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Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry is a great one pot meal and packed with delicious flavors! This curry can be made in just 15 minutes with pantry ingredients. It's an easy to make, affordable weeknight dinner!
First Published: February 25, 2013... Last Updated: September 11, 2020 with tips, step by step photos, and a recipe change
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe Back Story
Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry is one of our go-to meals. I mean anything that Thing 2 (the hard-to-please child) gobbles up and asks for more? Yes, that becomes super popular in our house!
It will be super popular in your home too, because it only requires a handful of ingredients - all of which are in your pantry - plus it only takes minutes to make!
This complete meal comes together in a snap!
🥘 Ingredients Needed
- brown rice - I keep frozen rice on hand because it takes just minutes to make - I love this time-saving option! Make your own and freeze it, or buy a package at the grocery store.
- cooked chicken breast - using the oven roasted variety by Tyson is a great shortcut if you don't have any on-hand.
- yellow curry powder and salt - for tons of flavor.
- fresh or canned green beans - seriously? Canned vegetables? You bet - it's a great affordable time saver!
- coconut milk - low or full fat, your option!
🔪 Instructions
- Add the chicken pieces to a skillet on medium heat.
- Sprinkle with the curry powder and salt.
- Sauté until all are combined and chicken is warmed through.
- Add rice, green beans, and coconut milk.
- Heat and stir for 2-3 minutes until hot.
👪 FAQs
If you choose the right ingredients, yes! Smothered in cream, curries can be high in calories. Using light coconut milk is a healthier choice. There are several tasty options in the market. I prefer the unsweetened/first pressing kind from A Taste of Thai.
It's a great combination of warm, sweet, and savory flavors mixed with the meat and vegetables. The coconut gives it a tropical flavor and you can adjust the heat by adding a pinch of cayenne pepper if desired. It's super delicious and so easy to make!
There are several types of curry: green, red or yellow. There are many spices in each curry, with slight variations. Red curry has an addition of red chilies. Green curry adds green chili powder and yellow curry contains a high amount of turmeric. For this recipe, we will be using yellow curry powder.
If you don't stock it in your spice cabinet currently, look to purchase a moderately priced spice blend. Each brand is flavored slightly different and over time you'll find the blend that speaks to you. My favorite is McCormick. Read more about curry here.
MY FAVORITE THING about Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry is that I can keep all the ingredients on hand to use this as an emergency meal when my other plans fall through. Simply stock the following: Frozen cooked rice, frozen cooked chicken, frozen or canned green beans, canned coconut milk. All of those items, plus the salt and curry powder, keep for a long time so you can have them on hand to use at a moment's notice!
💭 Top Tips
- No fresh green beans? No worries! You can use canned green beans or just about any fresh, canned, or frozen vegetables. Just be sure to cook the vegetable prior to using, since the cook time for this recipe is not long enough to cook raw vegetables.
- Use white rice if you don't happen to have brown. I like to use brown rice because it's healthier than white rice.
- I recommend that you use the light coconut milk to cut down on fat and calories without compromising on flavor!
- If you like to spice things up, add a pinch of cayenne to the curry for a little heat.
- This recipe is great for using up leftover chicken and/or leftover green beans or other vegetables!
- Mix up the meal by adding a variety of vegetables. Canned carrots would be a great substitute. Many fresh vegetables would work in this meal - broccoli, summer squash or zucchini, cauliflower, fresh peas, etc. Frozen vegetable blends like an onion/bell pepper combos also work well. Use this recipe as a jump-off for future meals.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for 3 days or so. Leftovers taste even better since the flavors have a chance to really meld! Reheat in the microwave, or on the stove top. (You may need to add a little water if it seems a little dry.)
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
💡 More of my Favorite Curry Dishes
There is no shortage of great curry recipes on the blog. If you're looking for a casual meal for movie night, be sure to check out this pizza recipe. Perhaps you're looking to use up some of that zucchini from the garden, then this soup is right up your alley!
Love this recipe? Awesome! Please give it a 5 star rating below! And if you make this, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram. You can find me at DizzyBusyandHungry or #dizzybusyandhungry !
📋 Recipe
Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, in bite-size pieces (leftover chicken or pre-cooked frozen chicken are great options)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups cooked brown rice (or use 10 oz package of frozen rice, cooked)
- 2 cups cooked green beans (or use 14 ounce canned green beans...drain them but no need to cook further)
- 1 cup canned coconut milk (like the unsweetened/first pressing kind from A Taste of Thai)
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces in a large skillet and heat over medium heat.
- Sprinkle with the curry powder and salt, and saute until all are combined and chicken is warmed up.
- Add rice, green beans, and coconut milk. Heat and stir for 2-3 minutes until hot.
Video
Notes
- You can use any fresh, frozen, or canned veggies. To use canned veggies, just drain and add. To use fresh or frozen, cook before using.
- You can use leftover chicken or pre-cooked frozen chicken. I like to cook chicken ahead of time, chop it, and freeze it to use in this recipe. In a pinch, however, it's handy to use store-bought frozen diced chicken, like the kind from Tyson.
- Don't have pre-cooked chicken handy when you start to make this recipe? Poach your raw chicken by placing it in a saucepan, covering it with about an inch of water, and bringing it to a boil. Lower the heat until the water is simmering, cover the pot, and let the chicken cook until done, about 8-15 minutes depending on the thickness.
- Add some cayenne pepper if you want to add some heat.
- Serve with a side salad for a complete meal!
- Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator first (if frozen), then heat in the microwave, or on the stove top. (You may need to add a little water to reconstitute the rice if it seems a little dry.)
Nutrition
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