Chicken Coconut Curry
This healthy chicken coconut curry is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It is super flavorful, creamy and filled with veggies. It also freezes very well, so it is the perfect meal to make ahead.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Coconut Curry Chicken
This recipe for Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk is made with tender chicken breast, potatoes, carrots and sweet flavorful sauce. It is hearty and healthy and will warm you from the inside out.
Serve this meal for an easy weeknight dinner or double the recipe for company. It can also make a lovely freezer meal for meal prep.
This creamy coconut chicken curry recipe is one of my all-time favorite recipes I have developed for EatingWell. The onions, carrots, celery and potatoes are so hearty. And the chicken in the sauce is sublime. It hits the perfect balance of coconut creamy, mildly sweet and a little bit spicy.
I throw in frozen peas and fresh cilantro toward the end to freshen it up. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Ingredients For This Coconut Curry Chicken Recipe
Curry Powder & Seasonings
For this mild curry, I like to use 2 tablespoons curry powder to season the chicken and sauce. In large supermarkets in the spice isle, you’ll find “Curry Powder” which is a British-style curry spice blend and works really well with the sweet coconut sauce.
Additionally, you’ll need salt and garlic for seasoning. Plus I like to add in fresh chopped cilantro and maple syrup for sweetness at the end. You can substitute brown sugar for the maple syrup if you prefer.
Chicken Breast
The protein of choice for this coconut curry chicken is boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You’ll want to cut it into bite-sized cubes before searing it. You can also use skinless chicken thighs or turkey breast instead for an equally yummy curry.
Note, if your chicken is frozen, here’s how to safely thaw it.
Chicken Broth, Coconut Milk and Coconut Oil
The main sauce for this curry is a combination of “lite” coconut milk and broth. You can certainly use homemade chicken stock or bone broth instead.
And for more coconut flavor, I opted for coconut oil as the cooking fat. Other options would be ghee or canola oil.
Vegetables
Around here we are always in favor of veggie-forward recipes, even those that include meat or poultry. So we have added an extra dose of veggies to this chicken curry. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 4 cups gold potatoes cut into 1-inch chunks, about 1 pound 4 ounces
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
Step-By-Step Instructions For This Chicken Coconut Curry
Step 1: Sear Chicken
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon curry spice powder and ¼ teaspoon salt over the chicken and toss to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown, stirring once or twice until mostly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. It will continue cooking in a later step.
Step 2: Cook Aromatics
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pot and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often until the onions are starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons curry and cook, stirring until fragrant but not browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Step 3: Add Liquid and Vegetables
Add coconut milk, broth, potatoes, carrots, celery and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and carrots are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Step 4: Finish The Curry
Stir in the chicken and peas and increase heat to high. Simmer the chicken curry with coconut milk until the chicken pieces are cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in cilantro and maple syrup. Serve hot over steamed white rice or with Naan (leavened, oven-baked flatbread).
Expert Tips and FAQs for This Recipe
This combination of curry powder and coconut milk-based chicken curry is more British inspired than Indian. In fact, curry powder was invented by British Colonists who were trying to create a spice blend to mimic Indian cuisines, not an easy task considering the breadth of curries and spice blends.
Curry is a term used in many cultures and cuisines and has a variety of meanings. Generally, curry means a thick stew consisting of vegetables, sometimes meat, fish or poultry and a blend of spices. Often curry is spicy and usually layers most if not all of the five tastes: Sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. Some of the cultures that enjoy curry as part of their diet are India, Persia, Iran, Thailand, Japan, China and Afghan to name a few! As you can imagine, the spices and fresh ingredients vary widely among them.
We like the sauce over steamed basmati rice or brown rice. You can also try warm Naan bread torn and used to dip into the curry’s saucy goodness. For more vegetables serve sautéed spinach or another green such as Swiss Chard on the side. If you like you can add wedges of lime on the side for serving.
Substitutions and Variations To Try
- Sweet potatoes would be a delicious addition or substitution for the traditional potatoes. You could also add any additional vegetables you have on hand like green beans, snow peas, red bell pepper or cauliflower, stirring in some spinach or kale at the end would be a nice nutritional boost.
- Serve with a side of homemade cauliflower rice.
- Make it vegetarian by swapping out the chicken for seared tofu.
- Squeeze some fresh lime juice into the curry before serving.
Leftovers, Storage, Reheating and Freezing Instructions
How To Store Leftover Coconut Curry with Chicken
Store leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days. Keep refrigerated.
How to Reheat
Since the texture of this curry is thick, like a stew, and the potatoes and veggies will absorb the liquid as it sits in the fridge, you may need to add a little broth to thin it out to reheat it. Thin as desired with chicken broth or water. Reheat the curry in a small saucepan over medium-low heat stirring often until steaming hot, 4 to 5 minutes.
How to Freeze Chicken Coconut Curry
For best results, freeze individual portions of this healthy delicious curry in 16-ounce containers. You’ll want to make sure to leave head-space because the curry will expand as it freezes. I recommend leaving the lids off until the chicken curry is cold, and then seal the airtight container shut. I like these quart containers (that’s an affiliate link) because the lids screw on tight, and when it comes time to defrost the curry, you can pop it out by running hot water over the outside of the container.
I just pop it out into a large Pyrex measuring cup and then microwave it to heat it back up. And don’t forget to make a label with the name of the recipe and the date on it — there’s nothing worse than having a freezer full of meals you can’t remember making!
More Recipes To Try
More Healthy Curry Dish Recipes
If you love Curry Spice here are some of our favorite healthy recipes with curry spice.
- This Chicken and Swiss Chard Coconut Curry has dried currants in it for an unexpected pop of sweet-tart flavor in the coconut curry sauce.
- Our Yogurt Curry Chicken Thighs are marinated in a curry powder and yogurt blend then baked right in the marinade for a flavor-packed meal perfect for entertaining.
- This Curry Roasted Cabbage and our recipe for Curry Roasted Cauliflower are two simple sides to pair with grilled meats and fish.
- If you love curries with spinach try this Chicken Saag is a great recipe from Running to the Kitchen.
- This Vegan Instant Pot Veggie Curry also has sweetness from coconut milk.
More Freezer-friendly Meals
- Our veggie-packed recipe for Slow Cooker White Bean Stew with Chicken and Ham is a good one to freeze in individual portions for satisfying high-protein and high-fiber lunches. Just pop them into the microwave to heat up.
- This creamy and bright green 4 Ingredient Kale and Cheddar Soup re-heats surprisingly well. Just make sure to stir it as you heat if doing so on the stove-top.
- We love making a double batch of Carrot Ginger Soup for the freezer. (the Oregano Crotons will also freeze well, just pop them in a ziplock)
- You can actually freeze Moroccan Lamb Shanks too. Just remove the meat from the bone before freezing.
- Our non-traditional Healthy Beef Burgundy has a little maple syrup added in to balance the delicious flavors. Try it!
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintChicken Coconut Curry
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This healthy coconut chicken curry stew is one of my favorite chicken dinners! It’s made with light coconut milk, carrots and peas. I add in fresh cilantro and maple syrup at the end for a pop of fresh flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons curry powder, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or avocado oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- a 14-ounce can “lite” coconut milk
- a 14-ounce can reduced sodium chicken broth
- 4 cups gold potatoes cut into 1-inch chunks, about 1 pound 4 ounces
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, dark or amber
Instructions
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon curry powder and ¼ teaspoon salt over the chicken and toss to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven or Soup pot over medium high heat. Add chicken and brown, stirring once or twice until mostly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. It will continue cooking in a later step.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pot and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often until the onions are starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons curry and cook, stirring until fragrant but not browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add coconut milk, broth, potatoes, carrots, celery and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and carrots are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken and peas, increase heat to high, and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in cilantro and maple syrup.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cup each
- Calories: 302
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 735 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 27 g
Do you partially cook potatoes before putting them 8n the curry?
Hi Jason. No they are cut into 1-inch pieces and simmer in the broth for 10-12 minutes. That makes them tender without a need for pre-cooking. Hope you enjoy the curry!
114 ounces of coconut milk must be a typo. I’m guessing 14 ounces?
Please clarify. Thanks
Hi Faythe, I just updated it. There was a small space- but it was hard to see. I changed it to “a 14-ounce can” instead to make it easier. Glad you mentioned something. That would have been very coconutty! Ha ha.
This soup looks like a big bowl of yum! I made something similar a while back and my taste testers loved it. Looking forward to trying this recipe soon! Thanks for the inspiration.
That’s wonderful Theresa. Hope you have a great day.
This came out so good – love it when i come across a recipe that i have all the ingredients for already! I did replace sweet potatoes for the yukon and left out sugar… so yummy!!
I love the color of this curry! A big bowl of this would definitely warm me up after a day of skiing or being out in the cold!
Exactly! The evenings have started really cooling off here in Vermont, so I am all about the soups and stews right now.
Haha, I love the comparison between canning and downhill skiing, both of which I haven’t conquered yet. This curry looks so comforting – can’t wait to make it! Hope you are having a great time on your trip!
We’re back already! I can’t even believe how short it was. It seems like a dream now. Thank you for visiting today my friend.
This is such a fabulous dinner idea…and beautiful too!! I can’t wait to try it 🙂
Thank you and I hope you do. I’d be curious if your kids like it. My girls gobbled it up!
We are coconut curry twins! I can totally get down on this freezer meal, because canning does NOT do it for me! I’m all about this creamy, spicy chicken goodness! Pinned!
Ha! True. I guess it’s the time of year 😉 Thank you Taylor.
I feel the same way about canning. Your soup sounds so good I don’t think I would have any left to freeze!
Ha ha! I bet! Thanks Cindy.
I completely feel you regarding the Schlep Factor (love that term BTW), and while I do some canning, some fermenting and some dehydrating…. how brilliantly easy is it to chuck stuff in the freezer? LOVE IT.
Also loving this freezer recipe, the photos look amazing and the recipe is totally something I would make-and-freeze. Thank you for sharing, can’t wait to see what you make in future Recipe Redux rounds 🙂
Last summer I was in the groove of making kombucha, but that’s about as advanced as my fermentation has gotten. A dehydrator would be good too. But yeah, freezing can’t be beaten!
This has to be one of the best looking chicken curries I have seen in a while.. I can only imagine how flavoursome it is!
Oh thank you Thalia. It is one of my favorites, so I am glad others think it looks good.
this look so comforting and an added bonus that it can be frozen! what a yummy way to eat my fav protein!
I totally think of curry as comfort food. I am sure I am not the only one. Glad you came by today Rachel.
I am much more a freezer than a canner. Those peeps are a special breed! Haha. I would love having a freezer full of this for the chilly days ahead!
It has been hard to get into canning that’s for sure. I realized that once I was set up though, I felt like I should have made a bigger batch of each to make it worth it. Glad you like the curry Emily.
I love coconut curry, especially now that it’s getting cooler!
This is totally my kind of fall weather cooking too Jeanette.
This looks absolutely amazing! *-* Chicken coconut curry is one of my favorite dishes! :]
Thank you Farrah. So glad you dropped by today.