Here is the recipe to a very versatile Chicken curry dish. It can be served with steamed white rice or chappathis or rotis. The subtle sweetness of the coconut milk and the heat from the spice mix, makes this chicken curry very unique.
Coconut is a very important ingredient when it comes to Indian cooking. Coconut is used as a base for making chicken, mutton, seafood, or vegetable curry. Some recipes call for grated coconut to be ground along with other spices to make the base for the curry(for example: poached egg curry/muttai kuzhambu recipe) and other recipes call for the use of coconut milk as a base. You can either use freshly extracted or store bought coconut milk. I used store bought, reduced fat coconut milk in this recipe.
I have never seen my mother, grandmother, or any of my aunt’s use store bought spice mix. I decided to follow the tradition and make my own spice mix for each recipe. The coconut milk chicken curry recipe calls for a unique spice mix, made from simple ingredients that you will find in your pantry like cumin, pepper, red chilis, coriander seeds, and cashew nuts. Gather all the ingredients and grind them to a fine powder. This chicken curry has just coconut milk and water as a base. It is bound to be a bit runny. We use cashew nuts to thicken up the curry to a certain extent.
I have provided very detailed instructions and it very easy to follow. Try it out and let me know how it turned out.
Happy cooking!!
Coconut Milk Chicken Curry
Ingredients
Ingredients to make Spice Mix
- 3 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 4 Red Chilis
- 2 tsp Coriander seeds
- 5 Cashew nuts
Ingredients to make Chicken Curry
- 2 large Onions finely chopped
- 1.5 lb Chicken
- 1/2 tsp Chili powder or as required
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 13.5 oz Coconut Milk (400 ml) freshly extracted or store bought
- Spice mix (made from the ingredients listed above)) Use as much as required
- Salt as required
- 13.5 oz Water (400 ml)
- 1 tbsp Butter optional
Instructions
- Clean and wash the chicken
- Gather all the ingredients listed under ‘Ingredients to make Spice Mix’; and grind them together in a spice grinder to a fine powder
- Heat oil in a large pot/ kadai (medium-high heat). Once the oil is hot, add the finely chopped onions into the pot
- Sauté the onions until they turn golden
- Now add the chicken, salt, and chili powder. Stir.
- Partially close the pot with a lid. Let chicken cook for 5-10 minutes (medium heat)
- Turn up the heat. Now add the coconut milk and water to chicken and stir
- Add the spice mix a tsp at a time. Stir it in and give it a taste. Add more if required (I used all of my spice mix)
- Once the curry comes to a boil, reduce the heat, partially cover the pot, and let the chicken cook
- Once the chicken has cooked, add a tbsp of butter to the chicken curry and give it a stir (optional step)
- Stir the curry every 10 minutes or so
- Turn off the heat. Serve immediately with steamed white rice or chappathis or rotis!
Directions with pictures
1.Clean and wash the chicken
2. Gather all the ingredients listed under ‘Ingredients to make Spice Mix’; and grind them together in a spice grinder to a fine powder
3. Heat oil in a large pot/ kadai (medium-high heat). Once the oil is hot, add the finely chopped onions into the pot
4. Sauté the onions until they turn golden
5. Now add the chicken, salt, and chili powder. Stir.
6. Partially close the pot with a lid. Let chicken cook for 5-10 minutes (medium heat)
7. Turn up the heat. Now add the coconut milk and water to chicken and stir
8. Add the spice mix a tsp at a time. Stir it in and give it a taste. Add more if required (I used all of my spice mix)
9. Once the curry comes to a boil, reduce the heat, partially cover the pot, and let the chicken cook
10. Stir the curry every 10 minutes or so
11. Once the chicken has cooked, add a tbsp of butter to the chicken curry and give it a stir (optional step)
12. Turn off the heat. Serve immediately with steamed white rice or chappathis or rotis!
