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Quick Saucy Coconut Curry Chicken – the perfect bowl of feel-good comfort food. A simple curry that’s quick and so delicious! This Indian-inspired coconut curry is made with chicken, spices, sweet potatoes, canned tomatoes, and coconut milk. Everything is quickly simmered on the stove and then served over bowls of rice with lemony cilantro and peanuts. Warm naan on the side for dipping makes this dish especially yummy!
When I first began to cook for my family, everyone said they didn’t like curry. At the time, I had a house full of somewhat plain eaters. But that couldn’t be more different now!
Almost everyone in our family has really come around. They now eat pretty much anything. Usually, the spicer and saucier the dish is, the better! My brothers are all very fond of curry. Even my dad, who originally said he really didn’t like curry, has been loving the curry recipes I’ve shared!
And this saucy coconut curry has been one of everyone’s favorite dishes of the month!
It’s a bit of a unique curry, or at least for myself. The sauce is made with spices, coconut milk, and canned tomatoes. It’s loosely inspired by an African curry! It’s so yummy, and one of the simplest curry sauces to mix up!
These are the details
Ingredients
- chicken breasts, thighs, or use a mix. I usually use a mix of similar size pieces
- yellow onions
- garlic
- ground ginger
- chili powder
- chipotle chili powder
- ground turmeric
- cumin
- canned crushed tomatoes
- coconut milk
- fresh cilantro
- lemon or lime juice – I actually use both, but lemon is more traditional
- roasted peanuts
- rice – for serving!
Special Tools
I use a cast iron skillet and a wooden spoon to make this curry. Very simple!
Steps
Step 1: start the chicken
In a skillet, add the butter, chicken, and yellow onion. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and start cooking. Next, add the garlic and all the spices: ginger, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, turmeric, and cumin. Then, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Cook everything until some of the chicken pieces are seared and the spices are very fragrant.
Step 2: Add the sweet potatoes and coconut milk
Toss in the sweet potatoes, add the can of tomatoes, and then the coconut milk. Simmer the sauce until the chicken is fully cooked and the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
Step 3: finish the sauce
Next, add a couple pats of butter to the sauce and a handful of cilantro too. Then, I like to transfer the dish to the oven to broil. This gets some of the chicken pieces crisped in the sauce.
This is optional, but I think it makes the quick-cooking sauce even yummier!
Step 4: serve
I love to serve the curry over bowls of rice. Then, I top it with fresh cilantro, lemon, and peanuts.
And, of course, warm naan on the side is especially yummy for dipping into the spiced curry sauce. You’ll love it!
The Leftovers
We find the leftovers of this dish to be so great! The sauce becomes even more flavorful!
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 Quick Saucy Coconut Curry Chicken, 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!
Quick Saucy Coconut Curry Chicken
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 269 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, or small thighs
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt and black pepper
- 1 can (14 ounce) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (14 ounce) coconut milk
- 1 cup cubed sweet potatoes
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon/lime juice
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
- rice and naan, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the broiler to high.2. In a large oven safe skillet, add 2 tablespoons butter, the chicken and onions. Set the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, turmeric, cumin, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is seared and the spices are fragrant, 5-8 minutes. 3. Add 1 cup water, the sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and coconut milk. Stir to combine, bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes until the sweet potato is soft and the sauce has thickened. Stir in 2 tablespoons of butter and half of the cilantro. If desired, broil for 3-5 minutes to crisp some of the chicken pieces. 4. Mix the remaining cilantro with the peanuts and lemon/lime juices and season with salt. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh naan. Top with peanuts and cilantro. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on February 19, 2025
Absolutely delicious!
I made this in a dutch oven as I was in a hurry and knew I wasn’t going to put it in the oven under the broiler. Followed the rest of the instructions as written and it turned out perfect! The sweet potato lends a lot of body and lightly sweet flavor to the dish – a perfect complement to the slightly spicy curry. Served it over Basmati Rice. We’ll add this to the rotation of frequently-made weeknight meals as it was fast, easy and super tasty!
Hey Nancie,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! xx
I made this tonight and the flavours are fantastic! The final step under the broiler is such a great idea. My family has advised that this is a MUST in the meal plan!
Hey Dianna,
Love to hear this! Thank you for making this recipe and your comment! Have a wonderful week!!
Made it today and it was a hit! Added chickpeas and it turned out great.
Hey Ines,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, love to hear it turned out nicely for you! xx
I love the idea of adding chickpeas. I will try that next time!
Looks amazing! Confuse, where’s the curry in the recipe?
Thanks Grace! The curry spice is a combination of the spices that are used in this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Made exactly as written. did not resemble any curry I’ve enjoyed. More of a chili chicken and rice in my opinion. Very heat forward and lacking the depth of a curry. If you love heat this might be for you.
Hi Marilyn,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. xx
This was too spicy for us.
Sorry to hear this, Anne! Thanks for giving the recipe a try! xx
Delicious!
Thanks so much, Melissa!
I was stuck for inspiration last night, then this recipe appeared in my inbox. Great timing, and a delicious recipe. Not a spoonful left.
Slightly off topic, but the garlic mushroom chicken skillet recipe in your new book is one of the best things I’ve ever cooked. Thank you! Beef is just too expensive where we live, so it’s great to have really good chicken recipes.
Hey Pauline,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, love to hear it turned out well for you!
Ohh yes, that is such a great recipe, so glad you have been enjoying it:)
XxT
Can you please tell me which book has that chicken garlic skillet recipe?
It’s the Quick and Cozy Cookbook:)
Made this for dinner tonight and the family loved it! Beautiful flavors. We had TUMs for desert as it was quite spicy 🌶️🔥😅 (and I used less of the chili powder than the recipe called for) but very very yummy – We’re already planning our breakfast tomorrow using the leftovers. The sauce is 😙🤌🏼 Thanks!
Hey Caitlyn,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear your family enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you making it! xT
Trying it tonight! Is this dish very spicy 🔥?
Hey Cait,
Nope, this dish is not very spicy:) Let me know if you give it a try, I hope you love it! xT
This looks so yummy and I’m excited to try it! Just curious what makes the dish an African inspired curry? Would love to learn more!
Hey Liv! An African-Indian curry uses more tomatoes and less spice. Hope you love the curry!
I am stoked for this – have been wanting to find an Indian style coconut curry recipe! Do you cut up the chicken breasts or cook them whole?
Hey Chelsey,
I just leave everything whole, but if you have super large pieces of chicken you can absolutely cut them in half. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xxT
This looks delish! Can’t wait to make it!
Thanks so much, Sarah Jane! I hope you love this recipe! xxT
I loved with the flavor of this sauce! But I omitted the sweet potato and swapped for extra chicken , and soon realized that was probably the key to it thickening. Would you just leave out the water if you didn’t want sweet potatoes in it? Or does that completely change the chemistry of the sauce? I’d love to perfect this one – so tasty !
Thanks so much, Chelsey! If you don’t use the sweet potatoes, I would just add a touch of water like 1/4 cup. I hope this helps for next time! xT
I’ve never made curry before but this sounds good. I’m confused because you wrote that it’s Indian inspired but also wrote that it’s African inspired. How are those different?
Hey Karen!
An African-Indian curry uses more tomatoes and less spice. Hope you love the curry! xx
What is the difference between an African and an Indian curry?
Hey Lee! I believe it’s the use of tomatoes and less spice! Hope this helps! Enjoy the curry!