Easy Coconut curry chicken thighs
Succulent chicken thighs cooked in a rich, aromatic coconut curry sauce with vibrant broccoli. Is this the perfect weeknight meal, or what?
Ingredients
Full recipe with amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken thighs.Â
- Coconut oil. You can use any oil you have.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Spices: Garam masala, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, chilli powder.
- Coconut milk.
- Cream.
- Honey.Â
- Lemon.
- Salt and pepper.Â
- Broccoli.
How to make coconut curry chicken thighs
This recipe come together in under 30 minutes so it is perfect for weeknight dinners.
- Brown the chicken: Start by searing the chicken thighs in a large, deep frying pan or skillet. Melt coconut oil (or use any oil of your preference) and add the chicken thighs. I like adding the thighs in the pan while it is still cold. This way the chicken fat renders out before it browns too much leaving the skin incredibly crisp. Once the thighs are golden brown and crisp, flip over and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Make the curry sauce: Add onions to the pan. Cook the onions until they are soft and translucent then add the garlic, ginger and spices. Cook the aromatics for 30 seconds until the spices start to stick to the pan. Pour in the coconut milk, honey (if using) and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken thighs back into the coconut curry sauce (skin-side up) and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add vegetables:Â I love adding broccoli to this but sugar snap peas, green beans and spinach will also be delicious. If you’re using broccoli, steam the broccoli until almost tender then add to the sauce to finish cooking. Season the dish to taste and serve with rice.
Easy Curry recipes
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- Easy weeknight chicken curry
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Chicken thigh recipes
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Coconut curry chicken thighs
Succulent chicken thighs cooked in a rich, aromatic coconut curry sauce with vibrant broccoli. Is this the perfect weeknight meal, or what?
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Calories: 254kcal
Servings: 4 -6
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons coconut oil
- 6-8 chicken thighs skin-on, bone-in
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 teaspoon crushed ginger
- 2 teaspoons curry powder I used Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder/cayenne pepper optional
- 400 g (14o) coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons cream optional
- 1 teaspoon honey optional
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups broccoli florets
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan then fry the chicken until golden and crisp, remove and set aside.
- Fry the onion in the same pan (add a little more coconut oil if needed) until soft and translucent then add the ginger, garlic and spices and fry for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the coconut milk, cream and honey and allow to come to a simmer. Add the chicken thighs to the sauce then turn down the heat and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
- In the meantime, steam the broccoli until almost cooked through and transfer to the chicken and coconut curry sauce to finish cooking.
- Season the chicken with lemon juice, salt and pepper and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 170mg | Potassium: 430mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 349IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg
I followed this very closely, given what I had on hand. I had boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and freeze dried ginger from Penzy’s, and added a thinly sliced red bell pepper because it was in the fridge. I subbed real maple syrup for the honey because it’s what I had. I used a garam masala and Curry Now from Penzy’s vs each individual spice, but equal to the amount of total spice you used. We loved this! I otherwise followed your method and ingredients, and it’s going into my rotation! I think this is the first time I’ve commented on a blog recipe. I liked it that much.
So happy to here that Michele.
Delicious and simple to make! Thank you very much. It turned out quite well, I will make this again. The honey is a nice touch.
I followed the recipe exactly. Both of my children and my spouse said it was very bland. I don’t know how that is possible with all the spices that were used, but it tasted like….. nothing.,
It could be that your spices were expired? They often go powdery and bland once expired. I can’t think what else would cause this recipe to turn out bland?
Excellent recipe, the spicing was perfect. I didn’t make any significant changes,. I drained most of the chicken fat before adding the onions, garlic and ginger. I added 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, and omitted the cream.
Happy you liked it, Noella!
After you add the chicke back to the pot, do you cover it?
I don’t but you could.
I doubled up on the spices (I like really bold flavor) and the coconut milk, cream and honey (I like a lot of gravy) and I pre-seasoned the thighs with a blend of cayenne, paprika, cumin and garlic and this turned out FABULOUS! Loved the tip on starting the thighs in the cold braiser to give plenty of time for the fat to render while they browned and crisped.
I will make this again, definitely. The flavor is really delish – I think that bit of honey is inspired!
Forgot to give the 5 stars!
Delish….but I added half a Serrano and chili pepper, ad grated the ginger. Also modified quantities as I prepared 6 bone in skin on thighs. Experiment….
Glad you liked it. 🙂
Hi Alida this chicken looks awesome but being a true Trini (Trinidad & Tobago) I season my chicken before cooking ….actually all meat. When time permits I season and marinate if not just season (minced celery,thyme,chives angostura bitters and salt). I guest this will mean reducing the salt amount.
Yes, if you prefer seasoning before just taste as you go and make sure to not over season. Hope you love it!
Can I sub ground ginger?
You could but the flavor won’t be quite as good.
Very nice I added a cup of chicken stock and a can of crushed tomotoes and also a few more veg ie, sweet potato and beans
So glad you liked it. Love those additions!
May I ask what type of beans you cook with it? ? I’m trying to figure what side dishes would compliment it.
I just saute green beans and serve alongside but I love rice or naan bread too.
Could you use yoghurt instead of cream?
You could, often when yoghurt is boiled it can curdle so perhaps only add it at the end of cooking.
I’d like to make this with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Any thoughts on how to adjust cooking times/temperatures?
Chicken breasts cook much faster so you’d just need to reduce the cooking time and check when the chicken is cooked through.
This is SO good! I made it using the garam masala and it tastes exactly like it came from my favorite Indian restaurant! Perfect!
That’s great to hear, so happy you liked it!
I made this tonight but used drumsticks. It was amazing!!! Perfect for the Keto diet. Thank you!
So glad you liked it!
Did you substitute all the spices with garam Marsala? How much did you use?
You can, if you want. I would say 1-2 tablespoons should be plenty.
Are you supposed to drain the fat after cooking the chicken?
You definitely can if the chicken has rendered a lot of fat. If there is not a lot of fat, I leave it in to fry the rest of the ingredients.
Hi there! Do you think this could be cooked in the slow cooker? Thank you – plan on making it tomorrow, looks very good. Also will use chiken breast.
Yep, definitely!
Yum! Love the spices you use. This chicken dish looks so tasty and comforting 🙂
Thanks Sabrina! I just love chicken cooked in spices and this one is a winner! 🙂
This chicken dish looks incredible Alida! So savory with just the perfect amount of spice! That sauce is leaving me drooling!
Thanks so much Mary Ann! 🙂 That sauce is simply drinkable.
Love all quick skillet chicken recipes and this curry looks great!
Thanks Karen! We need as many of those quick chicken recipes as we can get. 😉
Mmmmmmmmmmmm I am a curry addict. This has my mouth watering. I love the idea of putting broccoli in there to add some veggies. Delicious 🙂
Thanks Sarah! Yeah, the broccoli just adds enough goodness to make this a guilt-free meal. 😉