters – use chives or green onions instead.
Don’t let the short list of ingredients fool you. The curry sauce tastes SO GOOD!
Curry Powders
These are the curry powders I currently have in my pantry – but I’ve used plenty of other brands in the past. Curry powder is used in all sorts of recipes, not just Indian curries, including:
Satay Chicken Curry – basically it’s chicken satay skewers in curry form, with loads of peanut sauce!
Chickpea Potato Curry – very popular with readers!
How to make it
There’s nothing groundbreaking about how this chicken curry is made. The one key step is to fry off the curry powder. This brightens up the flavour of the spices + creates more golden bits on the base of the pan, and both of these things add more flavour into the curry sauce!
So don’t skip this step. 🙂
Make it your own!
This recipe is all about the curry sauce, so it’s really versatile in terms of what you can put in it, as well as extra add ins. Here are some options:
Other proteins or vegetarian – make this with beef, lamb, pork, turkey, shrimp/prawns, fish or vegetarian. See directions in the recipe notes;
Make it SPICY! This is not a spicy curry. So to add heat, either use HOT curry powder, or add cayenne pepper or ground chilli powder;
Make it richer – use coconut cream instead of milk. Or use more coconut milk and simmer to reduce for longer; and
Add tomato paste to thicken the sauce a touch and make the sauce a darker colour. Use about 1.5 tbsp.
Try this curry with a side of Green Bean Salad, my friend JP’s famous Iceberg Lettuce salad, or this no-mayo Cabbage Salad.
Serve it over rice, or even mashed potato or noodles. Basically anything that can be doused with that coconut curry sauce! ~ Nagi x
More cosy Chicken recipes
Slow Cooked Chicken Stew and a faster Chicken Stew (Casserole) – on the table in under an hour!
The Curry collection
Thai Red Curry or Green Curry – quick 30 minutes, or from scratch
Massaman Curry and Beef Rendang – two of the most iconic curries in the world
Biryani – the BEST chicken and rice in the world
Dal – Indian lentil curry
Goan Fish Curry – an authentic, spicy fish curry with coconut from the south of India
Indian Coconut Curry sauce – A stronger, more heavily spiced coconut curry sauce than this recipe
View all Curry recipes
Watch how to make it
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Easy Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1.5 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tsp ginger , grated
- 1/2 onion , finely chopped
- 500g / 1lb chicken thighs, sliced (Note 1)
- 2.5 tbsp curry powder (Note 2)
- 270 ml / 1.25 cups coconut milk , full fat (9 oz) (Note 3)
- 1.5 cups (375 ml) chicken stock low sodium
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup coriander / cilantro leaves , chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook garlic, ginger and onion for 3 minutes until onion is translucent.
- Add chicken and cook until it it changes from pink to white.
- Add curry powder and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add coconut milk and chicken stock. Stir, lower heat to medium and cook, simmering rapidly, for 10 minutes until sauce reduces and thickens.
- Add peas and salt. Cook for a further 2 minutes, then taste to see if it needs more salt. Garnish with coriander.
- Serve over rice, noodles or mashed potato!
Recipe Notes:
- Chicken breast – sprinkle with 2 tsp extra curry powder plus pinch of salt and pepper. Sear first in a bit of oil then remove (no need to cook through). Follow recipe – fry off curry with just the onion. Add breast back in towards end of sauce simmering, just to finish cooking.
- Shrimp/prawns or fish pieces – as above with breast.
- Other proteins (beef, turkey, lamb, pork) – use a quick cooking cut that’s tender and juicy, slice or dice. Follow chicken breast steps.
- Vegetables – add into sauce based on cooking time.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
I forgot to share this when I published Gozleme! (Turkish stuffed flatbreads) I took them down to Jeff, a local who lives down at the dog park and he gave them a big thumbs up.
And there’s Dozer. Being shameless!!!
I was wondering, can I make this with left over turkey? Maybe adding it at the end just to heat it up and soak it with sauce?
I’m going to try this recipe looks delicious
Another terrific, easy recipe Nagi. I’ve made so many things from your site, and all have been superb. Your cooking tips are just great also, and now I don’t bother looking anywhere else for recipes. And a big thank you for your ‘life-changing’ Charlie Brown Sauce recipe. I always have some on hand in the fridge. You’re the absolute best. Cheers
Yum.
Used this recipe to make a chicken curry for the first time EVER and it came out AMAZING! Super easy, non-messy, 1-2 pan meal (depending on what you cook it with, I put it over rice). No complaints from those who ate it, and clean bowls at the end. 😊
I love your recipe I need more of your recipe especially the Indian curry and the Thai curry .
There are more curries in the pipeline for the cookbook and the website! N x
Very nice curry! I added 1 tbsp tomato paste for some richness, 1 can of chickpeas to bulk it out and add nutritional value and reduced the over all liquid to 400ml. I found that even 400ml coconut cream and NO added water it was plenty liquid enough.. I actually had to simmer for quite a while to thicken it. I added the stock powder but no added water. Thanks for this, it will be another simple curry I will add to my recipe folder 🙂
I was stuck for a mid-week chicken dinner idea so headed straight to Recipe Tin Eats! This dish is DELICIOUS! My sons and husband all gave me kudos! Thanks Nagi – quick and easy and super tasty with Jasmin rice – it reminded me a little of green chicken curry!
Plain, simple and easy to follow recipe. Taste is amazing. Used this sauce and added my own ‘ of what I fancy’ at the time. Loved by the family.
The best simple curry I have ever made!!! Spectacular!!
This chicken curry is delicious and easy. I use around 1kg of chicken thighs, I used a 400ml can of coconut milk to 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 extra tsp of curry powder. I add the peas and a small packet of baby spinach for last few minutes. I omitted the coriander as I didn’t have any. I have also made this with a shredded cooked chicken from Coles and it was also fantastic! Perfect recipe as are all of Nagi’s! Love them! 💗
Omg. The family gives this two 👍👍 up. Better then takeaway from Chinese shop. Luv all your recipes I’ve tried 🥰
Hi Nagi, can I ask if this one is freezer friendly? I’m thinking maybe not with the coconut milk?
Great! Thanks so much for your reply!
Yes definitely Bridin, just reheat gently. N x
This is my first time trying and making chicken curry. It was super good.
Hi Nagi, Ive cooked so many of your recipes I’ve lost track. With the curry chicken I’m not a Hugh fan of cilantro. Can I omit and use something else. I just feel that sometimes cilantro is overwhelming.
Hi Irma, not a worry, just leave it out! N x
Made this tonight because I wanted something quick and easy! It was so good and tasty and even hubby enjoyed it.
Can you use Coriander powder instead of fresh and if so how much
I’m always wary of “fewer ingredients but still tastes great” because I have been bitten on other sites and ended up ordering uber eats Haha! Your recipe however was awesome…. I did add 2 red chillies to the recipe but otherwise used exact steps and my family loved it!! Thank you…. will definitely be trying your other recipes 🤗
I cook this once a week but add all sorts of vegetables even the ones the child doesn’t like eating on his plate but will eat them in this curry! Very quick and easy. Don’t need to be a whiz in the kitchen!
Another winner! I have made 3 of your recipes in the last week and they’re all amazing. This one is simple, yet full of flavour.