Name: Sri Lankan Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 500 g chicken (wash and cut into pieces); 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 tablespoon curry powder; 1 tablespoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder; 1/2 tablespoon ginger paste; 1 tablespoon garlic paste; 1 tablespoon vinegar (lemon or lime juice); 2 tablespoon oil; 1 onion (chopped); 1 tablespoon garlic paste; 1 teaspoon ginger paste; 5 curry leaves; 2- inch pandan leaves; 1- inch lemongrass; 2 green chilies (cut); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon roasted curry powder; 1 tablespoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder; 1- inch cinnamon stick; 3 cloves; 3 cardamon pod; 2 tomatoes (cut); 400 ml warm water (adjust as needed); 150 ml thick coconut milk (adjust as needed)

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Sri Lankan chicken curry with coconut milk! This Sri Lankan chicken curry recipe I am sharing today is my go-to chicken curry recipe for a simple weekday meal. You can make it in less than 1 hour and the house will fill with the aroma of the chicken curry. It is certain to please the masses who love mildly spicy chicken curries.

What Makes This Recipe Unique?

Coconut is an integral part of Sri Lankan cuisine and is very much used. This chicken curry is made with coconut milk and coconut milk adds a unique milky flavor to curry that counteracts the spice, creating a nice balance and enhancing the taste.

The marinated chicken is cooked in a rich, spicy, aromatic milky gravy flavored with spices, onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies, tomatoes, and coconut milk. Adding roasted curry powder, curry leaves, pandan, and lemongrass makes it a unique and authentic Sri Lankan recipe. A hint of sour taste comes from the use of vinegar (or lime/lemon juice) in a small amount.

Discover how to make Sri Lankan spicy chicken curry without coconut milk, here is a step-by-step picture recipe. How to Make Sri Lankan Spicy Chicken Curry (Step-by-Step)

Curry Powder Used in This Recipe

For this Chicken Curry, I used homemade Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder (Badapu Thunapaha). When you make Sri Lankan curries, I would highly recommend you make your own Sri Lankan curry powders for authentic flavor and taste.

You can also experiment with whatever curry powder you have on hand or substitute with other curry powders like madras curry powder if you really must, but just remember that the taste will be different and will not give you authentic results.

The hardest part is collecting the ingredients and making the curry powder. So it asks for your time and patience. However, if you make it yourself, it does really make a difference. Once you made it, the Roasted Curry Powder can be stored for up to a year and used in other Sri Lankan meat and other dishes too. Here is the recipe for How to make Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder

Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder Recipes

Basic curry powder recipe with whole spices
Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder

Basic curry powder recipe with ground spices Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder (Thunapaha)

useful info

What Part of Chicken to Use

In Sri Lanka, whole chicken, cutting it into pieces with or without the skin, is used. But here in Japan, I usually use a mix of chicken parts including boneless chicken thighs, bone-in chicken thighs, and chicken legs. I prefer to use the chicken with bones whenever possible as they make the chicken gravy more flavorful. You can also make it with boneless chicken if you must.

Marination

The secret to a delicious chicken curry is marination as it helps chicken pieces absorb the spices and then tenderize the meat. So, do not skip the marination process. Be sure to marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. If time permits marinate for 1-2 hours. I usually marinate the chicken a day before and refrigerate it. Then, the next day, you will have your chicken curry in no time.

You can adjust the consistency of curry gravy

In this curry, the consistency of the gravy is on the thinner side as I like it that way. However, if you want your curry to have a thicker gravy, you can reduce the amount of liquid used, simmer your curry until it becomes thicker, or add coconut cream instead of coconut milk.

Cooking Curry in a Clay Pot

In Sri Lanka, curries are traditionally cooked in clay pots, and food cooked in clay pots tastes so good. So, I usually cook all my curries in clay pots and highly recommend using clay pots for cooking curries.

Let the Curry Rest After Cooking it

After cooking the curry, let it sit for a while. This allows the chicken to absorb the flavors of the curry gravy. This is why this chicken curry tastes even better the next day.

Exotic Herbs & Ingredients
Used For Making Chicken Curry

CURRY LEAVES (KARAPINCHA)
Fresh curry leaves (Karapincha in Sinhalese) are an essential ingredient in Sri Lankan cooking and have a distinctive, flavor and fragrance. The best substitutes for fresh curry leaves are using frozen curry leaves. If you cannot find curry leaves, just skip them. They are edible and have many health benefits.

PANDAN ((RAMPE)
Along with curry leaves, Pandan leaves are also a widely used ingredient in Sri Lankan cooking, especially when making curries to give aroma and flavor. You can buy it fresh, or frozen at some Asian food stores, as well as online. It is not edible, so please remove them before serving.

LEMONGRASS (SERA)
Lemongrass (stalk) is used mostly in meat curries for adding flavor and aroma. You can find it in fresh or frozen forms and buy it at some Asian food stores, as well as online. It is not edible, so please remove them before serving.

GREEN CHILIES
In Sri Lanka, green chilies are widely used as a cooking ingredient. They add a milder heat and enhance the flavor of the curries beyond just pure heat. You can skip them altogether if you don’t like them or if you don’t have them.

Helpful tips

The curry tastes better the next day, so you can prepare this a day ahead to enjoy a much more enhanced flavor.
Use coconut oil whenever possible. Rice oil is a good substitution.
When you add any ingredient to this curry, timing is everything. Don’t dump in all the ingredients at once, for best results follow the instructions in the recipe and make sure to stir-fry the ingredients separately.
Be careful not to burn spices when you stir-fry them.
Make sure to stir the curry occasionally throughout the cooking process.
Use warm or hot water as adding cold water will bring down the temperature of the curry.

What to Serve With Chicken Curry

Sri Lankans prefer to serve chicken curry with rice and a few other side dishes. However, just plain rice or a piece of bread is what you really want to enjoy chicken curry. You can serve it traditional Sri Lankan way with plain rice and a few vegetable/lentil curries, pol sambol, salads, mallum, and papadam. And it also goes well with fried rice, biryani, appa, indiappa, roti, naan, chapati, or paratha.

Sri Lankan Rice & Curry, Sri Lankan Coconut Chicken Curry with Rice

How Do You Store Chicken Curry

Your curry needs to cool down to room temperature before placing it in the fridge. Store leftover chicken curry in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days. If you like to freeze it, put it in a zip lock bag and then in the freezer for about 3 to 4 months. You can reheat chicken curry in the microwave or on the stovetop.

chicken curry with coconut milk
(Step-by-step recipe)

Ingredients

To marinate the chicken
500 g chicken, wash and cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon vinegar/lemon/lime

To cook the chicken
2 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
5 curry leaves
2-inch piece of pandan leaves
1-inch piece of lemongrass
2 green chilies, cut
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon roasted curry powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1-inch cinnamon stick
3 cloves
3 cardamom pods
2 tomatoes, cut
400 ml warm water, adjust as needed
150 ml thick coconut milk, adjust as needed

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients.

Gather the ingredients for marinating the chicken.

Sri Lankan chicken curry, ingredients for marination

Gather the ingredients for cooking the curry.

Sri Lankan chicken curry, ingredients for cooking

Coat the chicken pieces well with the ingredients listed in the marination section. Set it aside for at least 30 minutes (preferably overnight).

Heat oil in a saucepan/pot over medium heat. Add onions and fry until soft.

Add garlic, ginger, curry leaves, lemongrass, pandan leaves, and green chilies, and sauté until the raw smell disappears.

Add salt and the spices and stir fry till fragrant.

Add marinated chicken, and stir fry to coat chicken pieces evenly with the spice paste.

Add tomatoes and mix well.

Pour in the warm water and mix well.

Put the lid on and cook for about 10 minutes on low flame until the chicken is fully cooked. Make sure to check once or twice in between and stir the curry.

When the chicken is cooked soft, open the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Now pour coconut milk and mix well. Cook more for about 5 minutes (without covering) while stirring occasionally. Check the taste and add salt if needed.

Turn the heat off and allow it to sit for about 15 to 30 minutes until the curry gets thick.

Chicken curry with coconut milk
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