This chicken curry with coconut milk has all the wonderful flavors and a hint of spiciness. So easy to prepare, done just under 20 minutes.
the story of us
In the six years that I lived in Germany with Armin, I was almost always feeling homesick for the first two years. The first six months was the worst of it. It was so bad that I cried almost every night and I did so in silence. I would just allow myself to weep when I am sure that Armin is sound asleep.
The difficult part was putting on a 'happy' face and so my family, especially my parents, don't worry about me. Same goes with Armin, I didn't want him to think that I am unhappy to be with him. Because I was happy to be with him and Germany was lovely, I was just terribly homesick.
It got a little better as time went by. I made some good friends there and I learned how to speak German. This was very important since I was never used to being so dependent on anyone.
I am just thankful that Armin was so patient with me while I was learning to adjust to everything that is so new to me. Believe me, it was not easy for him too.
I was like a child learning to walk (or in this case to speak) and he was always there to hold my hand and catch me if needed. He even took a bus ride with me just to show me how the system works and how I can get to and fro my language school ?.
He is also very supportive. Foxy Folksy would never see the light of day if it was not for him. I was too shy to let anyone know that I started a blog. It really was supposed to be just a hobby, a way to pass the time because I was jobless.
But he gave me the encouragement and tools I needed to start it and to let it grow.
You might be wondering why I am sharing all this and how it is connected to coconut curry chicken...I will get there later. I just want to thank this wonderful man who did and still do so much for me.
Yesterday, we celebrated our 7th year wedding anniversary.
We had lunch at Vikings, a buffet restaurant, where I think we ate more than we should. Then went to see a movie. Which we ended up not understanding at all as the characters are fond of mumbling and we were falling asleep in some parts because of tiredness (from over-eating I reckon).
We also went shopping a bit. For furniture that I am not so sure now if we really need since we have the old ones still but they look way nicer and comfy.
We also planned for a massage but we forgot to make an appointment so we had to skip that (or wait until 11PM for our turn).
To finish it off, we wanted to have a scrumptious dinner at TGIF. But we only made it to the starters because we were still full from lunch earlier.
It was indeed the most wonderful day. It was not perfect but we were both happy that we are celebrating 7 years of togetherness and looking forward to more.
Whew! That was long! But enough of my rambling.
Now going back to this recipe, living far away from home, one of the things that really miss so much was my mama´s cooking.
To lessen my homesickness, I would ask her for her recipes whenever we chat online. Then I would try to replicate her dishes as exactly as I remember them. Being able to eat them made me feel at home again.
This chicken curry recipe was the first one I asked from her.
Filipino style chicken curry normally uses coconut milk for the sauce. It is also a well-loved dish back home. Now, it is Armin's favorite.
How to make chicken curry with coconut milk?
It is really easy and simple to make.
- First, fry some carrots and potatoes until the edges are lightly browned. Remove them from the pan to add back later.
- Cook chicken in a mix of spices; oil, garlic, onions, ground pepper, curry powder, and paprika.
- Next, simmer in coconut milk to cook the chicken through.
- Add the vegetables and a little chili and simmer again until the meat becomes tender and to reduce the liquids to a thick sauce.
The result is an amazingly spicy, flavorful and creamy coconut chicken curry.
My mama normally just use chicken for this coconut curry recipe. I tried it with various meat like pork, beef, and turkey (breast) and they all turned out really good.
Which part of chicken to use to make chicken curry?
I find the bonier parts, like the thigh, drumsticks, wings of chicken are more flavorful and perfect for making this chicken curry dish.
However, you can also use meatier parts like the breasts. Just be sure to cut them in smaller pieces so the flavor from the spices can seep into the meat.
Other Chicken Recipes to try
- Cilantro Chicken with creamy sauce
- Chicken ala King
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Chicken Afritada -Filipino tomato-based stew
- Teriyaki Chicken - crispy skin, juicy meat
- Chicken Inasal - Filipino chicken barbeque with ginger, vinegar and lemon grass marinade
- Chicken Adobo with crunchy browned garlic
Chicken Curry with coconut milk
Filipino Style Chicken Curry is cooked with coconut milk and this makes it creamier and more flavorful. Get the recipe and try it now!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium potato - cut into wedges
- 1 medium carrot - cut into wedges
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 small onion - chopped
- 2 pounds chicken
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika powder (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 can (400mL) coconut milk (2 tablespoon powder dissolved in water)
- 1 medium green bell pepper - cut into squares
- 1 piece fresh chili pepper cut into 4-5 pieces (or dried chili flakes)
Instructions
- Fry potato and carrots in oil until cooked and edges are lightly browned. Once done, remove from oil and then set aside.
- Saute garlic and onion in the remaining oil over medium heat. Add chicken meat and sear each both sides for a minute.
- Add the fish sauce, curry powder, paprika powder, and ground pepper. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn heat to low then add coconut milk, and let it simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is fully cooked. I like it really thick so I cook it a little longer.
- Add the carrots, potatoes and bell pepper and chili and cook for another minute.
- Transfer to a serving dish and serve with rice or your favorite side.
Notes
If fish sauce is not available, replace with 2 tsp salt or more depending on your taste.
Note that the longer you simmer the coconut milk, the oily the dish will become because coconut milk separates to coconut oil and curd when cooked longer.
Nutrition
Calories: 594kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 44gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 170mgSodium: 881mgPotassium: 712mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3975IUVitamin C: 46.9mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 3.6mg
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @foxyfolksy or tag #FoxyFolksyRecipes!
this is a life saver! I didn't even know how to cook chicken curry. can we substitute evaporated milk to coconut milk? coconut milk's kinda hard to find in our area
Looks good! How long do you cook the bone-in chicken thighs? The recipe is unclear with how long the chicken should simmer in the coconut milk..."until it thickens" would be like ~10 min or so? Thanks!
Hi Natalie, we do not put the time because people have varying preferences in doneness. I like mine really tender that it can easily be pulled off the bones and that takes about 30-40 minutes.
This recipe is a keeper! My daughter gave her 2-thumbs-up approval. Excited to try you other recipes. Thank you for sharing and good luck with you and Armin 🙂
That is great, Eva. Happy to know you and your daughter enjoy our recipes. Thanks for the great comment. 😘
We really enjoyed this dish. The recipe was spot on. Even my 19-month old enjoyed it (i just skipped the paprika). Love the creamy sauce. Thank you!!
Great to hear it, Anna. Thanks for the lovely comment.
I have cooked this curry and husband loves it! Yummy. We’ll be cooking it again. Thank you for the recipe.
Glad to hear it, Marby.
Made this recipe, so so good.
loved the flavors.
This is an outstanding recipe. The flavors are distinct and delicious.
Thank you for your short but sweet comment, Ken!😘
I tried this and it was so good! My family really enjoyed it. We already had it twice and will definitely make again. Coconut milk makes a lot of difference too!
Glad to hear you like it Maria!
Thank you for this easy to follow recipe. I just made one for pinoy pot luck. We’ll see what they think of it later. 🙂
I have a photo but I don’t think I can attach it to my comment? 🙂
Hi Aileen, have fun at the potluck and I hope your friends will like it! You can send the photo via email or thru our FB page..
Can I use plain cooking cream or coconut cream instead of coconut milk? What sort of curry powder-there’s too many to choose-don’t like hot curry,thx
Hi Charry, use coconut cream. I use yellow curry.
I enjoy can you please send me some recipes cards.
Hi Erik, if you sign up to our newsletter you can get the Recipe Ebook for free with printable recipe cards. You will get an email and then you can download them.
I have tried following your chicken afritada and it turned out good. I will be attempting to make this dish soon. I am just wondering if I could add cheese to it?
Glad that you like our Afritada recipe, Laila. I am not sure about adding cheese to curry with coconut. Maybe it is good, but it is already creamy even without the cheese. You can try it and let me know.
Thank you, Bebs for this recipe! It was amazing! I am very much homesick, living in the US for 3 months and this one brought me back home. Salamat.
I could relate, Cher. Glad to have eased your homesickness somehow! 🙂
it's my first time making Chicken Curry becaus eive been feeling homesick and holy crap this is very good! It made me feel at home! Careful with fish sauce though! It made my kitchen stunk and my Western family didnt appreciate it. haha. Definitely will cook this again, thanks for the recipe!
Glad you like it Roo! I know about the fish sauce...good thing Armin, my German hubby, got used to it! 🙂
Our first attempt at homemade curry. Definitely a new favorite recipe in our household!
Hi Tyler, thanks for dropping by. This is also (still) one of my hubby's fave! I am really glad you like it!
Hello,
first time follower, glad i found you , I love and missed
pilipino dish, but limited knowledge to cook. now that retirement is near for me, i have new hobby to explore. thanks for sharing your talent!
You're welcome, Nora! Hope you like our recipes!