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Chicken curry is so delicious and easy to make! Leftover chicken, a few veggies and tons of flavor from Indian spices and you’ve got an incredible meal, coming together in minutes! This chicken curry dinner will breathe new life into odds and ends from your fridge. It’s Chicken Curry in a Hurry!
It starts off as one day a week and soon becomes a way of life.
As you know, #SundaySupper has expanded to #WeekdaySupper, where every Monday through Friday we bring you meals that are simple enough to make any night of the week, and are suited to busy families. You can see what’s cooking up this week at the bottom of this post. And don’t forget about the #SundaySupper and #WeekdaySupper Pinterest boards!
As I mentioned, we drove to Kentucky for the week of Thanksgiving. Because I am cheap frugal and hate to throw food away, my goal before we are leaving the house for any length of time is to use up any scrap of food I can find in the fridge so that we don’t have to throw anything away. If there is any fruit or veggies left before we leave, I throw it into a cooler to bring along.
You should have seen what I had packed up for this trip – The Hubby and The Bug had turkey sandwiches for a lunch on the road, I had a salad, we had a tupperware full of grapes, the last serving of Greek yogurt became my breakfast when combined with a banana and some peanut butter at the hotel we stopped at on the way.
This chicken curry recipe was born from the need to use up food.
I had some chicken left over after roasting a whole chicken and was going to make up another chicken salad, but I really just wanted something a little bolder. I had seen Bobbi’s recipe for Chicken Biryani, where she totally transformed a grocery store rotisserie chicken, and I knew what I was going to do. So I took some inspiration from her and the recipe on my site for Slow-Cooker Indian Butter Chicken, tossed in some leftover cauliflower, since that had to get used up, too, and this is what we ended up with people!!
Can I tell you how good this chicken curry is?
I wrote down what I was adding, just in case, but truly never expected it to make it to the blog. Luckily, there were leftovers (plenty of leftovers – I still have some in the freezer. Squeeeee!) so that I could break out the camera in the daylight the following day. Unlike the hubby, I am not the world’s biggest fan of Indian cuisine. Truth be told, it is really my tummy that is not a fan of Indian cuisine, but when I can control the richness and level of spice, I do enjoy it.
Indian food is just so unique and robust, and this dish was no exception, even though it was a hodge podge and didn’t marinate or simmer or roast for a long period to fully develop the flavor. It was certainly not lacking in depth and deliciousness!
Do you try to use up every last bit of perishable food in your fridge before you go away?
Enjoy your chicken curry in a hurry!
Quick Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, or another neutral oil such as canola or vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into about 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 teaspoons curry powder
- 3 teaspoons garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 6 ounces can of tomato paste
- 13.5 ounces can of light coconut milk
- ½ cup chicken broth or water
- 1 16-ounce bag of frozen cauliflower
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
- Fresh cilantro for garnish, optional
- Rice for serving
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the chicken and brown for about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- In the same pot, melt butter, then add onion and saute for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for another minute or two, until fragrant.
- Sprinkle in the curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne pepper over the onion mixture, and fry the spices for a minute or two.
- Return the chicken and accumulated juices to the pot, then stir in the tomato paste, coconut milk, and chicken broth or water. Mix until well combined.
- Add the cauliflower and frozen peas, then cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
- Just before serving, stir in the Greek yogurt.
- Sprinkle with minced cilantro and serve over rice, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this?
Leave a rating below and tag @cupcakesandkalechips on Instagram and hashtag it #cupcakesandkalechips
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Need some more quick and easy dinner ideas?
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Check out all of the other fast and tasty #WeekdaySupper recipes for this week:
Monday – Take A Bite Out Of Boca – Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Tuesday – Noshing With The Nolands – Brie, Apple and Ham Panini
Wednesday – girlichef – Salisbury Steak
Thursday – Cupcakes & Kale Chips – Chicken Curry in a Hurry
Friday – The Not So Cheesy Kitchen – Easy Kale, Sausage, Pasta
This was a delicious and easy weeknight dinner! I was a little short on cauliflower so I made up the difference with frozen carrots. Great flavors! Definitely a keeper for when I want a curry without spending a long time in the kitchen!
Is there a substitute for coconut milk?
Hmm, not sure what else would work. Maybe a little heavy cream or Greek yogurt?
Nice recipe. Thank you and Happy Thursday!
Thanks! Have a great weekend!
I love Indian food and all of the rich, pungent flavors and smells. This sounds like a great weeknight dinner!
This did smell and taste wonderful!
I love Indian food and can’t wait to try this. I think it might actually get my husband to like Indian food too.
As someone who is usually not a fan of Indian food, it makes a HUGE difference when you control the spices yourself.