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- How To Make Coconut Curry Chicken
- Can You Eat Curry On A Keto Diet?
- How Many Carbs In Chicken Curry?
- How To Use Coconut Milk In Curry
- How To Make Coconut Chicken Curry Ahead Of Time
- How To Freeze Keto Chicken Curry
- What to Serve with Coconut Cream Curry
- Tools To Make Coconut Curry Chicken
- Coconut Curry Chicken: A Keto Low Carb Curry Recipe
Have you been missing your favorite Indian takeout meal? Then this low carb chicken curry recipe is for you! It’s surprisingly easy to make at home. Coconut curry chicken is rich and warming, with a little spice and a whole lot of coconut cream curry flavor. I serve this keto chicken curry recipe over cauliflower rice for a classic taste, but it would also be fantastic over zoodles!
Indian restaurants can be tricky to navigate on a low carb or keto diet. There are all the sides – the rice, the naan. None of them work for us! Then it’s hard to know what is in all of the rich stews and curries. Are they low carb? Are they not? Are there potatoes or cornstarch in there?
And even if you aren’t low carb, no one wants processed ingredients in their coconut chicken curry, right?
So, we’re just going to make it ourselves! Sound good?
How To Make Coconut Curry Chicken
Coconut cream curry is one of those ethnic dishes that’s a little intimidating to make at home. At least it was for me. But then I made it and I don’t know what I waited so long! Let me show you how to make easy chicken curry with coconut cream:
First we saute the diced onions in a pan. Get them as brown as you like – I like them almost caramelized.
Next, you’ll push the onions off to the side and brown the chicken. You don’t need to worry about the chicken cooking through, it will continue cooking throughout the process.
Then you’ll add the tomatoes, coconut cream, and all of the spices and let it simmer away.
You can simmer it to your liking to make thinner or thicker coconut curry chicken. Up to you!
Can You Eat Curry On A Keto Diet?
You can eat curry on a keto diet – but it’s got to be this keto curry recipe! 😉 Because there are so many different curry recipes and styles, it definitely depends on the recipe. Many curries are made with higher carb vegetables like potatoes and peas, which are definitely not low carb or keto friendly.
How Many Carbs In Chicken Curry?
So you might be wondering, how many carbs are in chicken curry? One serving of my keto chicken curry has just 6 net carbs! Pretty great, huh? The full nutrition stats can be found below the recipe card, but here are the highlights, per serving of coconut cream curry:
- 251 calories
- 8 grams total carbs
- 6 grams net carbs
- 14 grams protein
How To Use Coconut Milk In Curry
It’s best to use coconut milk in curry dishes. Not only does it make the dish dairy-free (which is important for some!), it also means that it’s paleo and whole30 compliant, AND it imparts a delicious flavor that would be sorely missed if it wasn’t included.
PRO TIP: This is the important secret trick for making coconut curry chicken – you don’t want to miss it! The best way to use coconut milk in curry is to use only the coconut cream portion of the canned coconut milk. The curry will still taste good and be creamy, but if you want your curry to taste like it came from an Indian restaurant (which you do!), only use the cream. Thanks to my friend and team member, Emily from My Everyday Table, for this tip!
Most cans of coconut will have directions to shake the cans before using. DON’T do this. Simply open the can and scoop out the thick cream portion.
How To Make Coconut Chicken Curry Ahead Of Time
You can absolutely make low carb chicken curry ahead of time! In fact, it’s similar to soups and chilis where it gets even better after a day in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container and simply reheat on the stove or microwave until hot. If it’s too thick, you can thin it out with a bit of water or broth, or even a bit more coconut cream.
PRO TIP: Store curry in a glass container, it will stain some plastic storage containers.
How To Freeze Keto Chicken Curry
Stews like this low carb chicken curry recipe freeze quite well. Once the chicken curry with coconut cream has cooled, store it in a glass or plastic container (see note above if using plastic!) or to save room in the freezer, put it into a freezer bag and lay it flat so that it freezes flat. Once it’s solid you can stand it up, but it won’t be as bulky as a container.
What to Serve with Coconut Cream Curry
This is important… because you don’t want to lose any of the flavorful curry sauce! I love serving low carb curry with cauliflower rice – it doesn’t overpower the dish and soaks up all of the sauce from this keto curry recipe. Top it with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro if you wish!
Here are a few other low carb side dishes that will pair perfectly with keto chicken curry recipes:
- Best Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Recipe
- Easy Garlic Roasted Bok Choy Recipe
- Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower Recipe with Garlic and Parmesan
For a different flavor of low carb curry, try paleo Bangalore chicken curry.
Tools To Make Coconut Curry Chicken
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Ceramic Nonstick Fry Pan – I use these pans daily, they are the best.
- Food Processor – The quickest and best way to make cauliflower rice!
Keto Low Carb Curry Recipe:
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Reader Favorite Recipes
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Coconut Curry Chicken: A Keto Low Carb Curry Recipe
This flavorful keto chicken curry recipe (a.k.a. coconut curry chicken) is EASY, with a secret trick! You're just 10 ingredients and 30 minutes away from low carb coconut cream curry.
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for about 7 to 10 minutes, until translucent and browned.
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Push the onion to the side. Increase heat to medium high. Add another tablespoon oil and the chicken in a single layer. Saute the chicken for just 1 to 2 minutes per side, only to brown the outside.
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Add the diced tomatoes, coconut cream, chicken broth, garlic, curry powder, ground ginger, paprika, and sea salt. Stir everything together. Adjust salt to taste.
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Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, sauce is thick, and flavors develop to your liking.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 3/4 cup
Video Showing How To Make Coconut Curry Chicken:
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175 Comments
Mike
I didn’t drain the tomatoes so I just cooked it down till it was the right consistency.
Suzana
Lovely!
Enjoyed by the whole family. Not particularly spicy but you could spice it up to your own requirements
Anne
How do I print this recipe? It looks great
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Anne, The print button is to the right of the word “ingredients” at the top of the ingredients list.
Rose
Made this morning in my Instant Pot using the sauté function and glass lid. Easy way to cook the curry and the keep warm function allows the flavours to develop until it’s time to eat later in the day. I used coconut oil in place of olive oil, a full 250 ml carton of coconut cream, 1 knorr chicken stock pot, added 1 tspn garam masala, 1 tspn ground cumin 1 tspn garlic granules as well as the fresh garlic, a few curry leaves and a couple of dried birds eye chillies to add extra depth of flavour. I used Costco curry powder Madras mild and the garlic granules and ground cumin were also from Costco. As others have mentioned, there’s quite a lot of sauce…I added 1/2 tspn coconut flour as a thickener. That was plenty I found and stuck with the coconut theme. Delicious, easy keto meal…smells amazing too.
LizzieD
Tried this last night and absolutely delicious!
I was a little short on chicken so added some chunky slices of mushroom to pad out and worked a treat, albeit still a bit too much sauce. Bonus is that I saved the sauce and will be frying up some chicken/onion and aubergine (love that in curries) tonight to use up. Coconut rice works a treat with this, as suggested. My husband absolutely loved it too!
I’m embracing keto and have lost over a stone in a month and this is now going to be a weekly staple/treat.
Thank you!
jill
Thank you for this recipe. It was delicious. I used chicken thighs and used coconut oil instead of olive oil. I put the tinned tomatoes through the blender, because my hubby doesn’t like the pips. Also I added two small chopped chilies, two curry tree leaves and some chopped cabbage, mushroom and kale. I made cauliflower rice as an accompaniment.
Christina
My 14 yr old loves to cook and wanted to try curry chicken. My husband and I eat low carb so we used your recipe and it was delish! So easy with a super depth of flavor. This will definitely go on our menu rotation.
Glad
Oops! I was supposed to drain the diced tomatoes! Darn 🙁
Melanie Smith
Absolutely love this dish..
Glad
I experienced too much sauce & not enough coconut or ginger flavouring 🙁
Anita
I made this last night and it was fabulous! I did add some chopped red, green and yellow peppers during the simmer (& reduced the sauce a bit), and a small handful of frozen peas at the end. I also upped the stock to 1/2 cup, and didn’t drain the delicious juice from the canned tomatoes. While it was simmering, I made a couple of Indian-spiced chaffles to serve with it. For those (2 large ones), 2 eggs, 2 T. almond flour, 1.5 t. of baking powder, 1/3 C. of shredded mozzarella, curry powder and about 1/4 cup of very toasted (blackened), diced onion. The chaffles tasted like curry naan! (Not a fan of cauliflower rice.) Big-time keeper!
Prissy
Oh my gosh this was so good & really easy! My son walked in and said it smells so good in here! Next time I’ll add some extra heat but still such a great dish! Thank you for sharing!
Theresa
I made this recipe expecting it to taste heavy and coconut “creamy” … but it was a taste and flavour sensation. I followed the recipe and added half a chopped green pepper fried with the onions. What I will do differently next time is to add a touch more heat but it’s winner! Going to pair with cauliflower rice. Being new to keto it was a wonderful surprise! Thank you.
Jason Schick
Thank you so much, for the detailed recipe. It turned amazing my neighbor rang my bell and told me he had to know what was smelling so good lol. Gave him a link to here. Thanks, I will have fun customizing this recipe.
Alexia
I just read all the instructions about only using the cream in the coconut milk tin! My bad lol
Alexia
Can you milk coconut milk with heavy cream,
or does it have to be coconut cream
Rosalie
Hello good recipe can u make this without coconut
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Rosalie, You can sub heavy cream for the coconut cream, just keep in mind it will alter the overall flavor without the coconut.
Lexington
One thing I love about Wholesome Yum is how Maya makes good on her core promise: natural gluten-free low carb recipes 10 ingredients or less. Don’t let the few ingredients in this recipe fool you. Follow Maya’s lead and you get a tasty chicken curry that is *to die for*. I’ve loved so many of her recipes on Wholesome Yum I bought her cookbook.
You have to try this! It’s so freakin’ good! Hey Maya! Guess what? Here’s another one going into my rotation! Love it!
Joann
I did use To tel tomatoes to give an extra kick and it was very good!
Trista
This is my favorite curry dish. It is so good.
kelle
Easy and delicious! The boyfriend who loves curry but doesn’t do Keto loved it as well. There were no leftovers.
Alex
Super delicious and also really easy to make! The only change (outside of substituting the meat products for their vegetarian counterparts) is that I used 1/2 cup of pasta sauce, reduced to the consistency of tomato paste. I also cannot stress the importance of only using the coconut cream part.
Carol
Delicious, easy and just like she says, it’s better the next day. 🙂
Karen Wilson
This was absolutely delicious- rich and warming with just the right amount of spice.
Maria
Keto or not, this curry recipe looks really tasty! The tip about using the coconut cream part only is true indeed. I’m sure to give this a try.
Dannii
I love anything with coconut and this chicken curry looks so creamy and delicious.
Shanna
This is so delicious!! It is now one of my family’s favorite meals.
Beth
I’m so excited to give this a try! My family and I are going to love this! So excited! Looks amazing and so tasty!
Jess
Only 30 minutes for a delicious flavorful meal?! Yes, please!
Karrie Twombley
It was so delicious and easy to make. I can’t wait to make it again! My daughter and sister even loved it. My husband hasn’t tried it but he is a picky eater so it probably won’t happen.
Jacinta Fallon
Fabulous. Currently cooking it again for tomorrows dinner as flavour really evolves. And brownie points for me as hubby loves it too. Thank you for simple yet delicious recipe. J
Jay
I haven’t tried it as yet but is there something I can substitute for the chicken broth? Like maybe just water?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Jay, You can use just water, but it may be a little lacking in flavor. The bone broth provides both flavor and nutrition, so it’s worth adding in my opinion.
Pauline
So pleased with how this turned out .Had it yesterday for dinner. I’ve only been on Keto for a week and this was easily the best meal I had all week. Loved it. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Kirsty Robertson
Hi! I want to try and make this. I am from the UK and unsure on some of the measurements. For example, if I set it to 4 servings it says to use 0.6714.5 oz on tomatoes, and I have no idea what that converts too! Any help would be great thank you
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Kirsty, Sorry for the confusion. This recipe calls for 1 14.5 oz can of tomatoes. When you scale the recipe down, it asks for a partial can of tomatoes. .67 of a can is just over half a can of tomatoes. I hope this helps!
Jade
This recipe was delicious , and so easy to make. It tasted amazing over cauliflower rice. I will definitely be cooking this again 🙂