Chicken Curry is an easy weeknight dinner that your family will come back to over and over. Made with simple ingredients and packed with flavor, this is a dish I absolutely love.
Don’t miss all of our variations on this easy recipe towards the bottom of the post!
If there is one thing that I will be forever grateful for, it is that my kids love flavor. It is partly how they came into this world and partly because I started adding spices to their baby foods early. (Always introduce them one at a time like food.) Quinn adored sweet potatoes with a pinch of ginger mixed in as a baby!
Because they are big on seasoning, they are big fans of this chicken curry recipe. It is fantastic that you can take simple ingredients – like chicken and tomatoes – and throw in some seasonings for a fantastic and complex in flavor dish like this.
How to Make Chicken Curry
This is a brief overview of how to make this easy chicken curry recipe. For all of the measurements and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Sauté onions. Make sure the oil is hot and season with salt. Once the onions are translucent and tender, add the chicken.
- Cook the chicken. Cook just until the outside of the chicken is no longer pink. The chicken will finish cooking in the sauce. Minimal cooking at the beginning keeps the chicken from being dry in the final dish.
- Make the sauce. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and cook until fragrant. Then add in the diced tomatoes and the lemon juice, scraping up the browned bits.
- Simmer the dish. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, uncovered. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes. This will both deepen the flavor and bring the sauce to the right consistency, bringing everything together.
What is Curry Powder
Curry powder is a blend of various spices that add an immense amount of flavor to the dish. Mine contains:
- Tumeric
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Salt
- Ginger
- Fenugreek
- Cayenne
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
Buying Ginger
Ginger adds the perfect flavor to this easy curry recipe. Even though curry powder already contains ginger, we are going to layer in more flavor by also adding some fresh ginger.
Keeping fresh ginger on hand is a convenient staple for many great recipes, including Butter Chicken Recipe and Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
Here are two ways to keep ginger fresh so you have it on hand:
- Buy a whole ginger root. You don’t need that much for this recipe, but if you peel it and store it in the freezer, it will keep for months. Just grate off more from frozen as you need it.
- Keep a tube of it in your refrigerator. While this option is more expensive, it is very convenient and usually the option my family chooses.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Chicken Curry
Chicken Curry can be stored in an airtight container for four days. Reheat the curry in a microwave safe dish, covered for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring halfway through. Always use your best discretion when storing and eating leftovers.
Substitutions and Variations
There are a lot of great swaps you can do with this recipe for chicken curry.
- Swap out the meat. If you want to use beef for this recipe instead of chicken, try my Beef Curry for a delicious beef option.
- Cut out the meat completely. If you are looking to add more vegetarian recipes in your diet, try my Vegetarian Curry.
- Use tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes. If your family dislikes the texture of tomatoes, use the sauce instead.
- Increase the curry powder by one tablespoon. If you prefer a stronger curry flavor, adding another tablespoon of curry powder will do the trick. I recommend starting with the amount in the recipe and adding to suit your taste.
What to Serve with Chicken Curry
We love to eat our chicken curry with rice and some naan. This dish is perfectly delicious on its own or served with cauliflower rice or Roasted Cauliflower if you are trying to eat low carb.
FAQ
This will depend on the curry powder and the amount of cayenne pepper it contains. Most contain some but not enough to be super spicy. In this recipe, very little is used so this dish should not contain much heat.
Yes! While it is naturally gluten-free, always double-check your ingredients before serving them to someone with a gluten intolerance.
Other Easy Chicken Dinners
Looking for more delicious and easy weeknight dinners? Check out these recipes that come together in less than 30 minutes that your family will love!
If you make this chicken curry or any of my other recipes for your family, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you!
Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound chicken cut into bites sized pieces
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons ginger minced
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion, season with salt, and cook until it is translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the chicken. Cook until the outside of the chicken is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. No need to cook the chicken all the way through.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add in the diced tomatoes and the lemon juice, scraping up the browned bits.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes. You should see consistent bubbles, about the size of small grapes.
- Serve over rice and with naan and enjoy!
Notes
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