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Coconut Curry Chicken

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This coconut curry chicken can be made in one pot and is packed with delicious flavors! This curry can be made in 30 minutes or less making it the perfect weeknight dinner.

Pair this coconut curry with rice and/or naan bread. A side of roasted carrots or roasted sweet potatoes would also pair nicely.

Image of the ready to eat coconut chicken curry with a fork in it and rice on the side with naan bread

When you’re not sure what to make for dinner, this 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 butternut squash curry), this is one of my favorites as well.

Image of the chicken and red peppers in the sauce pan for this chicken curry with coconut milk

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 typically 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: 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.

Image of the coconut milk being added to the chicken and peppers for this Thai coconut chicken curry

Coconut curry chicken flavor FAQs continued…

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 regular cream
  • We add a little bit of brown sugar (optional) for sweetness
  • Coriander is naturally a sweeter spice. Curry powder tends to be on the sweeter side as well (more on this below)

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. 

Image of the chicken coconut curry in the sauce for this coconut chicken curry recipe

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 vs 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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. Cream of coconut is far too sweet and coconut cream tends to be too thick (and overpoweringly coconut flavored) for this coconut curry chicken.

Image of coconut chicken curry ready to eat on rice with a fork in it

Coconut curry chicken additions

With just a few ingredients, this 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 additions: 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: thigh meat will work great instead of breast meat (grab 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 full potatoes for 5-8 minutes or until tender; cut them into quarters, and add them in alongside the red pepper (this is to slightly crisp them and flavor them with spices not to cook them because the microwave should do that!]). 
  • Coconut chicken curry slow cooker recipe: try this recipe!

up close image of the chicken curry with coconut milk with rice

More delicious chicken dinners

How to make coconut curry chicken:

4.91 from 20 votes
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Coconut Chicken Curry
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
This coconut chicken curry is packed with delicious flavors and an easy one pot meal. This curry can be made in 30 minutes or less making it the perfect weeknight dinner!
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian, Thai
Keyword: coconut chicken curry
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 411 kcal
Author: Chelsea
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 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

  1. 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.

  2. 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 are beginning to get 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.

  3. Return the heat to medium high. Add in the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil and the red 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.

  4. 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 (Note 1). If desired, stir in the fish sauce.

  5. Serve over rice and/or with naan bread. Garnish individual plates with cilantro, basil, and/or crushed peanuts/cashews. Serve additional lime wedges by the side if desired.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: If you want a thicker sauce, you can remove 1-2 tablespoons of the sauce to a small bowl and (with a fork) whisk in 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth. Whisk this mixture into the curry.

Nutrition Facts in coconut chicken curry

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Hope Grey had an amazing birthday! Everything looked so adorable! I love coconut curry and yours looks perfect for dinner tonight!

    Reply

  9. We’re super into coconut flavors this summer and have been embracing coconut water, coconut chips, and coconut milk! What better way to keep our affair with coconut going than this recipe. Especially love that the coconut sauce isn’t super creamy or taking over the chicken. We are so excited to try, and will definitely be topping with Dang Coconut Chips!

    Reply

  11. 5 stars
    I will be the first to actually review this recipe! It was delicious and so easy. I started with 2 TBsp. of red curry paste and found I could go to 3 without it being too hot. I did use the full amount of brown sugar and again did not find it overpowering. This recipe is a keeper!

    Reply

    • So happy to hear this was a hit! Thank so much for your comment and review Lynn! 🙂

      Reply

  12. I love these Thai dish additions!
    I’m not Thai or even Asian but I love Thai food. Here are a few optional substitution ideas to try if you are feeling it:

    1. Adding fresh THAI BASILl to a delicious curry dish like this one adds a nice Thai flavor! I use 1 full cup of fresh in mine.

    2. PALM SUGAR is another ingredient that also provides a nice Thai flavor & is less sweet than sugar. If your grocer doesn’t carry it, you can find it on Amazon. 🙂

    Reply

    • Honestly I’d wait til you have it; it’s a big part of the flavor in this recipe! (Technically you can substitute more curry powder, but I do think the red curry makes this dish so much better!)

      Reply

  14. 5 stars
    I have made this last week for the first time, doubled all the ingredients for 12 guests for my birthday. Risky??? Maybe!!! But, there was nothing left at the end of the evening! I am making this again today for my daughter who arrived from France where she has been studying for the past 4 years.
    I search a lot the Internet for good recipes. This is a GREAT recipe that I will make again and again.
    Chelsea you have become my favourite cook outside of Europe where my family and I live (we live on the beautiful island of Cyprus). Keep up the excellent work!

    Reply

    • I am seriously SOOO happy to hear this!! And seriously so flattered. Thank you so much for your sweet comment and I’m sooo happy you all enjoyed this dish! Cyprus looks like quite the destination!!

      Reply

  15. 5 stars
    Excellent. I have made many different versions of coconut curry and this is the best one hands down. I’m on Keto so I used brown swerve instead of brown sugar but other than that I followed the recipe exact. Delicious

    Reply

  16. 5 stars
    I really loved this recipe. It was easy to make, and I had every item in my pantry. I was slightly concerned about a curry recipe without any tomato, but I found that the addition of lime juice and brown sugar brought the right balance of acid and sweetness that tomatoes would have had. The addition of fish sauce brought a savory umami to the dish. Perfect!

    Reply

  17. 5 stars
    After my wife had a disappointing chicken curry dish at a local restaurant, I searched for a recipe online and came upon yours. I cooked it yesterday for lunch and it was bursting with flavors! Quite delicious! About the only thing I would tweak would be the heat level. I used 3 Tbsp of red curry paste, according to the recipe, so maybe I will just dial that down a bit next time as my wife doesn’t like her dish too spicy. Two thumbs way up!

    Reply

  20. 5 stars
    Absolutely love this recipe – thanks so much for posting it Chelsea.
    Is it possible to freeze the left overs?

    Reply

    • Hey Jackie! I’m soo glad you enjoyed this! I haven’t personally frozen this dish before but I would imagine the curry would freeze well. Let me know if you try it! Thanks for your comment! 🙂

      Reply

  23. 5 stars
    Excellent recipe! Except for one thing – you should marinate the chicken pieces in 1 c. yoghurt, 2 cl. garlic, S&P and citrus (2 med lemons – juice and zest) first. The sauce was great, but the meat was not juicy. Trying to duplicate our fave Indian restaurant, Sugharth. Hard!

    Reply

  24. 5 stars
    I tried chicken curry for the first time this summer and I was instantly hooked. I looked around for a recipe to make it myself and I’m so glad I chose this one. For a first attempt at dealing with these flavors, it came out so well. This will definitely be put in my rotation for weeknight meals. Thank you for posting, it was seriously so good!

    Reply

  25. 5 stars
    My husband and I made this for dinner last night and OMG was it amazing. We love Indian food but I’ve never been able to find a recipe that compares to what you get at the restaurant but this was even better than what we get in the restaurants! It had a tiny bit of heat but wasn’t overpowering, there was a subtle sweetness to it but again not overpowering. Everything about this dish was perfect.

    Reply

  26. 5 stars
    Possibly the best coconut curry I’ve ever made. Will definitely
    make this often. Followed the recipe exactly except did not use fish sauce. Thank you!

    Reply

  27. 5 stars
    This was SO GOOD!!! I will definitely make it again. One question regarding the nutritional information… Does the carb count reflect the full amount of brown sugar(2T)? Also, does it include the rice/naan serving suggestion or just the dish itself? Thanks!

    Reply

    • So glad you enjoyed! 🙂 It does include the brown sugar, but not the rice or naan since that will greatly vary depending on brands and how much 🙂

      Reply

  28. 3 stars
    I have to admit this didn’t really work for me. I recommend people marinate the chicken before cooking it, at least in some spices because I found it didn’t really absorb the flavours of the (good tasting) sauce. Also I’m not sure if this was just my coconut milk brand but I found it to be pretty runny and a lot more pale-coloured than in the photos here.

    Reply

    • Sorry to hear this wasn’t for you! Sounds like the coconut milk could definitely be part of the problem if your sauce was runny and pale; I’d try a different brand next time (Chaokoh is amazing!)

      Reply

  30. 5 stars
    This was delicious 😋
    I was nervous about making this, it’s my boyfriends favorite, but it turned out so incredibly good, I added some cubed cooked sweet potatoes, zucchini mushrooms and sugar snap peas

    Reply

    • You can definitely add another tablespoon or so of the paste and some red pepper flakes for next time if you’d like 🙂 Glad you loved it!

      Reply

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