Coconut Chicken Curry

Coconut Chicken Curry
Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(6,014)
Notes
Read community notes

Curry powder is stirred into this braise only during the last minute of cooking, delivering a bright hit of spice on top of the paprika and turmeric mellowed into the slow-simmered chicken. This dish from “Burma Superstar” by Desmond Tan and Kate Leahy (Ten Speed Press, 2017), needs time on the stove but not much attention, and gets even better after resting in the fridge, making it an ideal weeknight meal that can last days. There’s plenty of coconut milk broth to spoon over rice or noodles. At his restaurant, Burma Superstar in Oakland, Calif., Mr. Tan also serves this with platha, a buttery, flaky Burmese flatbread, for dipping. —Genevieve Ko

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1tablespoon ground paprika
  • ½teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • cup canola oil
  • 2yellow onions, finely diced
  • 4garlic cloves, minced
  • 1(13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
  • tablespoons fish sauce, plus more as needed
  • 1teaspoon Madras curry powder
  • ½teaspoon ground cayenne
  • Cooked rice or noodles, for serving
  • 1cup cilantro sprigs, for serving
  • 1lime or lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

797 calories; 50 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 61 grams protein; 1265 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Trim the chicken thighs of excess fat and cut into ½- to 1-inch pieces; transfer to a bowl. Add the paprika, turmeric and salt, and use your hands to mix well. Let the chicken marinate at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients, or cover and refrigerate overnight.

  2. Step 2

    In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high. Stir in the onions, lower the heat to medium-low and cook gently, stirring often to prevent scorching, until tender and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring often, until most of the water from the onions has been cooked out and a glossy layer of oil has risen to the surface, about 5 minutes more.

  3. Step 3

    Add the marinated chicken and stir to release the spices into the onion. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a near boil. Let the coconut milk simmer briskly for about 4 minutes to thicken a bit. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the fish sauce. Stir in 1½ cups water and bring to a near boil. The broth will thin out as the chicken starts to release its juices.

  4. Step 4

    Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Droplets of paprika-red oil will rise to the surface. Stir in the curry powder and cayenne, simmer briefly and remove from the heat.

  5. Step 5

    If time permits, let the curry sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. This allows the chicken to soak in more flavors as the curry cools. Bring to a simmer again right before serving and taste, adding more salt or fish sauce if desired. Serve over rice or noodles, with bowls of cilantro and lime wedges.

Ratings

4 out of 5
6,014 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

A list of ingredients is good, but I also wish recipes were written like this: Trim 2 ½ pounds chicken thighs of excess fat and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces; transfer to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon ground paprika, ½ teaspoon turmeric and 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and use your hands to mix well. ... In a large pot, heat ⅓ cup canola oil over medium-high. Stir in 2 yellow onions, finely diced ... add 4 garlic cloves, minced, and continue to cook ... add 1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut

I also wish that recipe writers were more specific about onions. Yellow onions range widely in size, so cups or ounces or grams would be much appreciated in the interest of following the recipe precisely! Geez!

A Cantonese take on Thai. Very good, very bland. So I doubled & pounded the garlic, grated a 1 1/2" piece of ginger, used 3 tbsp fish sauce, used 2 tbsp of Thai red curry paste (not the cayenne) & 1 full tsp turmeric, added the zest of 1 lime, & sauteed in coconut oil. Also used good chicken stock instead of water, reducing the amount to 1 cup. Served with chopped cilantro & lime wedges. Delicious, though NOT as written.

A friend shared this dish while visiting last year, and it's incredible! So flavorful and tender. Try to stay patient at the end - those recommended 20 minutes for the flavors to meld are key, as are the lime and cilantro for serving. Homemade naan does not go amiss, either. This is a winter household staple for us...best host thank-you gift ever!

I chose this recipe based on Genevieve Ko's "stick to the recipe" recommendation, and because I had eaten at Burma Superstar several years ago and loved it. In searching for parathas to make along side it, I found the ORIGINAL Superstar recipe which included a tablespoon of grated ginger, which I added along with the garlic. The outcome was delicious, but just curious about her "follow the recipe" advice which was NOT done in this case.

This is so good! we loved it! The natural sweetness of the coconut milk balances the cayenne and curry perfectly. Note: I added only 1/2 cup of water in step 3, not 1 1/2, as there was already a great deal of liquid. Even with this subtraction and after simmering for 3/4 hour there was still a LOT of coconut broth - not a problem as it's delicious and great over the leftover rice, but I'm glad I didn't add the full amount of water listed.

I read the article and followed the recipe to the letter. Hard to do! Never realized how much I “cowboy it” while I cook. The results: a complex curry with a beautifully deep sauce. 2 ingredients I had to substitute (and it still came out delicious): I used lite coconut milk (the only option available at my rural grocery store) & Penzy’s curry spice (have no idea if it was madras curry). My only qualm is the sauce is watery & oily, but if you can get past this, you’ll be amply rewarded.

I echo Elle's wish for weight measurements and type of onion specificity. Additionally, if we want to follow this recipe to the letter, it would be helpful to specify the type of paprika. I currently have 5 different paprikas in my cabinet ranging from sharp, to half sharp, to sweet, to smoky, and beyond.

I think steamed broccoli would compliment these flavors, or really any bright green veg: peas, green beans, asparagus. A substantial green salad (cabbage, romaine, chopped carrots, green onions, celery, kohlrabi, etc.) is always a good flavor and texture contrast for a braised meat dish.

We make this since we tried it almost every week - it's that much of a favorite. We use the Madras Curry, the full fat coconut milk and the full amount of cayenne although the first time I made it my husband's stomach was wobbly so I left it out and we STILL Loved it and love it even more now. One of our favorite recipes on the site, and how big the onions are couldn't be less meaningful - I also use as much chicken as I have - sometimes more sometimes less - it doesn't really matter.

Too much liquid and not enough flavor. I don’t know why it calls for 1 1/2 cups of water when the sauce comes out way too diluted. The curry flavor is way to subtle . Would not make again

I have made a similar recipe of theirs and wilted several handfuls of spinach into the stir fry near the end. it does add a little additional moisture, but I find it tastes great!

I wonder if it was watery/oily because you had to use lite coconut milk? It’s very different from full fat. Haven’t done the recipe yet so I’m just guessing.

I almost didn’t make this based on other reviews, but it was unbelievably good. Reminded me of Japanese curry from the curry houses in LA. Couple adjustments: - used light coconut milk that I had in a fridge (12 Oz) and then an additional 4 Oz of regular fat coconut milk. Did not add any additional water - added about 1-2 tsp of grated ginger; and instead of turmeric, I used a lemongrass-turmeric paste I had on hand. ::Chef’s kiss::

Way too much water!! Cut down on the added water and this would be delicious!!

Just finished this and it’s good, but tastes a bit oily. 1/3 cup seemed like a lot but I like to stick to the recipe the first time. Next time I’ll reduce the oil and add fresh ginger as suggested. And maybe a jalapeño too :)

I always do this to pack for lunch at work, for me half a recipe plus basmati rice yields my three-days-week. If I try it the same night I make it, it's nice, on the following day it's good... On the third day is to die for! The rice gets so guey and flavour picks up so much. I add some spinach to the recipe at the final stage and I have it with fries plantains of the day. Double the turmeric and don't exaggerate with lemon! That makes it a 5/5

Use chicken thighs instead of breasts. Definitely add potatoes and carrots. Sub chicken broth for water. Add no less but no more than 1.5-2 limes while cooking.

I just made this with a few of the suggestions. Added fresh grated ginger, 1 cup of chicken broth instead of water and omitted the fish sauce as we don’t care for the taste or smell. Also added some frozen peas and corn near the end to give it some veggies. Served with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime over basmati rice-delicious!

on my third time making this, i accidentally used a bit of sweetened condensed coconut milk and it gave this recipe a subtle sweetness. it was delicious!

A delicious and relatively easy dish. I added some cubed red potatoes and red bell peppers.

Also, it’s even better the next day.

Great recipe, I burnt it and it tasted like chargrilled chicken but still amazing!

definitely on the right track. needs much adjusting. follow recipe once and you will know what to do the next time

I won't make this again, but I learned some things. I found some of the instructions confusing, and would have benefitted from understanding why the temperature must constantly go up and down during the cooking. I agree with others that the 1.5 cups of water is too much.

This was delicious and so easy. The only change I made was to use half the water suggested based on comments. Will definitely make it again. Next time will probably add some peas or perhaps some spinach.

This is wonderful. I’m not sure WHY it is as good as it is—from other comments I was sure it was going to be bland. It’s not. It’s lovely and it just works. It’s an amazing dish that’s bigger than the sum of its parts, and allows riffing. I used a big thumb of minced ginger with the garlic and subbed smoked hot paprika for regular and skipped the cayenne. While I did have Madras curry powder on hand and recommend it, you could also use simple supermarket curry powder, which is fairly close.

Delicious and easy.

No fish sauce Double the coconut milk Less water Less oil

This was absolutely delicious. I cut down the cayenne pepper to about a quarter teaspoon, and forgot to cut up the second onion, oops, but it came out great. Even my kids scarfed it down which is surprising given the cayenne… the only part that I’ll do differently next time is not bringing it to a full boil which I did and made the coconut milk separate from the liquid. This didn’t seem to have a negative effect on the taste, but it did make it look a bit curdled…

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Credits

Adapted from “Burma Superstar” by Desmond Tan and Kate Leahy (Ten Speed Press, 2017)

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