Chicken Curry
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Whip up a one-skillet chicken curry, brimming with vibrant peas and rich flavors, all in just 30 minutes—a weeknight winner!
If you’re looking to shake up your weeknight dinner routine, this chicken curry is a great place to start. It’s made with thinly sliced chicken breasts that are quickly sautéed, then simmered in a rich, flavorful curry sauce. A handful of frozen peas goes in at the end for a pop of color and a little extra goodness. Best of all, this one-skillet meal comes together in just 30 minutes—perfect for busy nights when you have to hit the kitchen running.
Keep in mind, the flavor and heat level will vary depending on the curry powder you use. I use McCormick, which is easy to find in most supermarkets and makes a mild, kid-friendly curry. Feel free to use your favorite brand—just taste and adjust as needed. Serve the chicken curry with fluffy basmati rice or naan for a weeknight meal everyone will love.
“Delicious. My 5 year old told me ‘Never forget this recipe!’”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Curry
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – Lean and quick-cooking, they soak up the curry flavors beautifully and stay tender when cooked properly.
- Curry powder – A blend of spices including turmeric, cumin, coriander, and others that gives the curry its distinctive warm, aromatic flavor.
- Onion, garlic, and ginger – The trio that forms the flavorful base of the dish, adding savory depth, a little sweetness, and a gentle kick.
- Chicken broth and cornstarch – The broth gives the sauce its savory backbone, while the cornstarch thickens it into a smooth, silky curry.
- Plain Greek yogurt – Adds creaminess and a subtle tang that balances the spices and gives the sauce a rich finish. I recommend using yogurt with at least 2% fat—it adds more depth and body to the sauce. If you’re ever out of yogurt, sour cream makes a good substitute.
- Frozen peas – Stirred in at the end, they bring a pop of color and a touch of natural sweetness that rounds everything out.
- Cilantro – A handful on top just before serving adds freshness and a bright herbal note that brings the whole dish to life. Feel free to leave it out or substitute parsley if you’re not a fan.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep and season the chicken. Cut the chicken into ¼-inch slices. The easiest way is to cut each breast in half lengthwise, then slice on the diagonal. No need to be exact, but try to keep the pieces roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Once sliced, season the chicken with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of curry powder.
Step 2: Sauté the chicken. Heat some vegetable oil in a large skillet, then briefly sauté the chicken until it is lightly browned but still pink in spots. Transfer the partially cooked chicken to a clean bowl.
Step 3: Cook the aromatics. Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft and translucent, then add the ginger, garlic, and more curry powder and sauté until fragrant.
Step 4: Add the liquid. Whisk the chicken broth and cornstarch together to dissolve the cornstarch. Pour the mixture into the skillet along with the sugar and a pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer until the sauce thickens up nicely, about 5 minutes.
Pro tip: Always mix cornstarch with a cold or room temperature liquid—if you add it straight to something hot, it’ll clump.
Step 5: Add the chicken and peas. Return the chicken to the pan along with the frozen peas, and simmer just until the chicken is cooked through.
Pro tip: If you want to add more veggies, feel free—just cook them separately first, then stir them in with the peas. And if you’re adding a lot, consider bumping up the sauce by about 25% to keep things nicely coated.
Step 6: Finish the dish. Add the Greek yogurt and fresh chopped cilantro and stir until combined. Serve and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¼-in (6-mm) strips
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2½ teaspoons curry powder, divided
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (see note)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, best quality such as Swanson
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)
- ¼ cup plain low fat (2%) or whole Greek yogurt (do not use nonfat)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Sprinkle the chicken evenly with ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon curry powder.
- Heat 1½ tablespoons of oil in a 12-in (30-cm) skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned but still pink in spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer the partially cooked chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1½ tablespoons oil to the skillet and set heat to medium. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger and remaining 1½ teaspoons curry powder and cook until fragrant, about a minute more.
- Whisk the chicken broth and cornstarch together to dissolve the cornstarch, then add to the skillet along with the sugar and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce is nicely thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the peas and partially cooked chicken to the skillet, turn the heat down to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, a few minutes. Off the heat, stir in the yogurt and cilantro; then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with basmati rice.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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One question:
Why nonfat yogurt instead of regular yogurt? What’s the problem with nonfat yogurt for Curried chicken?
Hi Thomas, Since the yogurt is used to enrich the sauce, whole milk yogurt is a better choice than nonfat.
Good, but I keep reading the recipe over and over and while I see the sugar listed with the other ingredients but where or when it the sugar added? I can’t believe that so many have made this recipe but no one mentions this. Am I missing something? I am also amused that this is supposed to be an easy recipe, yet we are told to split many of the ingredients, but if you want to make it easy, why isn’t the amount stated in the description of the steps of the recipe? Using a cellphone requires going back and forth to the ingredients when it would be so much easier to just read the amount when it is added to the recipe. This may be a convention of recipe books, but we are in the age of the cellphone, for pete’s sake! Please don’t suggest that it should be printed out–I don’t have that capacity.
Hi Lee, You need to scroll down a little further to the instructions — the step-by-step photo tutorial doesn’t include specifics. Sorry for any confusion!
Take a photo on mobile of recipe then u don’t have to go back and forward
Some people, like myself, need it printed out because I don’t use a cellphone that often. Not everyone uses a cellphone.
I know that’s not what you meant, but you made it sound as if there should not be a printing option just because you “don’t have that capacity.”
I’ve been to a few sites where this is NO print option, which can be a pain in the butt, too.
I’ll be PRINTING THIS recipe out, and using it tomorrow night.
Thank you, Jenn, for this recipe.
I’m not a big fan of curry, but have been trying to add more curry, and turmeric, to my diet for health benefits.
It really does look easy enough. Splitting ingredients isn’t that hard to do.
You can always print a website page. Instead of looking on the website itself for a print button, just use the web browser’s print feature(usually in the top menu).
I’ve made this twice. Family loves it. I may add sliced mushrooms next time, because we like them. Great recipe. My only quibble– no way is this a 30 minute recipe unless you aren’t counting prep time, or have a second pair of hands at work. For me, it was close to an hour and a half to table, which is pretty much what I expected.
This was great… I made it last week using chicken… then today I made it using extra firm tofu and it was tremendous. Great recipe!
THIS RECIPE WAS EASY, DELICIOUS AND TASTED YUMMY. MY FAMILY LOVED IT! I ADDED A LITTLE MORE CURRY AND THE GINGER GAVE IT A NICE AWEET FLAVOR.
Hi, Jenn.
I made your chicken curry tonight. It looked great and smelled delicious, the chicken texture was nice…looked just like your photos as as I cooked it. I was proud.? But we found it sour tasting! I usually find your seasonings perfect so I’m not sure. Was wondering if it was the curry powder I used? I used the basic McCormick one, a new bottle. I was wondering with the leftovers, how I might counteract this? Coconut milk? I’ve never cooked with that. Was also wondering what kind of curry you use?
Thanks. Jane
Hi Jane, sorry to hear you found this to be sour! It wouldn’t be the curry powder (btw, I use the basic McCormick version like you did). Greek yogurt can have a bit of a tang, so I wonder if that’s what you tasted. (Or any chance the yogurt you used was spoiled?) And yes, you could try coconut milk or heavy cream here.
This recipe was easy to follow, easy to make and delicious. It will be a go to for us. I’m trying to get husband to eat more veggies, so I added to the peas one carrot, sliced and about 2 handfuls of small caulifloweretts.
I made curry chicken for the first time and I loved it! Absolutely wonderful.
Great! I had to simmer it a little longer than directed to get the right thickness, but the taste was amazing.
perfection!!!