While living in one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world (Toronto) for fifteen years, I was often asked about my ethnic background. Nearly everyone I knew was first, second, or maybe third generation Canadian. (I was literally the only white girl in my high school graduating class.)
I’d answer, “Canadian,” and they’d say, “pffft, nobody is just Canadian. Where are your grandparents from?”
I then explained that I was honestly probably the whitest white girl they knew (in so many ways, my white-girl dancing not the least of them), and that my ancestors settled in the east coast of Canada in the eighteenth century, and that my heritage includes a smattering of European countries such as Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Germany, and so on. My best answer is that I’m 1/8th Irish, and a hodgepodge of randomness after that.
All of that to say: if you’re wondering why the whitest white girl you know is posting a mild chicken curry recipe, you can rest easy. I didn’t make it up myself.
I grew up adoring this chicken recipe that my mom made often, and she originally got it from a friend who grew up in India. (<– Finally a higher level of authenticity. Phew!) I’ve tweaked it a bit over the years and finally settled on this version.
It was different from our usual simple fare, and yet totally mild enough that we could handle it. (And yeah, we’re not breaking any stereotypes here, I know. Just roll with it.) Not much heat in this one (you could add it, of course), but it’s bursting with amazing flavour, and it remains one of my favourite dishes to this day. My hubs and kids all love it too.
For years I’ve typically baked this dish in the oven, which is fairly straightforward, but since I’m all about the instant pot these days, I decided to adapt it.
And guys – it works like magic. It may even be better in the instant pot because the chicken really takes in the rich flavours of the sauce without drying out at all.
Try it ASAP. It’s your new favourite. (Seriously.)
Easy Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 1 large onion diced
- 6 cloves of garlic crushed or finely diced
- 1/4 c. coconut oil butter or avocado oil would work fine too
- 1/2 t. black pepper
- 1/2 t. turmeric
- 1/2 t. paprika
- 1/4 t. cinnamon
- 1/4 t. cloves
- 1/4 t. cumin
- 1/4 t. ginger
- 1/2 t. salt
- 2 t. curry powder
- 1/2 t. chili powder
- 1 large can of diced tomatoes
- 3/4 cup coconut milk I use the Aroy-D brand because it has no unwanted ingredients, like guar gum
- 12 boneless chicken thighs you can use any cut of chicken, really. Adjust time accordingly for bone-in.
Instructions
- With the Instant Pot on the sauté setting, add oil and onions. Let them soften for around two minutes, then add garlic. (Note: I find that the sauté setting on my IP gets a bit hotter than when I sauté on the stovetop, so if you find that your onions are browning too quickly and not softening nicely, you can add half a cup of water. Bone broth works too.)
- Combine spices in a small bowl, then add to pot.
- Add tomatoes and coconut milk, and stir. (If you have a tomato-picky kid like I do, you could probably use strained tomatoes instead of diced. If you try it, let us know how you like it in the comments below.)
- Add chicken, and stir to coat the pieces with the sauce.
- Set to manual mode for 14 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally (if you’re crunched for time, you can do a quick release.)
- Serve with your favourite sides, and enjoy! (We like it on rice, with a couple of veggies on the side.)
Notes
2. This is a very flexible recipe, so tweak to your heart’s content if that’s your thing. For example: if you want it creamier, go ahead and dump in the whole can of coconut milk instead of just 3/4 cup. You could try strained tomatoes instead of diced if you have a kid who’s picky about cooked tomato texture. You could tweak the spices slightly according to what you have on hand, and it’ll probably still be delicious as long as you have most of them (especially the main ones). And of course, use whatever cuts of chicken you want.
3. To use frozen chicken pieces instead of thawed, add 4-5 minutes on the timer, and be sure to check for doneness using a meat thermometer.
4. OVEN INSTRUCTIONS: if you don’t have an instant pot and want to use your oven: follow the above instructions as written, except when it says to saute in the Instant Pot, saute on the stovetop instead. Then, add all other ingredients except for chicken, stir to combine, and pour over chicken in a casserole dish. Bake in a 400F oven for as long as appropriate for your cut of chicken.
Nutrition
Frances
This is so delicious! We love curry, having one to throw in the instant pot is perfect for those days I forgot to thaw the chicken!
Claudia
Any suggestions for downsizing this for the IP mini (3qt)?
Nikki
I didn’t have canned tomatoes on hand, so I substituted a can of Campbell’s tomato soup. It was very good – very creamy!
Marisa Allen
When the recipe says “large” can of tomatoes, what size is that? 28 oz? 14.5 oz? Thanks 🙂
Brittny Hansen
+1 to this question. I’m looking at the pictures and thinking it’s 28 oz because the can of tomatoes looks like it’s roughly twice as large as the can of coconut milk – but unfortunately the picture has a soft focus on the can do I couldn’t read the size directly
Beth
SO sorry about the confusion! Yes, it’s the 28oz cans!
rene
did anyone else’s coconut milk separate? mine did.. i usually add coconut milk at the end after cooking soups and such..
Melissa Novotny
I’ve made this many times for company, all the condiments made my guests happy to create their own little masterpieces. I think it was originally featured in a beach new years dinner. It was my foray into Indian Cooking and does take a lot of ingredients but it was easy enough once the shopping was done.
Sharon
Hello–just discovered your blog and made this chicken tonight. It was a BIG hit. 2 adults and 2 kids lapped it up!! We served it over cauliflower rice, yummers!! Thank you!
Rebecca
I made this for dinner tonight and have to say, it’s one of the best things I’ve EVER eaten! I couldn’t stop!! It tastes like a mix between something Indian and Moroccan. I served it over roasted butternut squash cubes (which I roasted in the oven while the chicken was cooking), and the combination was fantastic– the squash added a sweetness and texture that complimented the other flavors and spices. I also about doubled the sauce, (which just fit in my 9×13 pan with 4 large boneless chicken breasts) since I had a large can of diced tomatoes and a pint of coconut milk. Needed to about double the salt because of that. There’s lots of sauce left over, which I’m saving to put over more squash tomorrow… yum! Thanks for sharing this great recipe! It’s one we’ll keep coming back to.
Beth
Wow, thanks for your kind words. Glad you enjoyed it! We love it too, and your comment here has inspired to me make it sometime this week! 🙂
Rebecca
Came back to cook this again… and your original recipe is gone! Please add back the oven version for those of us who haven’t yet joined the Instapot craze!
Beth
Hi Rebecca,
So sorry about that! I now know better than to get rid of original instructions. Next time I’ll have both. I’ve now added the oven instructions back into the post under the “Notes” section in the recipe. It’s basically the same thing, only using a frying pan and a casserole dish instead of the Instant Pot. 🙂
Hope that’s helpful!
Richard
Mine turned out watery. I had to add cornstarch. Need to figure out how to tweak this as it came out a bit on the bland side. Likely too much water for to the tomato diced in tomato juice. Needs something to make it thicken.
Beth
I like mine thin, but if you’d like a thicker sauce there are lots of ways to easily thicken it. I would personally use a little arrowroot powder or tapioca starch, or rice flour would also work. As for the flavor, we like it mild, but you can feel free to increase the spices in the recipe to make it stronger. Hope it turns out more to your liking next time!
Stephanie
I agree….that squash sounds good too! I’ll have to make this chicken sometime though, I love the taste of curry!
Krista
Oh, and the spinach! I’m weird, but I love spinach!
Krista
That does look yummy! And the squash/beans look good with it too! May have to try that sometime!
Krista
sadie
oh that looks so good! Now I wish I hadn’t bought whole chickens because quartering a chicken is not fun!
Naomi
Forget the chicken, what is the recipe for the squash? 🙂