Make Coconut Curry Chicken in one pot in 30 minutes or less. It’s packed with delicious flavors and is the perfect weeknight dinner.
Pair Coconut Curry Chicken with rice and/or naan bread. A side of roasted carrots or roasted sweet potatoes would also pair nicely.
When you’re not sure what to make for dinner, creamy Coconut Curry Chicken always comes through.
It’s fast, flavorful, and healthy! This is one of my husband’s all-time favorite meals, and while I tend to prefer veggies over meat (hiiii there, butternut squash curry), this is one of my favorites as well.
Coconut Curry flavor
Today we’re using red curry in this dish, alongside yellow curry powder and a good amount of coriander. If you’re wondering what coconut curry tastes like, it’s a bit sweet but mostly savory with hints of spice from the red curry. Red curry is made from crushed red chilies, garlic, lemongrass, shallots, ginger and fish paste. We amp up those flavors with additional garlic, ginger, and onions.
So as far as spiciness goes, I would rate this dish as mild, but it does depend on the brand of red curry you use. I’ve found Thai Kitchen® is generally quite mild.
Coconut Curry Chicken FAQs
What makes curry sweet?
- Cooking the onions slowly and for a longer period causes the onions to brown and develop a sweeter flavor.
- Coconut milk makes this curry sweeter than using regular cream.
- We add a little bit of brown sugar (optional) for sweetness.
- Coriander is a naturally sweet spice. Curry powder tends to be on the sweeter side as well (more on this below).
What does curry powder taste like?
Curry powder has a unique flavor with both savory and sweet spices. Cumin, turmeric, and bay leaf give curry powder a deep, earthy and savory flavor while the sweet spices such as cinnamon and cloves add brightness and sweetness.
With all of the various coconut products, it’s hard to know what will work best in your coconut curry chicken. To help, I’m breaking it down below.
Coconut milk or coconut cream?
- Coconut milk has the liquid consistency of cow’s milk. It’s the basis of most Thai curries and is made by simmering 1 part shredded coconut to 1 part water.
- Coconut cream has a much thicker and richer consistency than coconut milk. Coconut cream is made from simmering 4 parts shredded coconut to 1 part water.
- Cream of coconut is a sweetened version of coconut cream. It’s generally used in drinks or desserts. With all the added sugar, it’s not a great substitute for coconut cream.
Can I use coconut cream in curry?
In this coconut curry chicken, we use full-fat coconut milk. Lite coconut milk won’t thicken and give you a rich full flavor like regular coconut milk. Coconut cream tends to be too thick (and overpoweringly coconut flavored) for this coconut curry chicken and cream of coconut is far too sweet.
Coconut Curry Chicken additions
With just a few ingredients, creamy Coconut Curry Chicken goes from good to WOW.
Our must-have additions: fresh lime juice, finely chopped cilantro (or basil!) a little bit of brown sugar.
Other great add-ins: chopped peanuts or cashews, fish sauce.
Variations
- Coconut Curry Chicken and vegetables: This curry has some red pepper in it, but feel free to increase the veggies! You can add some carrot sticks (add along with red pepper) and spinach (stir in at the very end — residual heat will cook it down).
- Coconut Curry Chicken thighs: Chicken thighs will work great instead of breast meat (use boneless skinless and adjust for cooking time).
- Chicken Curry with coconut milk and potatoes: Try adding baby Yukon gold potatoes (to do this, I microwave whole potatoes for 5-8 minutes or until tender; cut them into quarters and add them in alongside the red pepper. This helps the potatoes catch up to the rest of the ingredients and yet still absorb the delicious flavors).
- Coconut Chicken Curry slow cooker recipe: try this recipe!
More delicious chicken dinners
- Easy, One-Pot Pesto Chicken Tortellini
- Mango Chicken
- Chicken Ramen
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken over coconut rice
Coconut Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil separated
- 1/2 medium yellow onion diced (~1/2 cup)
- 3 cloves minced garlic (~1 and 1/2 teaspoons)
- 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger (from a 1 and 1/2 inch piece)
- 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen; reduce or increase as desired for spice levels)
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
- Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 1 can (13.5 oz.) full-fat coconut milk (NOT lite)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce, optional
- 1/4 cup cilantro and/or basil diced
- Serve over/with: cooked basmati rice and naan bread with additional lime wedges
- Optional: chopped peanuts or cashews
Instructions
- Start by prepping ingredients: Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and mince the ginger. I peel the ginger with a spoon or vegetable peeler and then finely mince it. Thinly slice the red bell pepper into long vertical strips and then cut those strips in half horizontally.
- Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 3-5 minutes or until onions begin to turn golden. Add the garlic and ginger; stir to coat everything with the oil. Lower the heat to low and add in the curry powder, red curry paste, and coriander. Stir often for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant.
- Return the heat to medium high. Add in the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil and the red bell pepper. Stir for 1-2 minutes and then add in the bite-sized pieces of chicken. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste (I add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper). Cook, stirring often for about 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is browned on both sides, but not cooked through.
- Pour in the coconut milk, lime juice, and brown sugar (to taste; I start with just 1 tablespoon). Stir until chicken is cooked through (juices run clear and it is cooked to 165 degrees F) and curry is slightly thickened (See Note 1). If desired, stir in the fish sauce.
- Serve over rice and/or with naan. Garnish individual plates with cilantro, basil, and/or crushed peanuts/cashews. Serve additional lime wedges by the side if desired.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious! One of the best Thai dinner I made, it will be a staple in our family! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
Yay! So happy to hear this! Thanks Rina! 🙂
This was absolutely delicious! It was so flavorful and not too spicy. We loved it, and I’m making it part of my regular recipe rotation!
Yay! So thrilled to hear this! Thanks Pam! 🙂
My family enjoyed the recipe after adding extra salt and pepper. I will say it definitely doesn’t have enough flavor as is. Next time I will try it with more yellow and red curry to see if that’s better.
This is an outstanding recipe. I added a couple extra spices, but otherwise followed it exactly. Delicious ! Thank you!
Yay! So thrilled you loved this! 🙂
I’ve made this recipe many, many times. It’s my go to curry. Everyone always absolutely loves it. Thank you so much!
YAY! I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Ellen! 🙂
Great recipe. The coconut oil and coriander make it imo.
Love curry.
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Jack! 🙂
My husband and I so enjoyed making this together and BOTH of our kids ate it (full disclosure–they are 18 and 20 years old :)). One of them thanked me for the “beautiful meal!” It is a joy to work with the fresh garlic, ginger, onions, peppers, and herbs! The flavors and spices are rich and authentic–toasting them with the onion is such an amazing sensory experience. It is easy to prep everything ahead of time and then it all comes together in one pot! We added a little garam marsala to the spice mix as we had it on hand, my husband loves cinnamon, and my friend loves it in curries. It seemed to work. Thank you for a fun, delicious, and “doable” recipe! I am a working mom and so appreciate having recipes like this that I can make on a weeknight. 🙂
I am so thrilled to hear all of this! So happy your family loved this! Thanks so much Alex and Skip! 🙂
Just made this dish, amazing!!! I made it exactly to directions and it was perfect. The only thing I changed was instead of peppers I used cauliflower and carrots, and I put it on a bed of zoodles….. I’m pretty sure this is the best curry dish I’ve ever made at home, thanks! Would definitely make again
I am so flattered to hear this! Thanks Jessica! 🙂
Excellent recipe! I left out the curry powder and only used the curry paste. It was so good!
Yum! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks Rachel! 🙂
Absolutely, delicious! Didn’t change one thing!
So thrilled to hear! Thanks Sharon! 🙂