Curried chicken with vegetables is an Indian dish that I really enjoy cooking. When I cook curried chicken with vegetables, I make enough to store some in the freezer for a later date. I love to serve curried chicken with vegetables with basmati rice and mango chutney on the side.
EASY CHICKEN VEGETABLE CURRY
Insanely easy chicken vegetable curry with coconut milk and red curry paste. This one pan meal comes together in a cinch!
CHICKEN VEGETABLE CURRY
Thai inspired easy chicken vegetable curry just has to be one of the easiest meals to make. It’s made with chicken thighs, vegetable mix, coconut milk, red curry paste, and fresh herbs.
It’s saucy, flavorful, and so versatile. You can have this one pan chicken curry meal on the table in under 30 minutes. Serve it over cooked rice or cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
It’s a recipe that I adapted from an old Better Homes & Garden magazine. What attracted me to this recipe is the simplicity of the ingredients and the simplicity of the steps.
WHAT MAKES THIS CHICKEN CURRY SO GOOD?
The trick to this chicken and vegetable curry is to use red curry paste. It’s a versatile and flavorful base for a variety of Thai dishes. It’s made with red chili peppers, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, shallots, and lime.
It instantly adds incredible flavor to this mixed vegetable curry with coconut milk. You can find red curry paste at most grocery stores in the same aisle as the soy sauce. Or you can make your own homemade red curry paste in only about 10 minutes.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN VEGETABLE CURRY RECIPE
- Olive oil
- Chicken thighs
- Coconut milk
- Red curry paste
- Peanut butter
- Soy sauce
- Fresh vegetables
- Cilantro and green onions
WHAT OTHER VEGETABLES CAN YOU USE?
This recipe is very adaptable. Feel free to change up the vegetables. Just make sure to slice them so they’re all pretty small and about the same size.
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
- Sliced zucchini and/or yellow squash
- Snow peas
- Handfuls of baby spinach
- Frozen peas
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE CURRY
- In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until no longer pink on the outside.
- Stir in coconut milk, curry paste, peanut butter, and soy sauce.
- Then add green beans, bell peppers, and carrots. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered until vegetables are tender about 10-15 minutes. Last 5 minutes of cooking, uncover, and continue to simmer until the liquid has slightly reduced.
- Stir in chopped cilantro and green onions. Serve over rice with a side of lime wedges.
TIPS FOR MAKING CHICKEN VEGETABLE CURRY
- Use boneless, skinless, chicken thighs – they are incredibly flavorful and cook faster than chicken breast.
- Canned coconut milk is not the same as refrigerated coconut milk – refrigerated coconut milk is more of a beverage. It’s usually watered down and filled with additives. For this curry chicken recipe, unsweetened coconut milk is what you’ll need. Use full-fat coconut milk for the best flavor.
- If you’re not a fan of cilantro or green onions, use fresh basil instead.
Chicken and vegetable curry recipe
Growing up in a traditional Italian home, I learned very little about food that wasn’t Italian. I could tell you the names of about 80 different shapes of pasta (you could, too if you ate it four times per week) and I knew my Parmigiano from my Pecorino. In the garden, I could differentiate between the many varieties of eggplant or basil plants. This was my culinary comfort zone.
It wasn’t until I was in college that I was exposed to “ethnic” foods and I fell hard for curries. Raise your hand if you thought like I did that curry was a spice — one spice. I imagined fields somewhere in Asia with people picking curry berries. (Actually, there is such a thing as a curry plant, but it is somewhat like a lettuce and has nothing to do with Indian or Thai curries.) I learned not too long ago that curry powder is a blend of several different spices and no two curry powders are the same. Most contain turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and red pepper in their blends. Depending on the brand, additional ingredients such as ginger, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and black pepper can be added. Some chefs prefer to toast their own spices and grind them to make their own curry blends, which sounds like such a nice thing to do if it wouldn’t completely put me over the edge. I give you permission to use a premade curry powder which will not compromise anything in this recipe.
Chicken and vegetable curry is a staple in our house. It is an incredibly flavorful dish enriched with coconut milk and cashew butter. I vary the vegetables according to the season: butternut squash or yams in the fall/winter with cauliflower; asparagus and peas in the spring; green beans and eggplant in the late summer/early fall; and I always throw in a few handfuls of spinach at the end because I will add leafy greens wherever I can. We love this over brown jasmine or basmati rice, but recently I served this over some leftover soba and it was so tasty with the sauce coating all the noodles — everyone devoured it, especially Mr. Picky!
This curry is gluten-free. Vegetarians can substitute chickpeas instead of chicken and vegetable stock for chicken stock. This freezes really well as long as it’s tightly covered with as little air as possible coming into contact with the top of the food.
I love sharing all the nutritional highlights about the recipes I post. You can read about all the benefits of curry powder’s anti-inflammatory spices, especially turmeric, in the Harira post, and I would likely sound like a broken record if I told you why we need to eat more vegetables and less animal protein. But don’t make this dish just because it’s good for you. Make it because it’s delicious. When I served this to my Italian father for the first time he said, “I have no idea what this is, but it’s fantastic.”
Chicken and Vegetable Curry
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons unrefined coconut oil or ghee
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken meat (breast or thigh or combination), cubed
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
- 4 cups vegetables, cut into same size as carrots and celery (e.g. cauliflower, root veggies, green beans, eggplant, potatoes…)
- 2-3 Tablespoons curry powder*
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- ½ cup cashews, finely ground or ¼ cup cashew butter
- 1 cup coconut milk
- A few handfuls of baby spinach leaves
Instructions
- Season chicken pieces with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat oil or ghee in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Without crowding, add the chicken in batches and lightly brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and continue cooking all the chicken in the same manner.
- Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the pot and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and remaining vegetables. Cook another few minutes.
- Add the chicken and any accumulated juices on the plate back in the pot. Add the curry powder, spices and salt and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the stock (or diced tomatoes) and chopped cilantro and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer gently, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Add the ground cashews or cashew butter to the curry along with the coconut milk, and simmer gently uncovered, stirring until sauce is thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in spinach leaves and stir until wilted. Delicious over cooked basmati or jasmine rice or noodles.
Notes
*Different brands of curry powder taste differently. “Simply Organic” is a little stronger with more depth of flavor than “Spicely Organic.” You can probably use 2 Tablespoons “Simply Organic” and 3 Tablespoons “Spicely Organic.”
EASY CHICKEN CURRY WITH VEGETABLES
This warm, comforting bowl of Easy Chicken Curry with Vegetables will make your week! Seared cubed chicken with veggies like onions, peppers, potatoes, peas, carrots, and mushrooms come together in a rich creamy curry broth to make the perfect meal of the day, and even week, if you end up with left overs.
You know dinner was extra good when you wake up the next morning craving a bowl! You know that happens, don’t act surprised lol! Some meals are just THAT good, and this is one of them! Robust flavors, wonderful textures, delectable ingredients that marry so well you’ll be craving it more often than you imagine!
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CHICKEN CURRY DISH?
For starters, making your own curry paste at home is definitely on the top of the list. Nothing beats homemade sauces, especially when it comes to an authentic curry paste or sauce.
You more than likely already have the ingredients in your pantry and fridge, if not, make a quick trip to your local grocery store. Or, place a quick order online for pickup or delivery!
Unless you’re really craving it and have very little prep time, don’t skimp on making the curry sauce on your own. Store-bought curry paste won’t give your dish the edge it needs.
Another important trick for a great-tasting curry dish is the freshness and variety of the ingredients. This particular dish calls for plenty of veggies, so the fresher they are they better their flavors will accentuate the chicken and the sauce.
Also, the variety in veggies and spices and ensuring the combinations of both marry well together does wonders for leveling up flavor! Using just the right amounts of garlic and ginger is essential to the balance of flavors in this dish, as is the curry spice.
You don’t want one thing overpowering everything else and that’s easy if you don’t measure out or get carried away with the spices!
Finally, searing your chicken just right helps trap juices of the chicken for added flavors. You can opt for marinating your chicken ahead of time in a bit of the same spices like ginger, garlic, and curry.
When you sear the cubed marinated chicken, you’ll be trapping those juices and flavors in, therefore adding an extra kick of flavor to your dish!
WANT A VEGAN VERSION?
You can definitely make this chicken curry with vegetables dish vegan with these two swaps! Replace milk with coconut milk and chicken with tofu. For the tofu, cube into bite size pieces then sauté’ on each side and set aside.
Add the tofu right before you begin to simmer the stew. If you’d like some depth of flavor you can add an extra vegetable bouillon cube. You’ll get all the full-bodied flavors of the original dish but in vegan form!
INGREDIENTS
- chicken breast
- avocado oil
- potatoes
- onion
- carrots
- peppers
- peas
- mushrooms
- water
- milk or coconut milk, almond milk or oat milk
- garlic and ginger paste
- bouillon cubes (optional)
- flour
- curry spice
TIPS FOR CHICKEN CURRY WITH VEGETABLES:
- Use any vegetables of your liking! My recipe calls for vegetables that my family and I enjoy but you can others like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, or string beans.
- If you can’t make the curry paste/sauce, then go ahead and get a store-bought jar and use it. Store-bough curry is better than none at all!
- Going for extra spicy flavors, you can add a little extra zing by adding more ginger or garlic, using a spicy curry mix, or adding jalapenos to the dish. You can also simply add some red chili flakes or cayenne pepper on your dish before eating!
- Always go for the freshest vegetables and ingredients for enhanced flavors!
- Want a thicker and more dense broth? Use chicken thighs or any piece of chicken still on the bones! The bone will give the broth a ton more flavor and more hearty feel.
- If you choose to marinate your chicken, you can use similar spices from the curry sauce or you can give it more zest and marinate in some lemon juice!
- Serve the final product over a bed of rice: jasmine, basmati, or rice of choice. You can also serve a side salad along with it!
- Garnish with fresh cilantro, parsley, or shallots!