30-Minute Chicken Coconut Curry Recipe
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This coconut chicken curry is a regular at my dinner table. I’m going to show you how to make this tasty meal in just 30 minutes using kitchen staples.
This coconut chicken curry is a quick and easy win for a weeknight. It’s perfect for those evenings when I want something simple, full of veggies, and that doesn’t compromise on flavor. It rivals take-out Indian food, but it’s much lighter —and possibly quicker too!
This recipe is based on my wildly popular creamy coconut lentil curry. Same flavors, different protein. It’s a pretty basic recipe, meaning you can swap the veggies for what you have in the fridge. I don’t use curry powder or curry paste; I use individual spices. This makes it easy to add more or less of a spice, especially when it comes to heat.
It all gets made in one pot, so clean-up is a breeze. Serve it with some fluffy basmati rice or naan to mop up all the delicious sauce.
Key ingredients you’ll need
You’ll find most of the ingredients for this Indian-inspired chicken curry recipe in your kitchen. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Onion, garlic, and ginger: I’m not kidding when I say a whole head of garlic (yes, that’s 10-12 garlic cloves!) This classic mix of aromatics gives this curry lots of intense flavor.
- Chicken breasts: You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Crushed tomatoes: I use regular crushed tomatoes, but fire-roasted tomatoes also taste great and add a smoky dimension to this dish.
- Coconut milk: I recommend using full-fat coconut milk (not light) to give this curry lots of creaminess.
Serving suggestions
This coconut curry chicken is a weeknight win. I love serving it over a bed of rice like my favorite coconut rice or basmati rice. Or serve it with naan or chapati to soak up all the saucy goodness.
If you’re serving a crowd, pair it with a creamy cucumber salad.
Storing, freezing, and reheating
Store: Store any leftovers in a sealed container in your fridge for 3-4 days.
Freeze: This curry freezes very well. Let it cool, transfer it to a freezer-safe container, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Reheat: Curry reheats beautifully on the stovetop or in the microwave. If it seems a bit thick, add a splash of water.
30-Minute Chicken Coconut Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ medium onion (finely minced)
- 1 head garlic (chopped (10–12 cloves))
- 2 tablespoons ginger (minced)
- 1 tablespoon EACH: ground cumin, coriander, and turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder (omit for no spice)
- 3 chicken breasts (chopped into bite-sized pieces)
- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 15 ounce can coconut milk
- 3 ounces baby spinach
- A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and, if using, the cayenne and cook for 1 minute.2 tablespoons coconut oil, ½ medium onion, 1 head garlic, 2 tablespoons ginger, 1 tablespoon EACH: ground cumin, coriander, and turmeric, 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
- Add the chicken, crushed tomatoes, and sea salt to the pan and stir well. Bring to a simmer then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, carefully removing the lid (the curry will splatter!) to stir a few times.3 chicken breasts, 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 2 teaspoons sea salt
- Once the chicken pieces are cooked, stir in the coconut milk, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. Season to taste with more salt, as needed.15 ounce can coconut milk, A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, 1 cup chopped cilantro, 3 ounces baby spinach
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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i made this and i recommend if you use turmeric to use black pepper as well. Very delicious meal
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 😊 And that’s a great tip — turmeric and black pepper are such a good pairing. Thanks so much for sharing and for leaving a note! 💛
14 oz crushed tomatoes was too little moisture, so I used 28 oz and it was fine. Also, I added 2 T green cardamom pods and they provided good flavor, as well as grinding coriander seeds through my mortar and pestle because I only had whole seeds. I’ll definitely make it again. My wife (who has a great sense of smell) really liked it too. And thanks for defining a 6 oz half chicken breast. I rewrote the recipe to “18 oz chicken”. Thanks!
Steve
Hi Steve — thank you so much for sharing such a thoughtful note! I love hearing how you adjusted it to suit your kitchen. Using the full 28 ounces of tomatoes makes total sense, and the cardamom pods plus freshly ground coriander sound absolutely wonderful. And that’s the best compliment of all that your wife loved it, too — especially with her great sense of smell. 😊
I really appreciate the feedback on the chicken measurement as well — that’s super helpful. Thanks again for taking the time to share, and I’m so glad you’ll be making it again!
I do agree with many others that this recipe is soupy and tbh is quite bland, though often curries are better the next day, when the spices have had time to mature a little.
I’m attempting to give it more flavour.
A Pakistani man once taught me to make curry, though I have forgotten all he said.
However, he did tell me that onion was the thickener in curries, so perhaps the half a medium onion needs increasing to perhaps two onions.
I’ve added some fenugreek and half a veg stock cube and it’s definitely added a welcome flavour.
You’re right. In a curry from Pakistan (or even northern India), the onion (often cooked with tomato and spices) thickens the curry. In this case, this is a westernized version of a southern Indian curry, so the onion doesn’t serve the same purpose. If you would like it thicker, the best thing to do is simmer it uncovered until it thickens up—it won’t take long.
Very very nice
This was quite bland. Tomato overpowered the coconut. If I did this again, I would reduce the amount of tomato and increase the coconut milk. It was also very runny so I had to thicken it with cornflour. I also had to increase the amount of spice and towards the end added some cardamon and oregano as the flavour profile was lacking. The family said they prefer my own recipes.
Hi,
This dish came together quickly and turned out amazing. I used like 5 cloves of garlic and a dash of cayenne as I have children who don’t like spicy. I added cauliflower and red peppers. So flavourful. I did note that it was very “soupy”. I did simmer at a med boil longer and then added my coconut milk. I used a cornstarch slurry to thicken to more of a “gravy”. Added to my regular recipes.
Thank you!
I also thought it was a bit soupy, so I also made a cornstarch slurry with a couple tablespoons of cornstarch and ounce and a half or so of water and folded it in at the end. Thickened it up a bit, and was perfect. Great simple recipe. Love it.
would not make again. I found it too tomatoey and really not like a curry at all. Not the flavour I was expecting.Perhaps too much garlic and too much tomatoes in this recipee. Could not taste the cocanut milk at all.
Delicious!!! This will be a regular addition to our meal rotation.
My granddaughters, ages 10 and 13, and I made this tonight and it was a big success. We didn’t have the right spices so we used garam masala instead.
Excellent!
Though it had great flavour with the spices. It was watery. There was no thickness to the sauce. It was more like a soup.
try using a cornstarch slurry right at the end.. Worked wonderfully.
Simple and delicious. Really quick and easy to make.
My Boyfriend saw the different spices & all ingredients I had out & said, “This is going to take forever!” Exactly 1/2hr later we were enjoying this delicious meal & he then said, “This is so satisfying, I’m having seconds!” 😋
Best curry recipes I’ve tried so far.
Like others have mentioned, it came out very thin and soupy making exactly per the recipe. Next time I will maybe try draining the canned tomatoes before adding. (There is no instruction to do so in your recipe).
I really loved this! Thank you for sharing!