Try this Indian creamy coconut chicken curry. It has a SPICY kick to it that a spice lover like you will enjoy. Not a spice lover? No problem. You can still enjoy the South Indian-style creamy chicken curry with coconut and cashew nuts. It is easily customizable to make it less spicy to suit your taste.
This recipe is pretty simple - most of the spices and other ingredients are easily available in an Indian pantry or can be sourced from your local Indian grocer.
This recipe is pretty straightforward and can be prepared by a novice cook too.
I have shared a few of our favorite chicken recipes. Don't forget to check them out!
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Ingredient Rundown
Full recipe + measurements + video can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken
- Oil
- Onion; sliced thin - I have used sweet onions in the video. You can use red onions also.
- Tomato; chopped
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Ground coriander/coriander powder
- Serrano Pepper/Thai pepper/Indian Green Chillies; adjust to taste
- Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder; adjust to taste
- Turmeric Powder/Haldi
- Garam Masala; adjust to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper; adjust to taste
- Curry leaves
- Salt
Grind to a Paste
- Grated coconut fresh/frozen & thawed
- Raw cashew nuts
Equipment
dutch oven/skillet/any cooking pot
chopping boards + knife ( use two different chopping boards to avoid cross-contamination)
cooking spoons
blender/mixer-grinder
measuring cups/spoons
pepper mill/ mortar & pestle
serving dish
Step By Step Instructions
- Heat oil in the dutch oven/skillet/cooking pot.
- Add ginger and garlic. We add this first so that they get enough time to fry in oil to turn aromatic.
- Now add the sliced onion and cook until they turn translucent. Add the slit green chillies
- Add the spice powders and fry until aromatic. This is the key to a best-tasting chicken curry. The spice powders should be roasted well without burning. Reduce the heat if you think the spices are burning.
- Add tomatoes and cook until they turn soft and oil leaves the sides.
- Add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat the pieces with onion, tomatoes & spice mixture. Cook uncovered for 1 minute or two.
- Cover & cook until the chicken pieces are cooked through and are tender. Stir occasionally. Chicken takes about 25-30 minutes to cook.
- While the chicken is cooking, grind the coconut and cashew nuts with about ¼ - ½ cup of water to a smooth paste.
- Once the chicken pieces are cooked well, add coconut paste and curry leaves. Bring to boil & remove from heat.
- Serve hot.
Check out these safe food handling tips from FDA
Tips For A Best Tasting Chicken Curry
Use coconut oil for an authentic taste.
Start by heating oil.
Cook the ginger & garlic first. This gives them sufficient time to turn aromatic.
Roast the spice powders well without burning them. Reduce the heat if you notice spice powders are burning.
Add tomatoes only after roasting the spices.
Use freshly grated or frozen & thawed coconut. Use raw cashew nuts to grind along with coconut. Grind coconut & cashew nuts to a very fine paste. Use warm water to grind especially if you are using frozen & thawed coconut.
Cook on medium heat.
Do not add water while cooking.
You can adjust the spice levels to suit your taste by:
Green Chillies - To make a milder version of the curry, reduce the number of green chilies used. Remove the seeds to make a milder version.
Red Chilli Powder - This is the finely ground red chilli peppers. The heat level of the powder depends on the type of red pepper used. Some are mild and some are super spicy. Know which one you are using. I recommend using Kashmiri red chilli Powder (source from your local Indian grocer or online) or Sweet Paprika. Reduce the quantity used in your dish if you prefer a milder taste.
Garam Masala - This is a spice mix we use in the recipe that adds a lot of warmth and flavor to the dish. This a spice mix consisting of warm spices roasted and then ground to make a fine powder. This adds flavor as well as a little bit of heat. Reduce the quantity used to suit your taste.
Black Pepper - We also use freshly ground pepper. Again, to control the heat, reduce the quantity.
We also use coconut ground with a few cashew nuts to finish off the curry. This reduces the heat level in the curry. Before adding the coconut paste, taste the curry (do not taste raw meat :)). If you find it spicy, then increase the quantity of coconut and cashew nuts. The curry might be slightly runny initially but will thicken on cooling down.
Spice lover? If you want to increase the heat/spice level, add more red chilli powder, garam masala, and green chillies. You can also grind green peppers along with coconut & cashew nuts for kicker heat. 🙂
Bone-In Or Boneless Chicken?
Either would work. My family prefers boneless and hence that is what I use at home. This recipe is from my mother-in-law and she always uses bone-in chicken. We use skinless chicken.
Just make sure that you have cut the chicken pieces into 1-inch pieces.
If you are using chicken thighs for the recipe, trim off the excess fat.
Serving Suggestions
This is South Indian curry, specifically from the Kerala Cusine with its use of coconut to impart the creaminess.
This is best paired with ghee rice, saffron rice, and even a bowl of simple steamed rice.
I have a jeera rice recipe shared that I make in Instant Pot and comes together quickly. This creamy coconut curry is tasty with the jeera rice
Try this with some warm homemade/store-bought naan and enjoy every bite. Want to make some unleavened wheat flour bread at home? Try this Chappati recipe and serve it with this South Indian Style Chicken curry.
Leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator. This chicken curry would last for 2-3 days. Reheat the required quantity either using a microwave or on stovetop.
The curry will thicken on cooling. If you prefer, add a little water to adjust the consistency while reheating.
Time Saving Tips
- Mince ginger & garlic ahead of time. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Ask your butcher if they can cut the chicken pieces for you. :).
- Grind coconut while the chicken is cooking.
- Since you can store this curry in an airtight container for 2-3 days, make the curry ahead of time and reheat as required.
Creamy Chicken Curry Recipe
Equipment
- Dutch Oven/Skillet/Any Cooking Pot
- Chopping Boards + Knife ( use two different chopping boards to avoid cross-contamination)
- cooking spoons
- Blender/Mixer-Grinder
- measuring cups & spoons
- Pepper Mill/mortar and Pestle
- Serving Dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450-500 grams) Chicken skinless; cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 5 grams (½ tablespoon) Minced Ginger
- 5 grams (½ tablespoon) Minced Garlic
- 150 grams (approx. 1½ cups) Onion sliced thin (sweet onions/red onions)
- ½ tablespoon Ground Coriander/Coriander Powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder/Haldi
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala adjust to taste
- 1 number Serrano Pepper/Thai Pepper/Indian Green Chillies adjust to taste
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper adjust to taste
- 150 grams (approx.1¼ cup) Tomato chopped
- 1-2 Sprigs of curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Grind to a Paste
- 45 grams (approx. ½ cup) Grated Coconut fresh/frozen & thawed
- 8-10 numbers Raw Cashew Nuts
Instructions
prep work
- Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces.
- Thinly slice onion and chop tomoatos.
- Slit green chillies lengthwise. Remove the seeds if you prefer a milder version)
- Mince ginger & garlic.
- Get all ingredients ready
cooking
- Heat oil in the dutch oven/skillet/cooking pot. Add ginger and garlic. [Note: We add this first so that they get enough time to fry in oil to turn aromatic. Turn the heat to medium low if you notice browning. ]
- Now add the sliced onion and cook until they turn translucent. Add the green chillies. [Note: Turn the heat back up to medium if you had reduced it in the previous step]
- Add the spice powders and fry until aromatic. [Note: This is the key to a best-tasting chicken curry. The spice powders should be roasted well without burning. Reduce the heat if you think the spices are burning.]
- Add tomatoes and cook until they turn soft and oil leaves the sides.[Note: Turn the heat back up to medium if you had reduced it in the previous step]
- Add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat the pieces with onion, tomatoes & spice mixture. Cook uncovered for 1 minute or two. Add salt. Mix well. [Note: Start with approx.¾ teaspoon of salt. Then once the chicken is cooked, taste and add more if needed]Cover & cook until the chicken pieces are cooked through and are tender. Stir occasionally. Chicken takes about 25-30 minutes to cook.
- While the chicken is cooking, grind the coconut and cashew nuts with about ¼ -½ cup of water to a smooth paste.
- Once the chicken pieces are cooked well, add coconut paste and curry leaves. Bring to boil & remove from heat.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- 1 CUP = 250 ML. (US cups are typically 240 ml. You can use US cups with no significant change to the dish)
- Grams to cups measurements – we strive to provide these conversions as accurately as possible. There might be some slight variations depending on the brand, weighing scale, etc.
- Serving size – This serves 4 people. Adjust the serving size to fit your dietary needs.
- Curry thickens slightly on cooling.
- Use warm water to grind especially if you are using frozen & thawed coconut.
-
Tips for a best tasting chicken curry
Cook on medium heat. Do not add water while cooking.Start by heating oil. Cook the ginger & garlic first. This gives them sufficient time to turn aromatic. Roast the spice powders well without burning them. Reduce the heat if you notice spice powders are burning. Add tomatoes only after roasting the spices. Use freshly grated or frozen & thawed coconut. Use raw cashew nuts to grind along with coconut. Grind coconut & cashew nuts to a very fine paste.
- How to reduce the spice level? Green Chillies - To make a milder version of the curry, reduce the number of green chilies used. Remove the seeds to make a milder version. Red Chilli Powder - This is the finely ground red chilli peppers. The heat level of the powder depends on the type of red pepper used. Some are mild and some are super spicy. Know which one you are using. I recommend using Kashmiri red chilli Powder (source from your local Indian grocer or Online) or Sweet Paprika. Reduce the quantity used in your dish if you prefer a milder taste. Garam Masala - This is a spice mix we use in the recipe that adds a lot of warmth and flavor to the dish. This a spice mix consisting of warm spiced roasted and then ground to make a fine powder. This adds flavor as well as a little bit of heat. Reduce the quantity used to suit your taste. Black Pepper - We also use freshly ground pepper. Again, to control the heat, reduce the quantity. We also use coconut ground with a few cashew nuts to finish off the curry. This reduces the heat level in the curry. Before adding the coconut paste, taste the curry (do not taste raw meat :)). If you find it spicy, then increase the quantity of coconut and cashew nuts. The curry might be slightly runny initially but will thicken on cooling down.
Inspiration For This Recipe
This is my mother-in-law's recipe which she makes very often. She cooks intuitively and hence I got help from my sister-in-law to get the measurements.
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