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A finished chicken curry in a skillet, tender chunks of chicken in a creamy orange coconut tomato sauce, fresh cilantro on top, a bowl of white rice beside it, warm natural kitchen light, casual home cooking

Simple Chicken Curry

A forgiving weeknight chicken curry using pantry curry powder and coconut milk, with nothing to marinate ahead.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
  • 2 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 13.5-oz can coconut milk
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
  • Cooked rice for serving

Method
 

  1. Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium-high. Brown the chicken pieces in two batches, about 3 minutes per batch, and set them aside. They do not need to cook through here.
  2. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion in the same pan until genuinely soft and starting to turn golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Rushing this is the most common reason a curry tastes thin.
  3. Add the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then the curry powder, cumin, and turmeric. Stir constantly for 60 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Add the tomatoes and scrape the pan clean. Simmer 5 minutes, then stir in the coconut milk and salt.
  5. Return the chicken and simmer 12 to 15 minutes until cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Finish with cilantro and serve over rice.