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Home Collections Curries

Golden coconut chicken curry

By:Nagi
Published:11 Sep '23Updated:19 Sep '23
161 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

This Golden Coconut Chicken Curry blows me away every time I make it – and I’ve been making it a lot lately! Such a beautiful spice blend, with turmeric making the coconut curry sauce a warm yellow colour. Thai vibes. Easy. Swoon-worthy!

Freshly cooked Coconut chicken curry

A really great but easy coconut chicken curry

Regular readers know I love my curries. Especially Thai and Indian ones – though the good ole’ retro chicken curry and curried sausages will always have a place in my heart!

But on days when I have a hankering for a really good from-scratch curry but don’t have the time for blitzing fresh curry pastes, this is what I’m making on repeat. It’s got Thai vibes with a hint of Indian undertones, like a less shrimpy version of Thai Yellow Curry with a whisper of Massaman Curry.

It’s very, very good. And though not a traditional Thai curry recipe (as far as I know), it tastes very authentic. (You know what I mean!)

Coconut chicken curry over basmati rice, ready to eat

-> If you’re after something similar (ie. still easy) but with more Indian vibes, head straight to my Easy Pumpkin Lentil Coconut Curry!

Ingredients in Golden Coconut Chicken Curry

Don’t skip the star anise and cinnamon stick, and really try to use fresh turmeric rather than dried – for maximum flavour.

aromatics and spices

First up, the sauce flavourings:

Chicken Broccoli Coconut Curry ingredients
  • Turmeric – Been a bit of a trendy ingredient in recent years, revered for its nutritional benefits, most notably arthritis relief. It looks like and has the same texture as ginger but is bright orange inside. When cooked, it turns things bright yellow! Stains like buggery so don’t wear white when using it, and grate onto non-porous things (like a plate).

    Turmeric powder – While fresh turmeric will give the best flavour and colour, dried can be used as an easier alternative. I’ve made it with dried turmeric and it’s still delicious!

  • Ginger and garlic – Fresh is the only way! The jarred stuff is sour and tastes nothing like the real thing. As with the turmeric, we finely grate them, for maximum flavour extraction.

  • Garam masala – Indian spice mix that’s common these days, in the spice aisle of normal grocery stores. It’s got more flavour than basic curry powders. 🙂 But – your everyday curry powder will be an adequate substitute!

  • Fennel powder – I know this one isn’t a staple so don’t make a special trip if you don’t have it. Just use more garam masala!

  • Cumin and coriander – Staple spices!

Add-ins and sauce

Chicken Broccoli Coconut Curry ingredients
  • Chicken – Thigh is best because it stays juicy. Breast and tenderloin will work but won’t be quite as juicy. Prawns/shrimp and fish pieces are GREAT in this curry – plonk them in in the last 3 minutes.

  • Broccoli – Cut them into little florets so they are spoon-eating-size. You can also use the stem – just peel and dice.

  • Coconut cream is thicker so makes the sauce thicker. Also has stronger coconut flavour. Both good things! If using coconut milk, suggest thickening the sauce slightly. Mix 2 teaspoons cornflour/cornstarch with a small splash of water, then mix in towards the end.

  • Chicken stock/broth – Gives the sauce more flavour. If using just water, it’s just a little lacking.

  • Onion – For sautéing at the beginning.

Other add-in options

The recipe can be made with any proteins and vegetables that will cook in the 15 minutes total sauce simmering time. Just add them in at the appropriate time. Pumpkin or sweet potato and chickpeas is a firm favourite. A friend made this with shrimp/prawns instead of chicken and reported swoon-worthy results (his words, not mine 🤷🏻‍♀️). Zucchini and eggplants are also amazing, though my eggplant skin gave the sauce an interesting purplish hue. 😂

Garnishes

I just realised, the coriander / cilantro is not just a garnish. A good handful is mixed into the sauce. Great finishing touch. 🙂

Chicken Broccoli Coconut Curry ingredients
  • Coriander / cilantro – As mentioned above, a good handful to mix into the sauce plus extra for sprinkling on top.

    If you’re in the I Hate Coriander club, feel free to skip this. I’d just sprinkle with green onion slices instead.

  • Crispy Shallots – Crispy, salty, oily pops of goodness. Find them in the Asian aisle, cheaper at Asian stores. I love them so much and use them so frequently I even wrote about them here.


How to make it

OK! The making part. Nice and straightforward. Just a specific order in which things are toasted / sautéed / simmered / added into the pot. There’s reasons! 🙂

How to make Chicken Broccoli Coconut Curry
  1. Toast the cinnamon stick and star anise for 2 minutes. This really brings out lovely flavour that is then imparted into the sauce, so don’t skip this step!

  2. Cook chicken – Next, sauté the onion for 2 minutes to soften, then add the chicken. Cook for 3 minutes or until the outside turns white and you can no longer see pink. The inside will still be raw which is what we want – this ensures the chicken is not overcooked by the time the sauce is finished simmering.

How to make Chicken Broccoli Coconut Curry
  1. Toast spices – Add the grated garlic, ginger and turmeric, and stir for 1 minute. Then add the spice mix and stir for 30 seconds. Toasting the fresh and dried spices is a key step, like with the star anise and cinnamon, to bring out and improve the flavour. So much more flavoursome than just dumpling spices into liquid!

  2. Simmer 12 minutes – Stir in the coconut cream and chicken stock/broth, then simmer for 12 minutes. Simmer energetically, not a slow simmer like when making stocks and stew, because we want the sauce to reduce to concentrate the flavour and thicken slightly. And we want this to happen quick – before the chicken is overcooked!

How to make Chicken Broccoli Coconut Curry
  1. Broccoli 3 minutes – Next, stir in the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes. That’s all it will take to soften, because you cut the florets into small spoon-size, just as the recipe asks you to do. Right?! 🙂

  2. Finish the coconut curry off by stirring in the fresh coriander. Let it cool for 5 minutes or so – there will be a LOT of heat in that pot! Cooling slightly also allows the sauce to thicken a bit.

    Now, the best step – EATING time!

Scooping up Coconut chicken curry

Serving Coconut chicken curry

How to serve this curry

Serve over rice with a sprinkle of my favourite crispy fried shallots and some more fresh coriander/cilantro. Jasmine or basmati rice are on point. Otherwise, any other plain rice of choice. Or even cauliflower rice for the low-carbers out there!

Love to know what you think if you make this. Curious to see if it’s just Team RecipeTin that’s madly obsessed with this coconut curry, or if it’s a universal thing. I’m banking on the latter, obviously, which is why I’m sharing this recipe!! 🙂 – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Freshly cooked Coconut chicken curry

Golden coconut chicken curry

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Total: 30 minutes mins
Mains
Asian, Indian
4.84 from 93 votes
Servings4 – 5 people
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe video above. This Golden Coconut Chicken Curry blows me away every time I make it – and I've been making it a lot lately! Such a beautiful spice blend, Thai vibes with a whisper of Indian, like a less shrimpy version of Thai Yellow Curry with a hint of Massaman.
Don't skip the star anise and cinnamon stick, and really try to use fresh turmeric rather than dried, for max flavour and yellow colour. All credit to JB for this one, his invention. 🙂
*UPDATE: If you skip fresh turmeric and sub other spices and you're using rather old spices (which lose flavour), the recipe won't be as good as the rave reviews below and will make me sad*

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp coconut oil , vegetable or canola oil (Note 1)
  • 3 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 onion , finely diced
  • 500g / 1lb chicken thigh fillets , cut into small 1cm / 1/3" slices (Note 2 options!)
  • 1 tsp garlic , finely grated
  • 1 tsp ginger , finely grated
  • 3 tsp turmeric , finely grated (sub 1 1/2 tsp powder, Note 3)
  • 2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium
  • 400g / 14 oz coconut cream , unsweetened (sub coconut milk, Note 4)
  • 1 large head broccoli , florets cut small (can use stem too – peel & dice), or other veg (4 heaped cups)
  • 1 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , lightly packed, plus extra for garnish (I'd still make without this)

Spice mix:

  • 1 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp garam masala (Note 5)
  • 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp fennel powder (sub more garam masala)

Serving

  • Crispy fried shallots , store bought, for garnish (Note 6)
  • Rice – jasmine or basmati recommended, or other plain rice
Prevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

  • Spice mix – Mix the spices in a small bowl.
  • Toast – Heat the oil in a large heavy based pot over medium high heat. Toast the star anise and cinnamon for 2 minutes.
  • Add onion, cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add chicken, cook for 3 minutes or it's no longer pink on the outside (still raw inside).
  • Add aromatics – Add garlic, ginger and turmeric. Cook for 1 minute.
  • Add spice mix and stir for 30 seconds.
  • Simmer 12 minutes – Add stock and coconut cream. Stir and bring to an energetic simmer. Cook for 12 minutes (no need to stir) so the sauce thickens slightly.
  • Add broccoli florets. Bring back to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes or until softened.
  • Serve – Cool for 5 minutes, this will allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Then stir in coriander and serve with rice (basmati or jasmine especially nice). Garnish with extra coriander and crispy fried shallots.

Recipe Notes:

1. Coconut oil (the unrefined one that is firm like butter) will add extra coconut flavour into the sauce, if you have it. Recommended! I was out so I didn’t use it in the video.
2. Chicken – Thigh is best because it stays juicy. Breast and tenderloin will work but won’t be quite as juicy. Prawns/shrimp and fish pieces are GREAT in this curry – plonk them in in the last 3 minutes.
3. Turmeric looks like ginger but is bright orange inside, and when cooked it turns things bright yellow. Stains like buggery so don’t wear white when using it, and grate onto non-porous things (like a plate).
4. Coconut cream is thicker so makes the sauce thicker. Also has stronger coconut flavour. Both good things! If using milk, suggest thickening slightly. Mix 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch with a small splash of water, mix in towards the end.
5. Garam masala – Indian spice mix that’s common these days, in the spice aisle of normal grocery stores. It’s got more flavour than basic curry powders. 🙂 But – your everyday curry powder will be an adequate substitute!
6. Crispy Shallots – Crispy, salty, oily pops of goodness. Find them in the Asian aisle, cheaper at Asian stores. I love them so much and use them so frequently I even wrote about them here.
7. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months.
Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings, curry only (not rice).

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 517cal (26%)Carbohydrates: 16g (5%)Protein: 27g (54%)Fat: 42g (65%)Saturated Fat: 33g (206%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 95mg (32%)Sodium: 846mg (37%)Potassium: 919mg (26%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 686IU (14%)Vitamin C: 68mg (82%)Calcium: 85mg (9%)Iron: 5mg (28%)
Keywords: Coconut Curry, turmeric recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Life of Dozer

Look who was in the paper on the weekend! And they stuck me in it too. 😂 In case you want to read it, the online version of the article is here.

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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161 Comments

  1. Tricia says

    June 2, 2025 at 7:40 am

    5 stars
    I make this every couple of weeks. My picky youngest child who doesn’t like a lot of complex flavours absolutely loves this curry. It is very tasty and so easy to make. It’s not spicy so if you like heat, add a chili.

    Reply
  2. Samantha says

    May 7, 2025 at 11:19 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely incredible

    Reply
  3. Nicholas Price says

    April 14, 2025 at 11:48 am

    4 stars
    Very tasty, find add a chili next time for heat. Woke up this morning, after making last night, and tumeric stains on cupboard!!!@@ now to see if it will come off. Thanks

    Reply
  4. Diane says

    January 21, 2025 at 9:34 am

    5 stars
    I love the flavors of this curry.
    Can I now make it using diced lamb shoulder?

    Reply
  5. Kim K says

    December 9, 2024 at 8:01 pm

    5 stars
    Brilliant. I used prawns instead of chicken, also used stock from shells. Amazing curry.

    Reply
  6. Catherine says

    November 15, 2024 at 7:08 am

    5 stars
    Great flavoured curry. I used double the amount of chicken so I doubled the spice mix plus the onion, ginger, garlic and turmeric. I still only used 1 can of coconut cream plus only 1 cup of stock, this was more than enough liquid.

    Reply
  7. lucilla Sinanian says

    September 30, 2024 at 7:42 am

    A really delicious mild curry that the family enjoyed. Now on rotation with us and hopefully the clients I cook for.

    Reply
  8. Rita McIntyre says

    September 28, 2024 at 7:27 pm

    5 stars
    Fabulous curry, tasted fantastic😀

    Reply
  9. Rita McIntyre says

    September 22, 2024 at 12:13 pm

    5 stars
    Loved your Golden Coconut Chicken Curry, great flavour, good colour and in general just delicious. I’ll be making it one of my favourites.

    Reply
  10. Emma Hambour says

    September 20, 2024 at 7:35 am

    5 stars
    This was super Easy, I didn’t have fresh tumeric, still
    Worked great , so delicious , even he kids loved it , thanks Nagi

    Reply
  11. Shauna says

    September 14, 2024 at 6:11 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this recipe. Will become a regular dish.

    Reply
  12. GUSTAVO BARBA says

    August 14, 2024 at 7:14 am

    5 stars
    It is a delicious recipe, and quite easy! I love making curries…; the only thing I changed in the recipe was I doubled the quantity of spices, the addition of pumpkin, and red and green peppers with one or two spoons of fish sauce, lime, and curry leaves… served over jasmine rice and stir fry snow peas with sesame oil and soy sauce on the side…

    Reply
  13. Petrina says

    August 13, 2024 at 9:55 pm

    5 stars
    Nagi you’ve done it again. Beautiful flavour so lovely with the broccoli might add some extra veg next time. I did reduce stock to one cup found that was enough

    Reply
  14. Bronwyn says

    August 11, 2024 at 6:19 pm

    5 stars
    Bonus! Gluten & dairy free without having to modify recipe. Absolutely fabulous.

    Reply
  15. Delphia says

    August 9, 2024 at 6:59 pm

    5 stars
    So easy & delicious. My husband can’t eat spicy food at night. I halved the spice mix & we all absolutely loved it. Husband taking for lunch for the next 2 days so I obviously got the spice right!!

    Reply
  16. Lee Rischitelli says

    July 25, 2024 at 1:43 pm

    5 stars
    What a winner!! Easy to make, easy to eat! Yummmm!

    Reply
  17. Tamara says

    July 16, 2024 at 5:30 am

    5 stars
    So tasty! I added a bit of curry powder to the seasoning mix as well, since I was low on garam marsala. Next time I’m going to add more vegetables.

    Reply
  18. Karen Thompson says

    June 26, 2024 at 6:05 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! My non curry eating husband loved it. I added bok choy in place of broccoli.

    Reply
  19. Catherine says

    June 21, 2024 at 10:37 pm

    I made this tonight for my in laws and it was a smash hit! My toddler also had a bowl and loved it! My husband said it was in his top 3 dishes made by me. Thanks Nagi! We paired this with the garlic rice and some roti and it was great.

    Reply
  20. Tiffany S says

    June 20, 2024 at 1:09 pm

    5 stars
    This dish left my husband speechless which is an extremely difficult task to do because, He is major foodie. I followed the recipe except that I didn’t have fresh tumeric. I used ground tumeric. I also did a vegetarian version with Tofu, zucchini, and squash. Both versions where absolutely delicious. Thank you Nagi! You’re truly incredible and have an amazing talent.

    Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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