Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry - Delicious Chicken Curry Recipe with the freshness of coriander and the creamy crunchy texture of desiccated coconut makes this one of the best Chicken recipes ever. I had also made an authentic Indian Chicken Curry and Chicken Tikka Masala which are two popular Chicken recipes and are still one of my most popular posts across the web. These are my favorite Indian recipes.
Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry
Indian Chicken Curry has always had a reputation for being spicy. Except for butter chicken which comes from north India and is creamy and spicy. Have you tried my drool-worthy Butter Chicken yet?
But I had read somewhere that in West India they use a lot of coconut in their chicken. Especially in Goa where they make Goan Chicken Curry or Chicken Xacuti.
Also in South India - Kerala the food is heavily influenced by coconut. But, the difference between both of them is this. Goan chicken curry has a combination of bitter and sour taste with just a dash of spices.
While the Kerala Chicken Curry is quite tangy and has a nutty flavor to it (of course because of the coconut). I wanted to make something that is sweet and also has a nutty tone to it. So, I tried making a unique kind of a recipe that is almost as creamy as the butter chicken but also has a crunchy base to it due to the desiccated coconut.
This is an extremely easy Chicken recipe that you can make any weeknight in just 30-45 minutes. You can even make it in an Instant Pot or in a skillet.
How to make Creamy Coconut Curry in an Instant Pot?
To Make the Creamy coconut curry in an Instant pot
- First put the chicken pieces with salt, black pepper powder, and two cups of water at high-pressure mode. After the chicken has been cooked, remove it along with the stock and keep it aside.
- Now, press the saute mode and heat some vegetable oil. To this throw in two dried bay leaves and two dried red chilies broke into half. Also add chopped onions (red), ginger, and garlic. Saute until they turn fragrant.
- To this add coriander powder, cumin powder, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, and turmeric powder. Mix all the spices well. And, cook it nicely adding a little amount of chicken stalk in parts, and stir well. You need to be very alert at this time. Cook it until it gets mushy and gets fragrant.
- Add half cup coconut milk and stir well. To this add the chicken pieces along with the leftover chicken stalk. Once the chicken curry starts to boil add the desiccated coconut from the top and stir well until everything is well combined.
- Take it out on your serving plate and top it with some fresh cream, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and chopped parsley.
Other Variations of this Coconut Chicken Curry Recipe
- Tomatoes - Adding tomatoes will make your Chicken curry much thicker and will have a sour taste to it.
- Dry Roast Coconut - Adding dry roasted coconut brings in a burnt and nutty flavor to our chicken which many like.
- Saute Onions & Coconut together - You can saute Onions, Coconut and Brown sugar until they are crispy. It will give a nice flavor to your dish. You can even keep some aside and top it off at last.
- Red Chili Paste - Adding some red chili paste will make your chicken curry a lot spicer. If you want that you can add red chili paste into your dish.
- Dry Roasted Cumin & Fennel - If you want to make it quite as they make in Kerala (South India) you can dry roast cumin and fennel. Make a paste and add some curry leaves, small cardamom pods, and crushed peppercorn along with these in your chicken curry.
- Shallots - If you don't have red onions you can use shallots to make this recipe. Use whole shallots as it is and then just go on with the recipe as I explained above and then it will turn really nice.
- More Fresh Cream & Coconut Milk - If you feel that this chicken recipe is too sweet for you that you can balance it out with some extra fresh cream and coconut milk.
Let's take a look at the Printable recipe for Coconut Chicken Curry below
Creamy Chicken Coconut Curry Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- ½ lbs Chicken Breast Pieces cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 2 Qts Bay Leaves
- 2 Qts Dried Red Chilis
- 1 Cup Chopped Onions
- 2 tablespoon Chopped Garlic
- 2 tablespoon Chopped Ginger
- 2 tablespoon Salt
- 3 tablespoon Brown Sugar or Granulated Sugar
Indian Spices
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
- 3 tablespoon Cayenne
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
For the curry
- 1 Cup Desiccated Coconut
- 1 Cup Coconut Milk
For Garnishing
- ½ Cup Fresh Cream
- 1 tablespoon Chopped Parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
- Wash the chicken pieces and marinate it with salt, pepper, and turmeric. You can refrigerate it overnight if you got time. Or else just keep it covered with a lid in the fridge for at least an hour or two.
- Pressure cook the chicken until they are soft and tender.
- In a skillet add some vegetable oil and saute dried bay leaves, dried red chilies, chopped red onions, garlic, and ginger until they turn fragrant.
- To this add Tumeric Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Cayenne Pepper, and Brown Sugar. Mix well until combined and add some Chicken Stock to cook the spices and cook them until it all turns mushy and fragrant. Keep adding the stock slowly and keep stirring.
- Now add the Coconut Milk along with Chicken Pieces and leftover Chicken stock. Cook until well combined and starts to boil. Once it starts to boil add the desiccated coconut into the curry and mix well. Also, add the ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg at this point and mix well.
- Top with fresh cream and parsley leaves. Serve with hot white rice or buttered naan bread.
Video
Nutrition
Sophie says
I just love Coconut Chicken Curry. So easy to make and so huge on flavors! I loved it Anjali!
Gina Smith says
OMG! Such a great recipe. I love the use of mild spices. Not too spicy but so tasty!
Alyssa says
This looks so adorable. Can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing. Pinned!
Anjali says
Thanks!
Michelle Sharpe says
Finally found a recipe that includes my favorite coconut flavors with Chicken. I tried it and I must say that the flavors were excellent. Thanks for sharing. Pinned.
Anjali says
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Vanessa Martinez says
You are brilliant! I love everything about this Coconut Chicken Curry. Simply amazing.
Anjali says
Thank You.
Racheal says
This is the best Coconut Chicken Recipe! I followed this recipe by word and my coconut chicken tasted extraordinarily delicious!!! You’re a genius!!! Just the best recipe out there!
Creamy and sweet coconut chicken is now my family’s favourite Indian recipe 😇😀
Tobe says
One of the most delicious coconut chicken curry recipe ever!! Loved that it was a bit sweet and not at all spicy!!
Karina says
I don’t have a pressure cooker, when do I add the chicken to the skillet or do I cook it seperate and then add it?
This recipe sounds do fantastic I have to try it!! We love Indian food
Surup says
You can add the chicken to the cooking veggies and spices once the mixture has dried out. After step 4, add the chicken and cook it over medium-low heat, covered for 25-30 min, stirring often. Once the chicken gets tender, add the coconut milk and shredded coconut to finish the curry. Enjoy!!