BEST! Sri Lankan Chicken Curry (Kukul Mas Kari)

Discover how to make authentic Sri Lankan chicken curry (Kukul Mas Kari, කුකුල් මස් කරි)!
Tried and tested a truly authentic Sri Lankan chicken curry recipe with step-by-step photos, useful info, and helpful tips. So it’s easy to follow even for novice cooks. Additionally, I will give you a hassle-free recipe for making Sri Lankan roasted curry powder. So instead of using store-bought curry powders (that might change the flavor of the curry), you can use homemade curry powder to make this mouth-watering chicken curry.

This Sri Lankan chicken curry is a richly spiced and flavorful curry that goes well with anything, from rice, string hoppers, bread, or roti. You can serve it for a simple weekday meal when there are guests, or at a special party. It will wow your family and friends and they will surely ask for more.

Chicken Curry is Locally known as (in Sinhalese)
Kukul Mas Vyanjanaya (කුකුල් මස් ව්‍යංජනය)
Kukul Mas Kari (කුකුල් මස් කරි)
Chicken Curry (චිකන් කරි)
{kukul mas = Chicken, Vyanjanaya= curry}

How Spicy Is It?

Even though this chicken curry is richly spiced, it is not too hot. Spicy curry doesn’t mean just hot curry with too much chili powder in it. I think a chili-spice balance is very important for a flavorful curry dish. Adding too much chili powder may affect the real flavor of the curry comes from all the other spices and ingredients. Moreover, too much heat will drown out the real flavors. However, just feel free to add chili powder as you like and adjust the level of spiciness to suit your preferences.

SRI LANKAN CHICKEN CURRY
-Variation

Local people cook chicken curry in many ways so you will find different versions of chicken curries. But generally, there are mainly two methods to make a chicken curry.

‘Kirata’ කිරට” (kirata = milky); Chicken curry made with less amount of chilies and coconut milk that makes a creamy and mild curry as coconut milk softens the heat.

‘Mirisata’“මිරිසට” (mirisata = hot & spicy); Chicken curry made without coconut milk and relatively more chilies and spices.

I occasionally have a real craving for hot & spicy chicken curry. Then I make my chicken curry ‘mirisata’. Depending on my mood and the occasion, I also make chicken curry “kirata” with coconut milk too.

CLICK HERE for the recipe How to make Sri Lankan chicken curry with coconut milk

What To Serve With Chicken Curry

Well, you don’t need anything else other than white rice (and a salad maybe) to serve this chicken curry if you want a simple meal. It also goes well with bread, Appa, Indiappa, Roti, Naan, Chapati, or Paratha. And leftovers if any can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two or three days. Freeze well.

Sri Lankan Rice and Curry

Sri Lanka’s national dish is commonly known as rice and curry. Cooked rice is served with a variety of side dishes, including curry dishes made with meat, seafood, lentils, and vegetables. Common accompaniments to rice and curry include salads, sambol (coconut relish), mallum (lightly cooked/sautéed greens with fresh coconut), achcharu (pickles), and fried crispy papadams. So it is quite a colorful plate.

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
(Kukul Mas Kari)-useful info

The secret to an authentic Sri Lankan Chicken curry

Marinated chicken is cooked in a rich, spicy, aromatic gravy flavored with roasted curry powder, spices, onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, tamarind, curry leaves, pandan, and lemongrass and a good amount of heat with chili powder and fresh green chilies. The sour taste comes from the use of vinegar and tamarind juice. Adding the combination of all these ingredients, and most importantly the Sri Lankan roasted curry powder makes it a unique and authentic Sri Lankan curry.

Chicken

Sri Lankans usually use a whole chicken cut into pieces as bone-in chicken adds more flavor. So for best results, use a whole chicken cut into pieces or bone-in chicken. I used chicken cut with bone (legs or thighs) (chicken that has already been cut into sections). You can also use boneless chicken. When it comes to boneless chicken, chicken thighs taste better compared to the breast part.

You can remove the chicken skin to lessen the fat in the curry or for health reasons. However, when I make this kind of spicy chicken curry, I like to add the skin to make the gravy more oily and flavorful but I usually remove the skin from the curry after cooking it as I don’t like eating the skin. Adding skin or not adding, that’s totally up to you!

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.

Curry Powder for Making
Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

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

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.

You can substitute Sri Lankan curry powder with other store-bought curry powders like Madras Curry Powder if you really must, but it will not give you authentic results.

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE How to make Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder with tips

Sri Lankan 3-Spice Curry Powder

Here is a recipe for making Sri Lankan 3-spice curry powder for mild vegetable curries.
CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE Sri Lankan 3-Spice Curry Powder (Thuna Paha)

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
(Kukul Mas Kari)-Helpful tips

• Cooking curries in a clay pot is recommended.
• Use coconut oil whenever possible. Rice oil is a good substitution.
• Use coconut or rice vinegar if possible.
• Timing is everything. Don’t dump in all the ingredients at once.
• 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.
• if you want the curry to have a thicker gravy, reduce the amount of liquid used or simmer your curry until it becomes thicker
• The curry tastes better the next day, so you can prepare this a day ahead.
• After cooking, let the chicken curry sit for a while to allow 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 in Sri Lankan Cooking

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
(Kukul Mas Kari) Step-by-Step Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Marination 30 mins (or overnight)
Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

To Marinate the Chicken
500 g chicken, 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

To Make the Curry
2 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 tablespoons garlic paste
6 to 8 curry leaves
2-inch pieces of pandan leaves
1-inch piece lemongrass
2 green chilies
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons roasted curry powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
5 cloves
3 cardamon pod
2-inch piece of cinnamon stick
2 to 3 tomatoes, cut
4 pieces tamarind
400 ml warm water, adjust as needed

Instructions

Gather the ingredients to marinate the chicken.

Gather the ingredients for cooking the curry.

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

Soak the tamarind in warm water for about 10 minutes.

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

Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 1 minute.

Add curry leaves, lemongrass, pandan leaves, and green chilies, and stir-fry for about 1 minute.

Add salt and all the spices and stir-fry till fragrant.

Add marinated chicken and stir fry to coat chicken pieces evenly with the spices.

Add soaked tamarind with water and mix well.

Add tomatoes and mix well.

Pour in the warm water and mix well.

Put the lid on and cook 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. 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. Serve with rice, bread, naan, roti, or string hoppers.

Sri Lankan chicken curry
(Kukul Mas Kari) recipe

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