30-Minute Coconut Chicken Curry

Have you ever experienced that “warm your insides” kind of feeling after a bite of hearty stew or soup? When your brain says “Aaaah”, kind of like a massage or pedicure for the soul, but in food form? That is the feeling I get when I eat this 30-Minute Coconut Chicken Curry.

Curry is the ultimate fall comfort food. It’s gently spiced, saucy, creamy, and so aromatic. Some curries cook for hours but this recipe is short and sweet, packing alllll the flavors into a mere 30 minutes. It’s hard to beat this one-pot wonder for a last-minute weeknight dinner or make-ahead freezer meal!

I’ve always loved curries, but I don’t always have the time to spend hours in the kitchen or make a special grocery store trip. So, this is my version of an easy have-everything-in-your-pantry meal that Chris and I both enjoy. I stocked the freezer with a double batch in the weeks before Charlie was born and it came in perfectly handy in the colder (or, should I say “colder”) February days here in East Texas.

30-Minute Coconut Chicken Curry Explained

The inspiration for this 30-Minute Coconut Chicken Curry recipe is part Thai, part Indian, and part Morroccan. Flavor fusion at its finest! I took my favorite things from each style of curry and combined it into one recipe. We have Thai-style coconut milk, Indian-style curry powder, and Morroccan-style chickpeas. And plenty of vegetables too, of course!

This recipe is dairy and gluten-free. The coconut milk adds creaminess to the sauce, thickening the curry ever so slightly so we don’t even need to use flour or cornstarch. Some dairy-free meals can lack the “richness” from butter or cheese, but not this one! Chris is always wary of coconut milk because he doesn’t like strong “coconut-y” flavors. But I must say, in this dish the coconut flavor is so mild and mellow that it has become one of his favorites.

The basic steps for this recipe are: saute the fresh veggies, add the spices and chicken, and then throw in the tomatoes, chickpeas, coconut milk, and frozen veggies to simmer until cooked. That’s it!

We’re dicing the vegetables and chicken in small pieces so they cook quickly and evenly- which is key for tender, juicy chicken. If you overcook chicken it can get rubbery, so our goal is to simmer the stew until the chicken is *just* cooked through. Also, I use frozen steamed butternut squash or sweet potato because it cuts down on cooking time, but you can definitely use fresh instead!

The Nutrition Breakdown

This quick 30-Minute Coconut Chicken Curry is full of nutrients: lycopene (an antioxidant) from the tomatoes, fiber from the chickpeas and veggies, and beneficial phytochemicals from garlic, ginger, and onions. Not to mention that spices like cumin and other components of curry powder (such as turmeric) have been shown to have an antioxidant role in disease prevention as well! (1)

Recipe Adaptations

You can easily adapt this 30-Minute Coconut Chicken Curry recipe to use almost any of your favorite vegetables. Fresh or frozen bell peppers, sweet potato, carrots, celery, Swiss chard, and kale would all be delicious additions to this fragrant stew. Just make sure you dice them small so they cook quickly along with the rest of the curry. See the recipe notes for FODMAP-friendly modifications.

The Recipe

Here it is! Add this yummy chicken curry to your weeknight dinner rotation this fall and you won’t be sorry!

5 from 1 vote

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30-Minute Coconut Chicken Curry

This one-pot creamy chicken curry is packed with juicy chicken, chickpeas, and veggies simmered in a fragrant coconut milk sauce. It's a great last-minute weeknight dinner OR meal prep recipe, and freezes well too! 

Course Main Course

Keyword 30-minute recipe, dairy-free, gluten-free

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 zucchini squash, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes (not drained)
• 1 14.5-oz can coconut milk
• 1 14.5-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups frozen diced butternut squash

Garnish (optional)

• 1 handful fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions, garlic, and zucchini to the pan and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent.

2. Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, ginger, and salt to the pot and stir to combine. Toast the vegetable-spice mixture for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Add the diced chicken and cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside. 

4. Add the diced tomatoes, chickpeas, coconut milk, and frozen butternut squash and stir well to combine. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a simmer. Decrease the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the butternut squash is heated through.

5. Garnish with fresh cilantro (optional) and serve over a bed of white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa. 

6. Leftovers keep well in the fridge in an air-tight container for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for 3-4 months.

Recipe Notes

• I used medium curry powder for this recipe. If you use mild curry powder, you could increase the quantity to 2 tablespoons for more flavor impact. If you use hot curry powder, adjust the quantity according to your taste.
• To make this recipe low-FODMAP, omit the garlic and onions. In small quantities chickpeas are considered low-FODMAP, but if you're sensitive to legumes you could omit them as well.
• The Nutrition Facts for a 1 and 1/4-cup serving are: 340 calories, 16 grams fat, 26 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams fiber, and 24 grams protein.