Easy Coconut Chicken Curry Recipe
ThisEasy Coconut Chicken Curry turns out luxuriously creamy, packed with taste, budget-friendly, and incredibly simple. From your stove to the dinner table in 30 minutes is totally doable. Ideal for hectic weeknights or a relaxed night out, this one-pan curry relies on basic pantry items to deliver a restaurant-style meal.
Enjoy it alongside fluffy Jeera rice, basmati rice, brown rice, or a steaming Naan bread for the coziest comfort plate.
Why you will love this recipe
Rice is a regular in my kitchen since it complements almost anything. When I can’t decide what to cook, coconut chicken curry is usually the first option I reach for. It’s fast, straightforward, budget-friendly, wonderfully comforting, full of flavor, and always satisfying.
With just a handful of ingredients, this curry comes together easily—no tricky techniques involved. Use the curry powder you prefer, fine-tune the spice to match your taste, and swap ingredients as needed.
It’s also perfect for meal planning. As it sits, the flavours become richer, and it keeps well in both the fridge and freezer, so it’s great for preparing ahead.
What you will need
Chicken thighs: Boneless and skinless, cut into cubes. (Thighs remain juicier than breasts, though both are fine!)
Curry powder: Choose either a mild or hot curry powder depending on the vibe you want.
Coconut milk: Full-fat creates the richest consistency, but “light coconut milk” is a better pick for fewer calories. If it needs extra help thickening, you can use a cornstarch slurry.
Coconut oil: Replace with olive oil or any other neutral cooking oil you like
Chopped onions
Canned chopped tomatoes: trade these for fresh chopped tomatoes or concentrated tomato paste.
Minced garlic
Ginger paste
Chicken stock
Salt to taste
Cayenne pepper
Dried coriander
Fresh coriander and green onions for topping.
How to make easy coconut chicken curry
Warm the coconut oil on low to medium heat, add the finely chopped onions, and cook until they turn soft and smell fragrant.
Mix in the curry powder, ginger, and garlic. Let it cook for 1 minute to bring out the essential oils and boost the overall flavor. Add the cubed chicken to the pan, then stir for 2–3 minutes, until the chicken turns white.
Pour in the chicken stock, stir to combine, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you mix.
Add the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, cayenne pepper, dried coriander, salt, and stir until everything is well combined.
Allow the curry to simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it thickens and reduces. Stir, taste, and fine-tune the salt and seasoning as needed. Remove from the heat and serve with fluffy basmati rice, coconut rice or naan bread.
Watch how to make it
Tips
Make your own chicken stock: In this recipe, I used homemade stock made from the bones of the chicken thighs. I removed the meat from the bones myself, put the bone in a small saucepan, covered it with water, and then seasoned it with salt, pepper, and parsley. Simmer over medium heat for around 15 minutes.
You can even use your Instant Pot if you have one. For directions on how to make stock in an Instant Pot with leftover turkey carcass or chicken, see my instant pot chicken stock recipe
Make this recipe vegetarian or vegan: I know this is a chicken curry post, but I want to support my readers as much as I can. Replace the chicken with chickpea, boiled potatoes, or roasted broccoli and cauliflower. For a simple vegetarian or vegan curry, try my chickpea and sweet potato curry recipe. You’ll enjoy it.
Add vegetables to the curry: This chicken curry pairs wonderfully with vegetables such as zucchini (courgette), frozen peas, red bell peppers, or even spinach and kale. Stir them into the curry at the very end of cooking so they stay crisp, fresh, and bright.
How to store
This recipe keeps well, as I mentioned earlier in this post. Let it cool completely before transferring it to the fridge. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze it for as long as 3 months. Be sure to label it clearly before storing.
Other easy chicken recipes you will love
Cilantro lime chicken
Honey mustard chicken thighs
Chicken fajitas
Easy curry recipes you will love
Prawn curry
Leftover pork curry with chickpea
Lentil chickpea curry
Leftover turkey curry with coconut milk
Keema curry
Leftover lamb curry
Butter bean curry
If you tried this simple chicken coconut curry recipe, please remember to share your thoughts with me. Mention me @thedinnerbite onInstagramand keep saving to yourPinterest. Kindly subscribeto the blog if you haven’t yet—get fresh recipes straight to your inbox for free
Simple Coconut Chicken Curry Recipe
- 650 g boneless skinless chicken thighs (1.5lb) Substitute with chicken breasts
- 1½ Tablespoons curry powder
- 400 g coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil Swap with olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion finely minced
- 200 g canned diced tomatoes
- ½ Tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ Tablespoon ginger paste
- ½ cup chicken stock or water
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- salt, to taste
- cayenne pepper Swap with 1 fresh chili
garnish
- green onions
- fresh coriander
Keep your screen from turning off
-
Warm the coconut oil over low-to-medium heat, then add the finely minced onions and cook until they turn soft and smell fragrant.
-
Stir in curry powder, ginger paste, and chopped garlic, cooking while you keep stirring for about one more minute. This helps the curry powder release its flavour. Next, add the cubed chicken and keep stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chicken turns white.
-
Pour the chicken stock into the pan, mix well, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom as you stir.
-
Add the diced tomatoes, coconut milk, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, plus salt, then stir until everything is combined.
-
Let the curry come to a gentle simmer and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until it thickens and reduces to the texture you prefer. Stir, taste for seasoning, and tweak the salt if needed. Remove from the heat and serve with fluffy rice or naan bread. Bon appétit!
Make your own chicken stock: I prepared the chicken stock at home for this recipe, using the bones from the chicken thighs. I removed the bones myself, put them into a small saucepan, covered them with water, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and parsley. Simmer over medium heat for roughly 15 minutes.
Turn this into a vegetarian or vegan meal: Replace the chicken with chickpeas, boiled potatoes, or roasted broccoli and cauliflower.
Add vegetables to the curry: This chicken curry works beautifully with vegetables like zucchini (courgette), frozen peas, red bell peppers, or even spinach and kale. Stir them into the curry at the end of cooking, so the veggies stay crisp, fresh, and full of colour.
Calories: 315kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 23gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 135mgPotassium: 492mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 64IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 4mg
Nutritional information: Please keep in mind that the nutrition panel shown is a projection generated using an online nutrition calculator. Because of the particular ingredients and brands you choose, these numbers may shift. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com accept responsibility for any kind of loss or harm caused by your dependence on the nutritional details.
I shared this recipe back in August 2020. I refreshed it in February 2026 with new pictures and more straightforward directions. The recipe itself stayed the same.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE RATE IT AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT. USE #THEDINNERBITE OR TAG @THEDINNERBITE ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE YOUR PHOTOS, I WOULD LOVE TO VIEW YOUR CREATIONS. THANK YOU!
Post Comment