Coconut Chicken Curry Recipe (2024)

A list of ingredients is good, but I also wish recipes were written like this:Trim 2 ½ pounds chicken thighs of excess fat and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces; transfer to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon ground paprika, ½ teaspoon turmeric and 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and use your hands to mix well. ...In a large pot, heat ⅓ cup canola oil over medium-high. Stir in 2 yellow onions, finely diced ... add 4 garlic cloves, minced, and continue to cook ... add 1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut

I also wish that recipe writers were more specific about onions. Yellow onions range widely in size, so cups or ounces or grams would be much appreciated in the interest of following the recipe precisely! Geez!

A Cantonese take on Thai. Very good, very bland. So I doubled & pounded the garlic, grated a 1 1/2" piece of ginger, used 3 tbsp fish sauce, used 2 tbsp of Thai red curry paste (not the cayenne) & 1 full tsp turmeric, added the zest of 1 lime, & sauteed in coconut oil. Also used good chicken stock instead of water, reducing the amount to 1 cup. Served with chopped cilantro & lime wedges. Delicious, though NOT as written.

A friend shared this dish while visiting last year, and it's incredible! So flavorful and tender. Try to stay patient at the end - those recommended 20 minutes for the flavors to meld are key, as are the lime and cilantro for serving. Homemade naan does not go amiss, either. This is a winter household staple for us...best host thank-you gift ever!

I chose this recipe based on Genevieve Ko's "stick to the recipe" recommendation, and because I had eaten at Burma Superstar several years ago and loved it. In searching for parathas to make along side it, I found the ORIGINAL Superstar recipe which included a tablespoon of grated ginger, which I added along with the garlic. The outcome was delicious, but just curious about her "follow the recipe" advice which was NOT done in this case.

This is so good! we loved it! The natural sweetness of the coconut milk balances the cayenne and curry perfectly. Note: I added only 1/2 cup of water in step 3, not 1 1/2, as there was already a great deal of liquid. Even with this subtraction and after simmering for 3/4 hour there was still a LOT of coconut broth - not a problem as it's delicious and great over the leftover rice, but I'm glad I didn't add the full amount of water listed.

I read the article and followed the recipe to the letter. Hard to do! Never realized how much I “cowboy it” while I cook. The results: a complex curry with a beautifully deep sauce. 2 ingredients I had to substitute (and it still came out delicious): I used lite coconut milk (the only option available at my rural grocery store) & Penzy’s curry spice (have no idea if it was madras curry). My only qualm is the sauce is watery & oily, but if you can get past this, you’ll be amply rewarded.

I echo Elle's wish for weight measurements and type of onion specificity. Additionally, if we want to follow this recipe to the letter, it would be helpful to specify the type of paprika. I currently have 5 different paprikas in my cabinet ranging from sharp, to half sharp, to sweet, to smoky, and beyond.

I think steamed broccoli would compliment these flavors, or really any bright green veg: peas, green beans, asparagus. A substantial green salad (cabbage, romaine, chopped carrots, green onions, celery, kohlrabi, etc.) is always a good flavor and texture contrast for a braised meat dish.

We make this since we tried it almost every week - it's that much of a favorite. We use the Madras Curry, the full fat coconut milk and the full amount of cayenne although the first time I made it my husband's stomach was wobbly so I left it out and we STILL Loved it and love it even more now. One of our favorite recipes on the site, and how big the onions are couldn't be less meaningful - I also use as much chicken as I have - sometimes more sometimes less - it doesn't really matter.

Too much liquid and not enough flavor.I don’t know why it calls for 1 1/2 cups of water when the sauce comes out way too diluted. The curry flavor is way to subtle . Would not make again

I wonder if it was watery/oily because you had to use lite coconut milk? It’s very different from full fat. Haven’t done the recipe yet so I’m just guessing.

I have made a similar recipe of theirs and wilted several handfuls of spinach into the stir fry near the end. it does add a little additional moisture, but I find it tastes great!

I almost didn’t make this based on other reviews, but it was unbelievably good. Reminded me of Japanese curry from the curry houses in LA. Couple adjustments:- used light coconut milk that I had in a fridge (12 Oz) and then an additional 4 Oz of regular fat coconut milk. Did not add any additional water- added about 1-2 tsp of grated ginger; and instead of turmeric, I used a lemongrass-turmeric paste I had on hand.::Chef’s kiss::

Way too much water!! Cut down on the added water and this would be delicious!!

Doubled the recipe but also increased the stock ratio as usually I want more broth at the end of a few days worth of food.

Is there any reason not to make this a day ahead, for the flavors to meld?

I felt this needed more curry flavour (perhaps just to my personal preference). I now add about 1 tsp to the chicken marinade and I increase the amount to 1/2 - 1 full tbsp of curry powder while cooking, at the appropriate step. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for more of a curry base to the dish!

Made this exactly as written except did not add ANY water in step 3 and it was still a bit watery (fine if served over Jasmine rice as we did). Added some ginger with the garlic and some red pepper at the very end as per others’ suggestions. It is a mild but delicious curry - requires the cilantro and lime! Still needs a little something extra to make it more flavorful, not sure what. I added a bunch of homemade hot sauce but that’s my answer for just about everything…

Made this curry exactly according to the recipe (except for the addition of baby spinach at the end, which I recommend) and it was wonderful! Not at all watery or bland as others have noted. Full-fat coconut milk is a must for consistency and flavor.

This was delicious! The turmeric+paprika stained the bowl that I used to marinate the chicken. A suggestion is to use a take out container for that step.If it helps others, I cut these corners and still found great results:• bought onion that was pre-chopped.• used chicken tenderloins instead of thighs / easier to cut to a consistent size• generally used medium-high heat (rather than medium-low) for 25–30 minutes of simmering• added spinach at the end to make it healthier / more colorful

Cut water in 1/2

Mix with your hands??? Only if you want orange tinted hands for, like...a WEEK.

Followed the instructions, except I used chicken breast instead of thighs, and the results were great. My family loved this dish!

Loved it! Used Veg stock that needed to be used instead of water, and only had Jamaican curry, so subbed that. Didn't use quite as much oil and it was not missed. Also, only had elephant garlic, so that was probably a good bit more than the 4 cloves called for here. Oh, and accidentally used smoked paprika, which seemed like a welcome addition. Will make again, God willing.

Very good. Took others advise to reduce the water and added peas, red pepper slices and potatoes for additional vegetables.

Good. Coconut milk curdled. Try different brand. Use less liquid

Add ginger

My biggest qualm with nyt is that there often isn’t a vegetable beyond an onion even in recipes that it’s easy to add on to. In this recipe I add a sweet potato and red bell pepper and it’s great. I put the potato in when I add the water and the pepper half way through the cook time.

Made this per recipe. Will bump up the spices. A good reminder to read comments first, which I usually do. Like others, I found the sauce needed thickening. A little arrowroot in a cold water slurry, stirred in after the curry and cayenne did the trick.