This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.

A simple, simmer-all-day (or quick!) curry that fills your home with the most delicious, warming smells. This spiced tomato-based chicken curry comes together with fragrant spices, canned tomatoes, and creamy coconut milk. Everything simmers on the stove until the sauce thickens and develops it’s flavor. I then serve over rice with fresh cilantro. Don’t forget warm naan for dipping in that creamy curry sauce, so yummy!

Dutch Oven Chicken Curry | halfbakedharvest.com

I’m in New York right now, where it’s so festive and cute! It’s cold and rainy (I wish it were snow!), but it’s still incredibly cozy. The kind of weather that makes you want to curl up by the fire with a warm dinner and the people you love.

December is my favorite month for comforting recipes—soups, pastas, and always a good curry. Many years ago, I shared my butter chicken, and ever since then, curry has been a family favorite. When I’m not making butter chicken, this Dutch Oven Chicken Curry is the one I turn to.

What I love is that it works two ways: it can simmer quickly when I need a fast dinner, or I can make it in the morning and let it slowly cook all day. It fills the house with the warmest, coziest scent—almost like chai spices simmering on the stove. It’s such a comforting meal for cold winter nights!

Dutch Oven Chicken Curry | halfbakedharvest.com

These are the details

  • chicken breasts, thighs, or use a mix. I often use a mix of similar-sized pieces
  • yellow onions
  • garlic
  • ground ginger
  • ground turmeric
  • cumin
  • cayenne pepper
  • salt
  • canned crushed tomatoes
  • coconut milk
  • fresh cilantro
  • rice – for serving!

Special Tools

I use a Dutch oven and a wooden spoon to make this curry. Very simple!

Dutch Oven Chicken Curry | halfbakedharvest.com

Steps

Step 1: start the chicken

In your Dutch oven, add the butter, chicken, and yellow onion. Set the pot over medium-high heat and begin cooking. Add the garlic along with all the spices: ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Season well with salt.
Cook until some of the chicken pieces are lightly seared and the spices smell wonderfully fragrant.

Dutch Oven Chicken Curry | halfbakedharvest.com

Step 2: add the coconut milk and tomatoes

Stir in the tomatoes, then pour in the coconut milk. If you like, add a cinnamon stick and a star anise—both add a lovely warmth and help balance the heat.
Simmer until the chicken is fully cooked. From here, you can finish the curry right away or let it cook low and slow for hours. If the sauce thickens too much, add a splash of water.

Step 3: finish the sauce

Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and star anise, if used. Stir in a handful of fresh cilantro.

Step 4: serve

Spoon the curry over bowls of fluffy rice.
Don’t forget warm naan on the side—perfect for scooping up all that extra sauce.

Dutch Oven Chicken Curry | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other quick dinners? Here are my favorites: 

30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs

Super Simple Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala

Gingery Coconut Sweet Potato and Rice Stew with Chili Oil

Lastly, if you make this Dutch Oven Chicken Curry, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Dutch Oven Chicken Curry

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 324 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

SavePrintEmail

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • 1.  In a large Dutch oven, add the butter, the chicken, onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, and season with salt. Cook until the chicken is seared and the spices are fragrant, 5-8 minutes.
    2. Pour over the coconut milk and tomatoes. If using, add the cinnamon and/or star anise. Stir to combine, bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened. At this point, you can cook the curry on low, up to all day. Add water if the sauce is too thick. Stir in half of the cilantro.
    3. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh naan. Top with extra cilantro. Enjoy!
View Recipe Comments
This post was originally published on December 4, 2025
3.61 from 28 votes

Add a Comment

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  2. Okay potentially dumb question! If you’re not cooking it all day on low, how long would you recommend cooking? Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hey Tavia,
      Not dumb at all, you can be done cooking it after the 10-15 minutes in step 2:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it!

      Reply

  3. 5 stars
    SO good!! I am bewildered by some of the earlier comments – I followed the directions exactly and my family loved it. The sauce was the perfect consistency and super flavorful – I used the cinnamon stick but not the anise. I used chicken thighs and they did not dry out. Definitely adding this to the rotation!

    Reply

  4. 4 stars
    We really enjoyed this recipe and will add it to our rotation! Flavors were great (we left out the cinnamon and star anise) and prep is super simple. Used chicken breasts cut into large pieces. Chicken was not quite as tender as I would have hoped after 2 hours of simmering. May try the slow cooker next time.

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    I loved this! I added diced tomatoes since I didn’t have crushed and it worked just fine. Definitely will make again and will be passing the recipe onto some family and friends. If you’re sensitive to heat you may want to do 1/2 tsp cayenne.

    Reply

    1. Hi Dana,
      Perfect! Love to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! Happy Holidays!🎁🎄

      Reply

  6. 5 stars
    Fantastic recipe. The entire house smells amazing! Definitely recommend adding cinnamon and star anise, it really does make a difference.

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    Satisfying and warming curry, I’m already sharing your recipe with family and friends, Tieghan.
    Tweakable according to what I had on hand and how I typically prep (added veggies and changed around some steps). Achieved just the right amount of heat and found the cinnamon and anise to provide depth without shouting. Wish I could share a photo. Perfect winter meal!!

    Reply

  8. 5 stars
    Indian approved! My husband is Indian and we live in India currently. I thought I would try this recipe since it seemed easier than the traditional way, and it not only was easier but also my husband loved it SO much! I did add a little extra salt, cayenne, and cumin after the initial simmer.

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    I made this in the slow cooker (seared/sauteed everything on the stove, then transferred to the slow cooker for 6 hours on low) and it turned out well. At 6 hours, I took the lid off and turned it to high to thicken the sauce. I used a pinch of ground cinnamon because I was out of sticks, and a star anise. After slow cooking, I added more salt, a bit more cinnamon, and some garlic and onion powder. The chicken came out tender and juicy and the sauce was delicious. Would definitely make this again.
    Personally, it wasn’t spicy at all for our family.

    Reply

  11. 5 stars
    Some of the comments saying that this is lacking in flavor are a bit baffling to me! I agree with the other commenter that it might be a lack of salt– I did not add enough salt initially while cooking but that was easily remedied! The sauce was not watery in the least. It was thick and cozy! My husband and I both loved this. I wish I had made it earlier in the day so I could have let it cook for longer. And I think some lime to top this off would have been great, but that’s just personal preference. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hey Gina,
      Happy Holidays!🎄 Thanks for your comment and making this recipe so often, I’m so glad it always turns out well for you!

      Have a great weekend!

      Reply

      1. 5 stars
        Gina is absolutely right about this curry. It is easy and delicious. Ours was very spicy as I put too much cayenne in it so I added more coconut milk and a bit of sour cream as I didn’t have much coconut milk left. I simmered it for 4 hours. Don’t forget to add the cilantro into the pot about a half hour before serving plus more cilantro on top when serving. Oh yea, I also steamed some broccoli and served it on top of the rice and then put the curry over the top of that. Also, the chicken breast had simmered so long that I pulled it out and shredded it about an hour before serving. Also, Gina was right about the salt. I had to add more about an hour before serving and it really enhanced the flavors. This was far from lacking in flavor! It will be on my regular rotation!

        Reply