Simple Chicken Curry

Servings: 6 Total Time: 40 mins Difficulty: Beginner
A creamy, fragrant and family-friendly curry you can make in under 40 minutes.
Simple Chicken Curry pinit

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know I’m all about fuss-free, delicious meals the whole family enjoys. This Simple Chicken Curry is exactly that – flavourful, comforting and incredibly easy to make. We cook it so often at home that I only realised today I had never shared the recipe here!

Tonight, my oldest son spotted chicken thigh fillets in the fridge and didn’t hesitate one bit – “Mum, please can you make your Simple Chicken Curry?“. So here it is, finally written down to share with you and I hope it becomes a regular in your kitchen too.

Why you’ll love this Simple Chicken Curry

This dish has become one of the favourites in our home because it is:

  • Budget-friendly
  • Nutritious and well balanced
  • Ready in about 40 minutes
  • Loved by both children and adults
Simple Chicken Curry

The rich, creamy sauce, tender vegetables and juicy chicken make it the perfect family meal – especially for chilly evenings like tonight here in the UK.

Ingredients for Simple Chicken Curry

Ingredients
  • Chicken thigh fillets, sliced into roughly 3cm pieces
  • Potatoes, peeled and cut to match the chicken
  • Carrots, cut into thick chunks
  • Onion, chopped
  • Garlic, bruised and chopped
  • Coconut milk
  • Plain yoghurt
  • Medium curry powder
  • Paprika
  • Tomato paste
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil and soy sauce

How to make my Simple Chicken Curry

Prepare the base

Heat a little olive oil in a shallow pan then add the chopped onions and garlic. Cook gently until golden and aromatic, that’s your flavour foundation.

Add the chicken

Drop in the chicken thigh pieces, season with salt and pepper and brown lightly. This step helps lock in moisture so the chicken stays juicy even after simmering.

Layer the spices

Stir in curry powder, paprika and tomato paste until everything is coated. This is when the kitchen fills with the warm smell of curry.

Simmer until tender

Add the potatoes and carrots and stir well to coat in the spices. Pour in the coconut milk, add a splash of soy sauce, bring to the boil and then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

At the end of this time, the chicken will be tender, the vegetables just cooked through and the sauce rich, beautifully fragrant.

Finish with yoghurt

Add a a few spoons of plain yoghurt and stir through to make the sauce silky and balanced. Bring it up to the boil once more then turn off the heat.

Serving Simple Chicken Curry

For us, the perfect plate includes:

  • Steamed jasmine rice
  • A side of broccoli or green beans
  • And the chicken curry, with a lot of sauce. The sauce is so deliciously clingy, you won’t want to leave a drop behind.
Simple Chicken Curry

Final thoughts

This Simple Chicken Curry is the kind of meal that brings warmth, comfort and happiness to the dinner table with very little effort. The flavours are rich yet gentle, the ingredients are humble and affordable and it’s a dish that always satisfies hungry tummies at the end of a busy day. I hope you enjoy making it as much as we do and I’d love to hear your own variations and ideas too!

Simple Chicken Curry

Fancy more comforting flavours? Why not try my other curry recipes like:

Simple Chicken Curry Pasta

Peanut Butter Chicken Curry

Lemongrass Lemon Curry

Chicken Katsu Curry

Vietnamese Chicken Curry

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 30 mins Total Time 40 mins
Servings: 6 Estimated Cost: £ 10

Description

This Simple Chicken Curry is a comforting weeknight dinner made with tender chicken thighs, creamy coconut milk, soft potatoes and warming spices. Mild enough for children but flavourful enough for adults, it’s a one-pan dish that delivers big flavour with minimal effort — perfect for busy evenings at home.

Ingredients

Cooking Mode Disabled

Instructions

  1. Prepare the base

    • Heat olive oil. 
    • Add the chopped onions and garlic, cook until soft and lightly golden. 
  1. Add the spices

    • Stir in medium curry powder, paprika and tomato paste, coating the chicken and releasing all the aromas of the spices. 
  1. Simmer with vegetables

    • Add the chopped potatoes and carrots and stir to combine. 
    • Pour over the coconut milk and half a can of water, along with a splash of soy sauce. 
    • Bring to the boil then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. 
  1. Finish with yoghurt

    • Stir in the plain yoghurt.
    • Let the curry bubble once more before turning off the heat. 
  1. Serve

    • Enjoy with steamed rice and your favourite greens. 

Nutrition Facts

Servings 6


Amount Per Serving
Calories 623.45kcal
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 44.02g68%
Cholesterol 148.32mg50%
Sodium 915.28mg39%
Potassium 1139.11mg33%
Total Carbohydrate 28.94g10%
Dietary Fiber 5.23g21%
Sugars 3.86g
Protein 30.44g61%

Vitamin A 219.54 mcg
Vitamin C 25.93 mg
Calcium 83.93 mg
Iron 5.07 mg
Vitamin D 0.16 mcg
Vitamin E 2.19 mg
Vitamin K 14.71 mcg
Vitamin B6 0.96 mg
Vitamin B12 0.96 mcg
Phosphorus 412.62 mg
Magnesium 103.35 mg
Zinc 3.03 mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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Note

  • Reduce the curry powder for a milder flavour or add a pinch of chilli flakes for extra heat.
  • Chicken breast can be used instead of thighs - just take care not to overcook it.
  • Add extra vegetables such as peas, peppers or cauliflower to bulk up the curry.
  • If the sauce becomes too thick, add a bit more water to loosen it.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavours develop overnight.
  • Great for lunchboxes and reheats beautifully.
Keywords: simple chicken curry, creamy chicken curry recipe, easy chicken curry dinner, curry with coconut milk, family chicken curry, weeknight chicken recipes, homemade curry UK, mild chicken curry, chicken thigh curry, 40-minute curry recipe
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Thao Bui Food Blogger, Stylist and Photographer

Hi there, it’s lovely to meet you! I am a home cook, food lover and the founder of Summer and Spice. Originally from Hanoi, Vietnam—a city abundant in rich, diverse flavours—I now live in the UK with my husband and three kids.

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