Coconut Curry Chicken
Updated Aug 29, 2025
This Coconut Chicken Curry is made with curry powder, canned coconut milk, and chunks of chicken breast simmered until tender.
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Coconut Curry Chicken is so good!
I’m a huge fan of curry, but for the longest time, I thought it was one of those things you had to order at a restaurant because it seemed too complicated to make at home. Coconut curry chicken is the exact opposite of complicated. It’s just chicken, curry powder, and a few pantry staples that simmer together.
Now I make coconut curry chicken all the time, usually over Basmati Rice with a squeeze of lime, and naan if I have it around. It’s one of those dinners that feels comforting and filling without being fussy, and once you try it, you’ll probably end up making it on repeat, too.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Coconut Curry Chicken Ingredients
Important: The order that the ingredients go into the recipe matters a lot! (so the sauce doesn’t look grainy)
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic, and ginger. Dice the onion small so it melts into the sauce, and mince the garlic and ginger finely so no one bites into a chunk.
- Chicken + spices: Boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into ½-inch chunks, curry powder, salt, and black pepper. Cutting the chicken small helps it cook quickly and evenly.
- Sauce: Canned diced tomatoes and canned coconut milky. Stir the coconut milk in slowly so it doesn’t split.
- For serving: Cooked rice, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges for squeezing over the top.
How to Make Coconut Curry Chicken
Coconut Curry Chicken Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 thumb ginger minced
- 1 (14-ounce) canned diced tomatoes
- 2 pounds chicken breast boneless skinless, cut into ½-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
- Rice for serving
- Fresh cilantro for serving
- 1 lime for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook until the onions become soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium, add the tomatoes and stir with the onion mixture to combine. Add chicken cubes, season with curry powder, salt and pepper, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Pour coconut milk gradually into the pan while stirring. Set heat to a low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
- Serve over white rice and/or with naan, and garnish with any herbs, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Tips
- Bloom the curry. If you’ve never heard of this idea, it basically means to let the curry powder cook in the oil for a couple minutes before adding the vegetables. This is such a great way to develop the flavor of the curry; hence the term bloom ๐
- Finely chop the onions. Tomatoes and onions are the main thickening agent in a curry, so it’s important that they are small or finely diced. That’s the reason many cooks actually use a blender to chop the onions and tomatoes for the base.
- Cook the onions until they are soft. This will help them to release the best flavors. Be care not to overcook them or it will alter the final taste of the curry.
- Remove lid when cooking if the sauce looks watery. The broth will reduce while cooking, but if you notice that it is too thin towards the end of cooking, removing the lid will help to thicken the sauce without needed to add any thickening agent.
FAQs
Let the curry cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. The sauce may thicken as it chills, but that’s normal. To reheat, warm over medium heat in a skillet or saucepan, stirring occasionally. If the sauce feels too thick, stir in a splash of water or broth until it loosens up. Or cover loosely and heat in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until hot all the way through.
This curry is great for freezer meals. Once it has cooled, freeze it in a safe container and it will keep well for 3 months. Thaw the curry in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Comments
Made this recipe for my family and it was a hit!!! Extremely easy. Will definitely make this again.
Amazing!! So happy it was a hit and you found it easy to make! Thank you, Debbie!
Delicious simple curry recipe. Love your recipes as nothing too complicated! Usually when I look at other recipes online with so many different ingredients I usually give up as seems too much of an effort and time. My kids are fussy eaters and loved it! Thank you so much! For someone who is not great at cooking your recipes has helped me so much in the kitchen.
Aww thank you so much, Fatima! So glad you and your picky eaters loved this one!!
My 4 year old son is your number one fan! And thanks to you this boy had dinner twice tonight! I told him that the curry was his recipe and he agreed to try it and loved it! We are definitely adding this meal to our meal plan!
I love that so much!! So happy to hear your son liked this oneโa dinner the littles will eat is always a win! Thanks for sharing!!
I made this with a few crushed cardamom pods and half the quantity of coconut milk to save on calories a bit and it turned out amazing.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I tried it many times already and the whole family loves it, even the in laws lol! Do you think replacing chicken with chickpeas would work?
LOL so happy to hear that, Sabina! Yes, chickpeas are so good in it!
Very runny even though I cooked it without lid on most of the time. Maybe I was supposed to drain the diced tomatoes?
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