Best Chicken Curry (Sri Lankan Chicken Curry)

Name: Best Chicken Curry (Sri Lankan Chicken Curry)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 2 - 3 tbsp coconut oil; ½ yellow onion; 4 garlic cloves; 1 inch ginger; 6 - 7 curry leaves; 2 ½ tbsp roasted Sri Lankan curry powder; 1 cinnamon stick; ½ tsp salt; 1 tsp cayenne pepper or kashmiri chili powder; 1 tbsp paprika; 2 lbs chicken; 2 serrano peppers (or regular green chili); 3 small roma tomatoes; 2 tsp brown sugar; 2 tsp lime juice or apple cider vinegar; ½ cup full-fat coconut milk; ½ cup water

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Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings
6 people
Calories
187 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Asian, Indian, Sri Lankan

Best Chicken Curry (Sri Lankan Chicken Curry)

Ursula Nguyen

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Make the BEST chicken curry you've ever had with this authentic Sri Lankan chicken curry recipe! Follow my tips and step by step instructions to make an everyday chicken curry that tastes truly authentic, complex, spicy, flavorful, and fragrant!EASY - This is a great starting recipe for novice cooks or those who are new to making curries. To make it easier, you can use boneless chicken, or chicken that has already been cut into sections. US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions

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Ingredients

Servings

2 - 3 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil
½ yellow onion diced or sliced
4 garlic cloves minced or finely chopped
1 inch ginger minced or finely chopped
6 - 7 curry leaves or 2 bay leaves
2 ½ tbsp roasted Sri Lankan curry powder or unroasted is fine too
1 cinnamon stick (preferably Ceylon cinnamon) or ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt plus more to taste
1 tsp cayenne pepper or kashmiri chili powder less if you like it less spicy, please see recipe notes below
1 tbsp paprika NOT smoked paprika
2 lbs chicken whole chicken cut into sections OR any bone-in chicken thigh or leg pieces (large thigh pieces should be cut in half)
2 serrano peppers (or regular green chili) cut length-wise, with or without seeds
3 small roma tomatoes cut into cubes (or 2 medium-sized regular tomatoes)
2 tsp brown sugar see recipe notes
2 tsp lime juice or apple cider vinegar see recipe notes
½ cup full-fat coconut milk see recipe notes
½ cup water

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Instructions

Prepare the bone-in chicken by cutting it into smaller pieces. Each piece should be fairly small but not bite-sized. A regular chicken thigh should be cut in half and larger pieces should be cut into 3. A chicken breast should be cut into 3 pieces or more. The larger the chicken piece, the longer it will take to cook through, so it's important to keep the pieces fairly similar in size.
Add the coconut oil into a large saucepan and heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they start to soften.
Add the garlic and ginger to the softened onions, and sauté until the garlic starts to soften. Make sure it doesn't burn.
Add curry powder, chili powder / cayenne pepper, paprika, cinnamon, curry leaves, and mix to combine. Cook for a few minutes until you start to smell the spices.
Add the chicken, serrano peppers / green chili peppers, salt, roma tomatoes, about 1 tsp sugar, and mix to coat. Cook for 10 minutes with the lid off, on medium high heat. Frequently stir to make sure the chicken or the spices don’t burn.
Add coconut milk, water, lime juice / vinegar, and bring the curry to a boil. If you want less gravy, add less liquid.
Lower the heat and let it simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leave the lid off if you want to reduce the liquid content in the curry.
The chicken should be completely cooked by this point. This will depend on the size of the chicken pieces and the stove you use.
Taste the curry and season with more salt to taste if needed. You can add the rest of the sugar or more salt, or vinegar to your taste. Remember that curries can easily be adjusted to your taste!
If the chicken curry gravy is too thin, or there's too much of it, uncover and simmer the curry for a further 10 minutes or longer. This step is optional, but it allows the water to evaporate and for the gravy to thicken. If you want more gravy, you can add more water or coconut milk, but you will need to adjust the flavor accordingly.
Turn off the heat and let the chicken cool down slightly. Serve with rice or roti.
For best results, store the chicken curry in the fridge overnight and eat it the next day. (Seriously, it tastes even better the next day!)

Notes

NOTE 1 - if you want a less spicy curry, you can reduce the cayenne pepper to 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. If you like an extra spicy curry, you can add up to 2 tsp of cayenne pepper. We like it very spicy, and add up to 2 - 3 tsp of cayenne pepper / Kashmiri chili. Do NOT use Mexican chili powder for this curry. You should be able to find regular chili powder or Kashmiri chili at any Asian grocery store.
NOTE 2 - you can replace the 1/2 cup of coconut milk with water. If you're not adding coconut milk, this chicken curry will be spicier. The coconut milk softens the heat.
NOTE 3 - if you want the curry to have a thicker gravy, you can reduce the amount of liquid by half.
NOTE 4 - The sugar is added to balance the spices, and bring out the saltiness of the curry. If you're using a different curry powder, or you're making curry for the first time, add only half of the sugar initially, and then add the rest of the sugar if you feel like you need it at the end.
NOTE 5 - If you're using store-bought curry powder, please make sure the curry powder has a combination of at least some of the spices of my Sri Lankan curry powder. Avoid curry powders that have turmeric, garlic powder, and onion powder as the main ingredients - these are NOT curry powders.
NOTE 6 - In Sri Lanka, the main type of vinegar that is used is coconut vinegar. This is harder to find, and more expensive in other parts of the world. Lime juice is a great substitute, and apple cider vinegar can also be used.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 187kcal (9%) Carbohydrates 5g (2%) Protein 20g (40%) Fat 9g (14%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Sodium 258mg (11%) Potassium 168mg (5%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 940IU (19%) Vitamin C 5.9mg (7%) Calcium 21mg (2%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 187 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	187kcal	9%
Carbohydrates	5g	2%
Protein	20g	40%
Fat	9g	14%
Saturated Fat	4g	20%
Polyunsaturated Fat	1g	6%
Monounsaturated Fat	1g	5%
Sodium	258mg	11%
Potassium	168mg	4%
Fiber	1g	4%
Sugar	2g	4%
Vitamin A	940IU	19%
Vitamin C	5.9mg	7%
Calcium	21mg	2%
Iron	1mg	6%