45 minutes
Coconut Chicken Curry
- Yield 4 servings
- Time 1 hour
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Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 yellow onions, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne
- Cooked rice or noodles, for serving
- 1 cup cilantro sprigs, for serving
- 1 lime or lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
Preparation
- Trim the chicken thighs of excess fat and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces; transfer to a bowl. Add the paprika, turmeric and salt, and use your hands to mix well. Let the chicken marinate at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients, or cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high. Stir in the onions, lower the heat to medium-low and cook gently, stirring often to prevent scorching, until tender and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring often, until most of the water from the onions has been cooked out and a glossy layer of oil has risen to the surface, about 5 minutes more.
- Add the marinated chicken and stir to release the spices into the onion. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a near boil. Let the coconut milk simmer briskly for about 4 minutes to thicken a bit. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the fish sauce. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a near boil. The broth will thin out as the chicken starts to release its juices.
- Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Droplets of paprika-red oil will rise to the surface. Stir in the curry powder and cayenne, simmer briefly and remove from the heat.
- If time permits, let the curry sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. This allows the chicken to soak in more flavors as the curry cools. Bring to a simmer again right before serving and taste, adding more salt or fish sauce if desired. Serve over rice or noodles, with bowls of cilantro and lime wedges.
Cooking Notes
Angela
A list of ingredients is good, but I also wish recipes were written like this:
Trim 2 ½ pounds chicken thighs of excess fat and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces; transfer to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon ground paprika, ½ teaspoon turmeric and 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and use your hands to mix well. ...
In a large pot, heat ⅓ cup canola oil over medium-high. Stir in 2 yellow onions, finely diced ... add 4 garlic cloves, minced, and continue to cook ... add 1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut
854 This is helpful
Elle
I also wish that recipe writers were more specific about onions. Yellow onions range widely in size, so cups or ounces or grams would be much appreciated in the interest of following the recipe precisely! Geez!
116 This is helpful
KS
A friend shared this dish while visiting last year, and it's incredible! So flavorful and tender. Try to stay patient at the end - those recommended 20 minutes for the flavors to meld are key, as are the lime and cilantro for serving. Homemade naan does not go amiss, either. This is a winter household staple for us...best host thank-you gift ever!
105 This is helpful
Mary
I chose this recipe based on Genevieve Ko's "stick to the recipe" recommendation, and because I had eaten at Burma Superstar several years ago and loved it. In searching for parathas to make along side it, I found the ORIGINAL Superstar recipe which included a tablespoon of grated ginger, which I added along with the garlic. The outcome was delicious, but just curious about her "follow the recipe" advice which was NOT done in this case.
83 This is helpful
WK
A Cantonese take on Thai. Very good, very bland. So I doubled & pounded the garlic, grated a 1 1/2" piece of ginger, used 3 tbsp fish sauce, used 2 tbsp of Thai red curry paste (not the cayenne) & 1 full tsp turmeric, added the zest of 1 lime, & sauteed in coconut oil. Also used good chicken stock instead of water, reducing the amount to 1 cup. Served with chopped cilantro & lime wedges. Delicious, though NOT as written.
63 This is helpful
Paula
This is so good! we loved it! The natural sweetness of the coconut milk balances the cayenne and curry perfectly. Note: I added only 1/2 cup of water in step 3, not 1 1/2, as there was already a great deal of liquid. Even with this subtraction and after simmering for 3/4 hour there was still a LOT of coconut broth - not a problem as it's delicious and great over the leftover rice, but I'm glad I didn't add the full amount of water listed.
49 This is helpful
TKeefe
I read the article and followed the recipe to the letter. Hard to do! Never realized how much I “cowboy it” while I cook. The results: a complex curry with a beautifully deep sauce. 2 ingredients I had to substitute (and it still came out delicious): I used lite coconut milk (the only option available at my rural grocery store) & Penzy’s curry spice (have no idea if it was madras curry). My only qualm is the sauce is watery & oily, but if you can get past this, you’ll be amply rewarded.
43 This is helpful
Sally
I think steamed broccoli would compliment these flavors, or really any bright green veg: peas, green beans, asparagus. A substantial green salad (cabbage, romaine, chopped carrots, green onions, celery, kohlrabi, etc.) is always a good flavor and texture contrast for a braised meat dish.
32 This is helpful
emcat
I echo Elle's wish for weight measurements and type of onion specificity. Additionally, if we want to follow this recipe to the letter, it would be helpful to specify the type of paprika. I currently have 5 different paprikas in my cabinet ranging from sharp, to half sharp, to sweet, to smoky, and beyond.
32 This is helpful
onnieshy
I wonder if it was watery/oily because you had to use lite coconut milk? It’s very different from full fat. Haven’t done the recipe yet so I’m just guessing.
21 This is helpful
JH
Too much liquid and not enough flavor.
I don’t know why it calls for 1 1/2 cups of water when the sauce comes out way too diluted. The curry flavor is way to subtle . Would not make again
20 This is helpful
Beth
We make this since we tried it almost every week - it's that much of a favorite. We use the Madras Curry, the full fat coconut milk and the full amount of cayenne although the first time I made it my husband's stomach was wobbly so I left it out and we STILL Loved it and love it even more now. One of our favorite recipes on the site, and how big the onions are couldn't be less meaningful - I also use as much chicken as I have - sometimes more sometimes less - it doesn't really matter.
19 This is helpful
Lorna
I have made a similar recipe of theirs and wilted several handfuls of spinach into the stir fry near the end. it does add a little additional moisture, but I find it tastes great!
18 This is helpful
Sam
Way too much water!! Cut down on the added water and this would be delicious!!
16 This is helpful
Sona
I almost didn’t make this based on other reviews, but it was unbelievably good. Reminded me of Japanese curry from the curry houses in LA. Couple adjustments:
- used light coconut milk that I had in a fridge (12 Oz) and then an additional 4 Oz of regular fat coconut milk. Did not add any additional water
- added about 1-2 tsp of grated ginger; and instead of turmeric, I used a lemongrass-turmeric paste I had on hand.
::Chef’s kiss::
15 This is helpful
Tim
This is a good recipe. Some commenters have issues with the way a recipe is presented. E.g. in this recipe, a re-write is suggested. But hold on. The editors, it seems, are expecting readers to exercise judgement based upon experience and taste. Plus, they seem to suggest you set out your "mis en place" (i.e., prepped and measured ingredients) before launching into the actual cooking. This also allows the home cook to downscale or upscale the ingredients. It actually works well. Thank you.
12 This is helpful
JChristineB
This recipe has great flavors and although takes a little longer than most, is very easy to make. I agree that less water would be better. I added fresh green beans and broccoli at the last step to make it a complete meal.
11 This is helpful
MBPHD
This was very disappointing I followed the recipe exactly and it came out too salty and the sauce was thin.
10 This is helpful
Jan
We enjoyed this. Agree with everyone who said reduce water and add fresh grated ginger. The direction to let it sit for 20 minutes before serving should be followed
9 This is helpful
ChrisH
After reading through previous notes I used less water (just enough to rinse out the coconut milk can). I also added a red bell pepper as the onions and garlic were almost translucent and 1 Japanese eggplant as the chicken was added. Also increased the curry by 1/2 a tablespoon. Turned out great.
9 This is helpful
Robin
We love this recipe! Relatively easy and flavorful, so I make it at least once a month. It was very soupy with all that liquid. I don't add any water. I add a lot more curry powder, including some in the marinating stage. 1/2 tsp of cayenne is just right. I use about half the fish sauce otherwise it's way too salty.
It helps to use disposable gloves when mixing the dry marinade with the chicken thighs, to keep my cuticles from getting stained yellow for a couple of days.
8 This is helpful
Mercy
Everyone go read WK's post! I used a variation of the recommendations (see below) and would give it a 10/10!
Spice for the chicken: 1T paprika, 1t turmeric, 1t cayenne, 1t garam masala & 1t salt
- I used 1.25 lb chicken breast and let it marinate all day
Broth: 1 yellow onion, garlic, 1 can coconut milk, 1C chicken broth, 2T fish sauce, 2T red curry paste, 1 lime zested, 1 inch ginger grated.
Serve: rice, steamed vegetable, lime wedge (KEY!)
- I wish I had naan to soak up the extra sauce
8 This is helpful
Sue Kensington
I made this dish as instructed and it was spectacular! Don't worry about the sauce being watery. It's more like a rich broth than a sauce.
5 This is helpful
Aiden, age 11
I liked the recipe when my mom and I cooked it. I found it to be a good taste with a pleasing chicken texture.
2 This is helpful
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For example: “Made for Alex's birthday. Next time double the recipe.”
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