This chicken curry is an Assyrian-style stew my mom and grandmother have always made, and one my sister, brother, and I still cook today.
There are a lot of versions of chicken curry out there, and this one is pretty simple. The ingredients are straightforward—chicken, a few vegetables, and a blend of spices you can either buy or make yourself. I’ve got a recipe for yellow curry powder if you’re feeling adventurous.
But even with a simple recipe like this one, the flavor is anything but basic. The magic comes from layering the aromatics and giving the chicken curry time to simmer.
What kind of curry should I use for chicken curry?
One question I get a lot is about the curry powder. What kind should you use? And what is curry powder anyway?
What you should use: Supermarket yellow curry blends can be a bit all over the place. Some are mostly just turmeric, while some have more complexity. For this chicken curry recipe, you want to find something with a lot of fenugreek. My grandmother swears by “Madras curry powder,” which is very similar to the recipe I linked to above. You want to try to find something with turmeric and a decent amount of fenugreek. But even if all you can find it a random shaker of yellow curry powder from your local supermarket, that will work just fine.
What yellow curry powder is: Yellow curry powder shows up in a lot of Assyrian and Iraqi cooking. It’s not a traditional ingredient in the oldest sense, but it’s become a beloved part of our cooking. It’s just one of those staples we always have on hand. Curry powder itself has a winding global history, with ties to British colonial trade and South Asian cuisine. If you’re curious to dig deeper, writers like Sucharita Kanjilal, Naben Ruthnum, and Little Global Chefs offer thoughtful perspectives on that history.
Chicken Curry
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 50 to 60 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon cooking olive oil, divided into thirds
- Salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon total)
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces *
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons yellow curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 pound waxy potatoes, cut into large 3/4-inch chunks **
- 7 ounces carrots, cut into large chunks
- For garnish: 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, or to taste
- Serve with basmati rice
Instructions
- Heat a stock pot over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon oil, swirl it around the pan to coat, and immediately add the chicken and salt to taste (about 1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon, depending on your preference).
- Sauté the chicken for about 10 to 14 minutes, scraping the chicken up and stirring every minute or two, until the liquids have evaporated, the chicken has turned golden-brown, and there are some brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Adjust the heat as necessary while you’re sautéing to make sure the chicken neither burns nor steams.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, push the chicken to the outer edge of the stock pot, and add the onions to the center, followed by 1 tablespoon oil. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Cook the onions, stirring the center occasionally, until they have softened, about 4 minutes. Adjust the heat to prevent them from browning.
- Reduce heat to low, add the curry powder, red pepper flakes, and the final tablespoon of oil, and stir everything together for 1 minute.
- Add the stock or water to the pot, adjust heat to high, and immediately use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the stockpot.
- Add the can of tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots. Stir together, taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary by adding more salt.
- Once it comes to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of your vegetables. To test whether it’s done, take a potato out of the pot with a spoon and try cutting it in half. If it’s still crunchy, continue cooking, covered, testing every so often for doneness.
- Serve the chicken curry garnished with cilantro.
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Notes
* If you’re using bone-in chicken thighs, this comes from about 3 1/4 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. Here’s a helpful video on deboning chicken thighs. If you’d prefer to use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs, sauté the chicken breast pieces over high heat for about 7 minutes, until they’re no longer pink inside, and remove them to a plate before adding the onions to the pot. Cook everything else separately according to the recipe, then add the chicken back in once the potatoes are done, and simmer everything for 2 to 3 minutes.
** You can use any combination of Yukon gold, Adirondack blue, new, red, or another similar potato (just don’t use russets, which will fall apart too much). If the potatoes are very small, you can just cut them in half.
2025 update: I edited this post (originally posted 2 Nov 2017) to have more relevant information before the recipe + to give a bit more historical and personal background on the recipe. I also added a video of the recipe.
Easy to make and delicious, the perfect comfort food!
Absolutely—such comfort food! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying it!
The perfect, cozy meal. Just like our Nana makes it!
🤗🤗🤗
Perfectly cozy and comforting meal!
On the to-do list!
Ah that’s awesome Makos! Hope you love it! 😀