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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Amazing!! My very picky 7 and 9 yr olds loved this dish. It turned out way better than expected specially since this was my first time making curry!
There were no quantities in the recipe I used so guessed. Also no mention of sugar. Luckily I read that in the comments. Otherwise good recipe.
Hi Belinda, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an icon that looks like a notepad – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Happy to hear, though, that you got a good result guessing about ingredient amounts!! 🙂
This recipe made my husband a fan of curry! Previously, I could only enjoy at restaurants as he was adamant he didn’t like curry. I kept telling him there were many different kinds that he should try this one, lovely, mild and creamy. It worked………thank you Jenn!
My 4 year old and 9 year old absolutely loved this! We all agree it will become a regular dinner! I added a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, and chopped a carrot to use because I didn’t have any peas. I actually think it would be delicious as a vegetarian dish using the chickpeas, carrots and maybe squash.
Oh my goodness–made this last night–so good!
And I was very excited that mine turned out looking like the beautiful pics above 🙂
This one’s a keeper–thank you for sharing!
Sorry that’s a no from us. Bland and flavourless, even though I was generous with the flavour elements.
Thanks Rebecca! I will try YouTube for help. I doubled up on the ingredients (used LOTS of curry powder) and it still came out bland for me… Agreed, Jen is an excellent chef. I’ve made many of her dishes and they all came out very good, except for this one.
Which curry powder do you use?
Hi Abraham, I use this one by McCormick. Hope you enjoy the chicken!
It is one of the best meals I’ve eaten in my life.
I really like your site and every recipe of yours I tried, I thought was really good. This curry is no exception. It was fairly quick and easy to make and yummy. I don’t usually stray from a written recipe, but I did add a few more Indian spices, like cumin, cardamom and some garam masala, just because I really love those flavors in a curry. I also forgot to add the greek yogurt at the end, but it didn’t matter – it was still delicious. I served my curry over cauliflower rice and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful recipes!
What can I use instead of greek yogurt as I need a non dairy option?
Hi Sharon, you could use a non-dairy yogurt (that would give you a similar consistency). Nut milk will also work and, if you want the finished dish to be a little thicker, just simmer it for a little longer. Hope you enjoy!
I made this chicken curry a few times. My husband and I usually love the hot & spicy Indian (or Thai) curries more; nevertheless, this is great comfort food and one of our keepers.
Someone asked about freezing this for later and I found a way to do it with a similar recipe. Here’s what I did: After thawing it, I separated the chicken from the sauce, put the sauce in a pan, brought to simmer, and re-thicken it with some heavy cream (or in this case, yogurt) and diluted cornstarch until I got the right consistency. Then I “revived” the flavors by simply re-adding some of the seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, curry, etc.), then added the chicken at the end, cooked for 1-2 minutes, until hot. Et voilà! Dish came out just as good as the first time.
The dish was good, but I found the sauce to taste too much like a gravy, which I do not like. I did not have cornstarch so I added two tablespoons of flour when I was frying onions/garlic/ginger. Does cornstarch give the sauce a different texture?
Hi Olga, It does give it a silkier, less gravy-like texture.
Thanks, Jenn! I will try it with cornstarch next time
Tried it! Loved it! Thank you!