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    Home / Recipes / Chicken

    Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk

    By Heather · Published: Mar 9, 2018 · Updated: Mar 22, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links · See the privacy policy linked in my footer.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This chicken curry with coconut milk recipe is easy, healthy, and simple. It's a creamy and mild yellow curry with fresh spinach and red peppers that my family just adores. Top with roasted cashews and serve with rice for a delicious, quick dinner! Chicken curry made with coconut milk with spinach and peppers in a cast iron skillet

    Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk

    I've always loved bright and boldly flavored curries. One of my favorites is a Thai Eggplant curry that involves more ingredients and steps than I'd like to admit, but the end-result is worth it. But, here's the kicker-- I'm a mom.

    My kids are not always keen on my psychedelic tastebuds and as much as I try to convert them, I don't succeed. So, this mild and creamy coconut chicken curry is our compromise. It has the bright curry flavor I like without overpowering their un-adventurous palates.

    I have high hopes that they'll learn to love the beauty and complexities of curries at some point, but in the meantime, I'll stick with this recipe.

    Close up of easy chicken with coconut milk recipe

    How to Make Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk

    This creamy coconut chicken curry is pretty easy and straight-forward, but there are a few tricks that will make this as absolutely flavorful as it can be.

    1. "Bloom" Your Spices: The flavor compounds in many spices and a handful of herbs are fat-soluble. By heating spices in fat before adding the remainder of the recipe, you can extract a substantial amount of flavor that wouldn't be present by just simmering those spices in the coconut milk.
    2.  Add Baking Soda to your Onions: Adding a pinch of baking soda to your onions raises their PH level and allows them to caramelize much faster which develops that deep, rich flavor.

    Can you Freeze Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk?

    When frozen, coconut milk separates and loses its creamy consistency. Once defrosted it can be re-emulsified with an immersion blender, but that's not something you'd want to do when you have chicken and veggies in it as well.

    So my answer is that yes, it can be frozen, but the consistency will not be the same once defrosted.

    How to Make Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk in the Slow Cooker

    If you'd like to make this easy chicken with coconut milk recipe in the slow cooker, you certainly can.

    I recommend following the written recipe through caramelizing the onion and then adding all ingredients except the spinach and cilantro to the slow cooker. Cook until the chicken is tender and then stir the spinach and cilantro in just before serving.

    Creamy coconut chicken curry in a cast iron skillet

    Other Curry Recipes You Might Like

    • Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry
    • Coconut Curry w/ Fried Tofu + A Giveaway (Closed)!
    • Easy Basic Mixed Vegetable Curry Recipe
    • Indian Butter Chicken Recipe

    Other Chicken Recipes You Might Like

    • Chicken lo mein recipe
    • Pesto Parmesan Chicken
    • Easy Chicken Cacciatore
    • Smothered Chicken Breast
    • Honey Dijon Chicken Thighs
    • garlic chicken thighs
    • Ranch Chicken Marinade
    • Simple Grilled Chicken Recipe
    • Chicken Keto Soup
    • Wingers Sticky Fingers
    • Sweet Chili Sauce Chicken
    • Oven Fried Chicken Breast
    • Chicken Ricotta
    • Barbecue Chicken

    Tools Used in Making Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk:

    • Lodge Cast Iron Skillet: Cast Iron Skillets are your BEST friend and are totally underrated. Cast iron retains heat really well and allows you to get that irresistible sear on steaks and other meats you can usually only get at a restaurant. Pair this with the fact that they are CHEAP it's a no-brainer.
    • OXO Handheld Vegetable Slicer: I love this little tool when making soup or other skillet meals because it slices small amounts of veggies quickly and easily and I don’t have to dirty a cutting board– I just slice right over the pot! I especially love it for carrots and celery.
      Chicken Curry with coconut Milk

      Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk

      This chicken curry with coconut milk recipe is easy, healthy, and simple. It's a creamy and mild yellow curry with fresh spinach and red peppers that my family just adores. Top with roasted cashews and serve with rice for a delicious, quick dinner! 
      By Heather Cheney
      Print Pin Rate
      Prep Time: 10 minutes
      Cook Time: 30 minutes
      Total Time: 40 minutes
      Servings: 4 servings

      Ingredients

      • 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
      • 1 tablespoon curry powder
      • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
      • ½ medium onion finely diced
      • 1 pinch baking soda
      • 2 ½ " piece of ginger peeled and finely minced
      • 4 cloves garlic minced
      • 1, 15 ounce can coconut milk
      • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast thinly sliced
      • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
      • 1 red bell pepper sliced
      • 6 ounces baby spinach
      • ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped

      Instructions

      • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir curry powder and black pepper into oil and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly until fragrant. 
      • Stir onion and baking soda into spices and cook, stirring until onions are tender-- about 3-4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds followed by the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
      • Season chicken with the salt and add to the simmering coconut milk with the red pepper. Bring to a boil,reduce heat to low and cover. Cook at a low simmer for about 5-6 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and peppers are tender. 
      • Stir spinach and cilantro into the finished curry and season with soy sauce or fish sauce to taste. Serve with rice. 

      Nutrition Facts

      Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 547 kcal | Carbohydrates: 9 g | Protein: 52 g | Fat: 34 g | Saturated Fat: 25 g | Cholesterol: 145 mg | Sodium: 1256 mg | Potassium: 1454 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 2 g | Vitamin A: 5135 IU | Vitamin C: 56.3 mg | Calcium: 90 mg | Iron: 6.4 mg

      Nutrition and Food Safety Disclosure

      ARE WE FRIENDS ON INSTAGRAM?Tag me @heatherlikesfood and use #heatherlikesfood so I can see what you're making and enjoying!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hebby says

      September 24, 2022 at 12:01 am

      Do you really think chicken breast even thinly sliced is cooked in coconut milk for only5-6 minutes?

      Reply
    2. Beck and Bulow says

      March 03, 2022 at 5:42 am

      5 stars
      I liked it. I think the tomato paste made the sauce a little too sweet. But I’d make it again. Thank you and please visit us: https://www.beckandbulow.com

      Reply
    3. Connie says

      January 26, 2021 at 8:17 pm

      5 stars
      Just amazing. I did add a tiny bit of turbinado sugar, but other than that...perfection. My SO said it's restaurant quality.

      Reply
    4. Helen Thomas says

      January 07, 2021 at 3:32 pm

      Great, easy recipe with great flavor.

      Reply
    5. Jeanette Ferguson says

      July 26, 2019 at 7:44 am

      The ingredients call for baking soda, but the instructions are written with baking powder. Which does the author actually use?

      Reply
      • Heather Cheney says

        August 07, 2019 at 1:14 pm

        Thanks for catching that! It is baking SODA and has been updated in the post.

        Reply
    6. Barb says

      June 18, 2019 at 4:59 pm

      5 stars
      This was quick easy and I had all the ingredients....
      I put over gluten free this noodles... niceeeee

      Reply
    7. Andy says

      June 14, 2018 at 6:13 pm

      5 stars
      Awesome. I added mushrooms and bamboo shoots and it was totally awesome. Thanks Heather

      Reply
    8. Christina says

      March 14, 2018 at 6:39 pm

      5 stars
      What a great dinner for busy nights!

      Reply

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