Fragrant, creamy, and oh-so-cozy, this Coconut Curry makes for a satisfying dinner, especially when paired with homemade naan and fluffy rice. The flavor gets better and better with storage, so you’ll love the leftovers too!
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Comfort food with an Asian twist.
To me, this coconut curry recipe is the best kind of comfort food.
It’s warm and satisfying, creamy and carb-y—if you pair it with brown rice and Homemade Naan, which I definitely recommend you do! But it’s also got a little (okay, a lot) more flavor to it than a mound of mashed potatoes or a can of chicken soup. THIS is comfort food to me!
- Like my Coconut Chickpea Curry, this recipe is inspired by both Thai and Indian curries, but it’s not really authentic to either cuisine strictly speaking. It borrows a little from each!
- Ben and I love this recipe for meal prep lunches. I prep it and put it in containers with rice. The flavor deepens after a day or two in the fridge, making it even more delish.
- You have the option of using chicken thighs or breasts, depending on your preference. Both are tasty, but chicken thighs have the edge in my book.
My Tips for Perfect Coconut Curry
- Don’t Skimp on the Coconut Milk. You’re going to want FULL fat, not lite coconut milk. While lite coconut milk has its place, it’s definitely not in a coconut curry, where you want it in its fully glory—rich and creamy, with robust coconut flavor.
- Keep Close Watch on Chicken Breasts. I love chicken thighs for curries because it’s very difficult to overcook them thanks to the extra fat. If you use chicken breasts, you’ll want to stand by and remove the curry from the heat as soon as the meat is cooked through to keep it from getting tough.
- Use What’s in Season. I used red bell pepper, but if you’ve got a garden full of zucchini, that’ll work too. Or stir in a bag of baby spinach at the end of the cooking time, throw in the kale that’s sitting in the crisper drawer, whatever! You have a lot of flexibility with this recipe.
A Few More Serving Suggestions
Rice is good, but it’s not the only option by any means!
- Rice. Okay, we’ll start with the obvious! I love Instant Pot Brown Rice or white rice with this coconut curry, but jasmine rice and basmati rice would both work too, or use Turmeric Rice for more flavor. Even Cilantro Lime Rice would pair well!
- Other Grains. Quinoa will add extra protein to your meal, while wheat berries add some more heartiness.
- Other Breads. In addition to naan, try roti, warm pita, and any other flatbread you like. Sometimes when I have sourdough discard, I cook that in a cast iron skillet for an easy flatbread. It’s pretty sour, but we like that!
- Potatoes. Potatoes? Potatoes! I make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes or Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes and spoon the curry over that, kind of like an Asian-inspired stuffed potato. This is a great way to use a smaller amount of leftovers.
Coconut Curry
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
This creamy chicken coconut curry is full of flavor! It's a hearty, cozy dinner that's easy to make and fantastic for meal prep and freezing.
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts – I love thighs for this but both work
- 1 tablespoon ground paprika
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus additional as needed
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 inch piece of ginger enough to yield 1 tablespoon minced
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil or canola oil, plus additional as needed
- 1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (use full fat, or the sauce may separate)
- 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce plus additional to taste
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice plus additional lime wedges for serving (lemon also works)
- 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro divided
- Cooked rice cauliflower rice, or Homemade Naan, for serving
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place in a large bowl. Top with the paprika, salt, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne. Toss to coat, then set aside to marinade while you prep the remaining ingredients.
- Finely dice the yellow onion. Mince the garlic and ginger. Cut the bell pepper into thin slices, then cut the slices in half crosswise to make them a shorter.
- In a Dutch oven or similar large, sturdy pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Once it is warm, add the onions. Reduce the heat to medium-low then gently saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Do not let brown.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, until super fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the chicken and increase the heat to medium. Cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously to bloom the spices. If it starts to stick, drizzle in a bit more oil as needed.
- Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and bell pepper.
- Bring the milk to a rapid simmer (not a full boil). Let simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the bell pepper. Continue simmering 10 minutes more, until the chicken is cooked through and the pepper is tender. Stir every so often to make sure nothing is sticking.
- Stir the lime juice and half of the cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Serve over rice with a big handful of fresh cilantro and additional lime wedges.
Notes
- Tip: Use rubber gloves to toss chicken so that you do not stain your hands with turmeric.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Warm coconut curry in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave. The liquid will thicken, but it should loosen up once reheated. If not, add a splash of water or broth.
- TO FREEZE: Transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 612kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 48gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 31gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 215mgPotassium: 1044mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2183IUVitamin C: 47mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 5mg
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This looks so delicious and I want to make it — but I’ve resisted buying the red curry paste. >1g sodium per serving of the final dish? I’m presuming most of that comes from the paste (vs soy or the canned chick peas). I can’t justify that in our diet. Have you heard of or have you seen any lower-sodium options that you could recommend?
Hi Nancy, unfortunately I’m not aware of any low-sodium curry pastes. There *are* lots of homemade curry paste recipes out there—I don’t have a recipe or any experience making my own, but I think it’d be a fun project! Plus, you’d be able to control the sodium level as much as you’d like. I hope that helps!
Hey Nancy!
A chickpea coconut curry is the dish I would eat if I knew the world was going to end in the next hour or so. Anytime I use canned vegetables (even those marked low-sodium), I put them in a sieve/colander and rinse the heck out of them. The flavor is incredibly cleaner and the sodium goes down the drain. The World Foods brand of red curry paste has at least 1/2 the sodium of Thai Kitchen’s, but you may have to get it on Amazon. I like Erin’s idea about making your own curry paste, too. Regarding the soy sauce, I was wondering what would happen if you omitted the soy sauce all together in the recipe, then just used a low sodium version as the condiment it is, sprinkling it on top after you’ve served the curry. -Nikkie
Thank you Erin and Nikkie – I appreciate your suggestions on how to cut back on the salt!
Thanks so much for these additional tips, Nikkie!
Erin, I am really looking forward to trying this when we get home from our upcoming travels, and it will be perfect for when my sister and her vegetarian husband visit. If I recall correctly, the different colors of the Thai curry pastes indicate the heat level, green being hottest, red being the most mild. I think. Green is definitely the hottest.
As far as getting a rice cooker or instant pot, I can’t see any reason to get either of them. The rice cooker is of very limited use, and the instant pot duplicates functions you already have in other appliances (except the pressure cooking part). Personally, I find it perfectly easy to cook rice in a sauce pan, which is also useful for other things.
I hope you all enjoy the recipe, Susan! And thanks for weighing in on the rice cooker and instant pot question!
I like the idea of adding eggplant. At what point should I add it in?
Hi Julie, I would probably cube the eggplant and start by sautéing it for 3 to 5 minutes, then add the onions and proceed with the recipe from there. If you give it a try, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Hi Erin, I made this tonight for dinner. Followed your recipe exactly and added potatoes and a zucchini . Husband went wild, best ever curry. We lived in Asia for 15 years, so we know a true curry and this is it. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow. Thanks.
I’m SO happy you and your husband enjoyed the curry, Coleen! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this wonderful feedback!
Made this tonight and it was a HUGE win. Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
YAY Erin! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment—I’m so glad the recipe is a winner for you!
I made this tonight for dinner and we all really liked it! It came out looking just like your pictures. :) I’ll be making it again in the future.
I am so so happy to hear that Dayna, thank you!
Thanks for the delicious curry recipe! It’s flavorful and a great way to load up on veggies. When I tried to print the recipe (I know, I’m old-fashioned), the video for how the curry is made ends up being embedded in the page, which is rather inconvenient. Just wanted to let you know.
Ana, I am so glad you loved the recipe and thank you for telling me about the video issue. I definitely want to correct that!
Just started making Curry. Love this receipe , easy, delicious and beautiful flavour.
Nada, this makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for letting me know and taking time to leave this review!! It means a lot.
This is a great recipe that is very forgiving and versatile. We have added cooked chicken and other vegetables to it, and it still tastes great. We have also made it with regular coconut milk, and it still works. Even my 1 and 3 year olds liked it! Thanks Erin!
Hooray! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed this, Elizabeth. Thanks so much for taking the time to review!
I know it’s not exactly the season for curry but I went ahead and made this tonight. Yum! It’s my new favorite curry. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hooray! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing this review, Diana.
Excited to try this! Can I get away with just one can of coconut milk? Thanks!
Hi Aly! Since I’ve only tested the recipe as written, I can’t say for certain. You may need to scale back some of the other ingredients too. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it!
This curry is to die for!! It’s great with crushed peanuts on top! Thanks!! ?
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Kelsey! I’m so happy to hear that the recipe was a hit!
We made this last night and it was amazing :) Just the right amount of heat from the red curry paste, we LOVED IT! I used edamame in place of the peas just because it’s what I had and it tasted just great.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Jolene! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I don’t often review online recipes, but this is totally worth it. I didn’t have curry paste so I used curry powder and ground chicken. No rice but a ton of veggies. Bruh it’s awesome
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Keith! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Delicious and so easy! Will definitely make this again.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Ruby! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I’ve made this a bunch of times and it’s now in my regular rotation. Really easy, delicious, healthy and quick. The only thing is I add extra coconut cream for a creamier texture.
Hi Jen! So glad you enjoyed the curry! Thank you for this kind review!
Super delicious, fast and easy to put together. Can’t wait to make this again!
Hi Ian! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Absolute heaven in a bowl! We loved this dish! So many veggies in a delicious curry sauce, heat just right, I added hot pepper flakes to mine🙌🏼 I thought The Hub was gonna lick his plate:) Served with brown rice, and a dollop of Greek yogurt on top, plus mini naan on the side😋
Hi Gail! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This was super delicious and pretty easy to make. Love that I didn’t have a lot of cleanup after.
Hi Kristin! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I think this is my all time favorite recipe in the world, I cannot get enough of it! I have shared it several times as well. Thanks so much for this!!!!
Hi Karen! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hi, Erin
Do you have a recommendation for a chick pea substitute? We love beans, and are trying more meatless meals, so this recipe would be great, except we hate chick peas. Is there another bean you could suggest?
Hi Barb! I haven’t tried it myself but you might be able to use cannellini beans or navy beans. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Was my first time making the dish, I left out the pepper flakes because we have small children, unfortunately the dish was too spicy for them. I did use the recommended curry paste, I think next I will only use 1 tbsp.
Hi Jolene, curry paste can be pretty spicy depending on the brand, we mentioned this in our TIP section. Definitely adjust to your own taste!
It was so yummy and tasted fresh. I made this the other night as a test recipe before a family potluck next weekend and it was wonderful. Easy to make, tasty and readily available ingredients. Can’t wait to try out more recipes here.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Gwen! Thank you!
Love this recipe! I go lighter on the curry but it still makes an amazing dish! I can’t get over how quick and easy it is to make as well. If you’re a beginner in the kitchen, definitely give this a try.
So glad to you enjoyed it, Jaymie! Thank you!
I have made many versions of coconut curry, but yours is by far the best, I will definitely come back to your recipe. It’s so good that even my hubby cleans his plate. I added fire roasted tomatoes for an extra kick. Thank you so much!
Thanks so much, Sharon!