Chicken Curry
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Whip up a one-skillet chicken curry, brimming with vibrant peas and rich flavors, all in just 30 minutes—a weeknight winner!
If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the hunt for new recipes to spice up weeknight family dinners. Well, I’ve got just the dish for you to try: chicken curry in a hurry. Start with thinly sliced chicken breasts, give them a quick sauté, then as they simmer in a rich curry sauce, toss in some frozen peas for a pop of color and wholesome goodness. The best part? This one-skillet dish is ready in about 30 minutes, making it perfect for those nights when you have to hit the kitchen running.
Keep in mind, the flavor and spice profile of the finished dish will vary depending on the brand of curry powder you select. I use McCormick curry powder, which is readily available in most supermarkets and produces a mild, kid-friendly curry. Opt for your preferred curry powder and pair the dish with fluffy basmati rice or naan for a meal that’s sure to become a weeknight family favorite.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Curry
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: A lean protein option that absorbs the curry flavors well.
- Curry Powder: A complex blend of spices including turmeric, cumin, coriander, and others that gives the curry its distinctive warm, aromatic flavor.
- Onion, Garlic, Ginger: This trio adds depth and forms the foundational flavor of the curry.
- Chicken Broth: Forms the savory base of the curry sauce.
- Cornstarch: Used to thicken the sauce.
- Frozen Peas: Add color, texture, and sweetness to the dish, offering a nice contrast to the savory and spicy elements of the curry.
- Plain Greek Yogurt: Adds creaminess and a slight tang to the curry sauce, balancing the spices and enriching the texture.
- Cilantro: Brings a fresh flavor that complements the rich and spicy notes of the curry beautifully.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by cutting the chicken into 1/4-inch slices. The best way is to cut each breast in half lengthwise, then slice on the diagonal. Don’t make yourself crazy over it, but try to make each piece about the same size; this ensures that they cook evenly. Next, season the chicken with salt, pepper and curry powder.
Heat some vegetable oil in a large skillet, then briefly sauté the chicken until it is lightly browned but still pink in spots.
Transfer the partially cooked chicken to a clean bowl, then add the onions to the pan and cook until soft and translucent.
Add the ginger, garlic, and more curry powder and sauté until fragrant.
Add the chicken stock and cornstarch to the vegetables.
Cook until the sauce is thickened, then add the chicken back to the pan, along with the frozen peas and simmer until the chicken is just cooked.
Add the Greek yogurt and fresh chopped cilantro.
Stir until combined.
Serve with basmati rice and/or naan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Curry powder is a blend of various spices, and each brand has a unique combination with different flavor profiles and levels of heat. For a family-friendly option that’s not too spicy, McCormick is a reliable choice readily available in many supermarkets.
While nonfat yogurt can technically be used, a yogurt with at least 2% fat content is preferable as it adds richness and depth to the sauce. If you’re ever in a pinch and out of yogurt, sour cream can be a great substitute, ensuring the curry maintains its creamy texture and taste.
Absolutely! Just ensure any additional vegetables are pre-cooked before they’re added with the peas. If you’re substantially increasing the veggies, consider also increasing the sauce by about 25% to keep the dish balanced.
Video Tutorial
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Chicken Curry
Whip up a one-skillet chicken curry, brimming with vibrant peas and rich flavors, all in just 30 minutes—a weeknight winner!
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¼-inch strips
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2½ teaspoons curry powder, divided
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (see note)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, best quality such as Swanson
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)
- ¼ cup plain low fat (2%) or whole Greek yogurt (do not use nonfat)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Sprinkle the chicken evenly with ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon curry powder.
- Heat 1½ tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned but still pink in spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer the partially cooked chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1½ tablespoons oil to the skillet and set heat to medium. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger and remaining 1½ teaspoons curry powder and cook until fragrant, about a minute more.
- Whisk the chicken broth and cornstarch together to dissolve the cornstarch, then add to the skillet along with the sugar and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce is nicely thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the peas and partially cooked chicken to the skillet, turn the heat down to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, a few minutes. Off the heat, stir in the yogurt and cilantro; then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with basmati rice.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 361
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Sugar: 6g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 36g
- Sodium: 830mg
- Cholesterol: 93mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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One question:
Why nonfat yogurt instead of regular yogurt? What’s the problem with nonfat yogurt for Curried chicken?
Hi Thomas, Since the yogurt is used to enrich the sauce, whole milk yogurt is a better choice than nonfat.
Good, but I keep reading the recipe over and over and while I see the sugar listed with the other ingredients but where or when it the sugar added? I can’t believe that so many have made this recipe but no one mentions this. Am I missing something? I am also amused that this is supposed to be an easy recipe, yet we are told to split many of the ingredients, but if you want to make it easy, why isn’t the amount stated in the description of the steps of the recipe? Using a cellphone requires going back and forth to the ingredients when it would be so much easier to just read the amount when it is added to the recipe. This may be a convention of recipe books, but we are in the age of the cellphone, for pete’s sake! Please don’t suggest that it should be printed out–I don’t have that capacity.
Hi Lee, You need to scroll down a little further to the instructions — the step-by-step photo tutorial doesn’t include specifics. Sorry for any confusion!
Take a photo on mobile of recipe then u don’t have to go back and forward
Some people, like myself, need it printed out because I don’t use a cellphone that often. Not everyone uses a cellphone.
I know that’s not what you meant, but you made it sound as if there should not be a printing option just because you “don’t have that capacity.”
I’ve been to a few sites where this is NO print option, which can be a pain in the butt, too.
I’ll be PRINTING THIS recipe out, and using it tomorrow night.
Thank you, Jenn, for this recipe.
I’m not a big fan of curry, but have been trying to add more curry, and turmeric, to my diet for health benefits.
It really does look easy enough. Splitting ingredients isn’t that hard to do.
You can always print a website page. Instead of looking on the website itself for a print button, just use the web browser’s print feature(usually in the top menu).
I’ve made this twice. Family loves it. I may add sliced mushrooms next time, because we like them. Great recipe. My only quibble– no way is this a 30 minute recipe unless you aren’t counting prep time, or have a second pair of hands at work. For me, it was close to an hour and a half to table, which is pretty much what I expected.
This was great… I made it last week using chicken… then today I made it using extra firm tofu and it was tremendous. Great recipe!
THIS RECIPE WAS EASY, DELICIOUS AND TASTED YUMMY. MY FAMILY LOVED IT! I ADDED A LITTLE MORE CURRY AND THE GINGER GAVE IT A NICE AWEET FLAVOR.
Hi, Jenn.
I made your chicken curry tonight. It looked great and smelled delicious, the chicken texture was nice…looked just like your photos as as I cooked it. I was proud.? But we found it sour tasting! I usually find your seasonings perfect so I’m not sure. Was wondering if it was the curry powder I used? I used the basic McCormick one, a new bottle. I was wondering with the leftovers, how I might counteract this? Coconut milk? I’ve never cooked with that. Was also wondering what kind of curry you use?
Thanks. Jane
Hi Jane, sorry to hear you found this to be sour! It wouldn’t be the curry powder (btw, I use the basic McCormick version like you did). Greek yogurt can have a bit of a tang, so I wonder if that’s what you tasted. (Or any chance the yogurt you used was spoiled?) And yes, you could try coconut milk or heavy cream here.
This recipe was easy to follow, easy to make and delicious. It will be a go to for us. I’m trying to get husband to eat more veggies, so I added to the peas one carrot, sliced and about 2 handfuls of small caulifloweretts.
I made curry chicken for the first time and I loved it! Absolutely wonderful.
Great! I had to simmer it a little longer than directed to get the right thickness, but the taste was amazing.
perfection!!!