Name: Simple chicken curry recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tbs peanut oil; 1 kg chicken thigh fillets; 3 tbs curry powder; 1 brown onion diced large; 3 garlic cloves crushed; 2 tbs tomato paste; 2 tbs sugar; 400g coconut cream; 2 cups rice *to serve

by diva2322 Last updated on 02/10/2025

Move over beef curry, on colder nights I love to tuck into yellow chicken curry. They’re quicker to cook but just as flavoursome and, by all accounts, they’re cheaper to make as well. The clear winner is definitely a chicken dinner.

How to make a chicken curry: key tips

With just 10 minutes prep and 30 minutes, this yellow chicken curry is perfect for weeknights. Cut each chicken thigh fillet into thirds, or slightly smaller bite-sized pieces, if that’s what you prefer, then brown the pieces all over in a frying pan to seal in the juices.

In step 3, be sure to let the curry powder cook for a minute until you can smell its amazing aroma. The heat releases the essential oils within the powder, which will intensify your curry’s flavour.

Simmer your curry with the lid off for 30-40 minutes so that the sauce reduces and thickens and the chicken cooks through.

Key ingredients in this chicken curry recipe

Chicken thigh fillets contain a little more fat than breast fillets and so will remain beautifully succulent throughout the cooking process. You could also cook this dish with chicken pieces with the bone in, but you may need to adjust the cooking time.

Coconut cream makes this generous sauce lusciously thick and rich, which helps to coat the chicken.

The cook has used peanut oil, but you can easily swap it for vegetable oil if that’s what you have at hand.

Take a look at our guide to curry, then try your hand at making a fruity chicken korma.

This recipe was originally submitted by diva2322, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.

- Australia's Best Recipes Team

Ingredients

1 tbs peanut oil
1 kg chicken thigh fillets
3 tbs curry powder
1 brown onion diced large
3 garlic cloves crushed
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs sugar
400g coconut cream
2 cups rice *to serve

Method

Step 1

Cut chicken into thirds. Heat oil over medium heat, brown chicken and remove from pan.
Step 2

Saute onion and garlic until onion has softened.
Step 3

Add curry powder and cook for a further minute. Add sugar, tomato paste and coconut cream.
Step 4

Return chicken to pan.
Step 5

Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through.
Step 6

Serve with rice.

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

How can I serve this chicken curry?

Serve your curry on a bed of rice and top with a dollop of natural yoghurt and chopped fresh mint, if you like. You could also serve this curry topped with fresh coriander sprigs and with naan bread alongside for dipping in the rich sauce.

Can you put raw chicken straight into the curry?

While you can add raw chicken to the curry to cook in the sauce, we recommend browning the chicken as per the recipe. This helps to seal in the juices and ensure lovely tender meat, plus it adds a little caramelisation and extra depth of flavour to the curry.

What can you add to a curry?

This curry is great as it is, or you can add some extra vegies, if you like! Try adding broccoli, green beans, zucchini or capsicum. Or you could also add a couple of handfuls of baby spinach for an easy vegetable boost - just add at the end and stir through until wilted.