Full Of Flavour & Easy To Make Sri Lankan Chicken Curry.
Learn how to make this quick, easy & delicious Sri Lankan chicken curry. If you love curries, then this recipe is definitely for you. This creamy coconut milk chicken curry ticks all the right boxes for being incredibly delicious, fragrant & aromatic & of course, easy to make. This chicken curry is beyond amazing & the process of creating it is so much fun & explores a few different cutting & cooking techniques. Please enjoy.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 Tbsp (40ml) - Sunflower Oil or Coconut Oil
- 1kg (2.2lbs) - Chicken Thighs, Boneless & Skinless
- 1 - Brown (Yellow) Onion, Thinly Sliced
- 3 - Garlic Cloves, Minced
- 30g (1.06oz) - Ginger, Peeled & Minced
- 1 tsp (3g) - Ground Turmeric
- 800g (1.7lbs) - Diced Tomatoes (Use Tinned Tomatoes)
- 200ml (200g) - Coconut Milk
- Seasoning To Taste
Curry Powder -
- 2 Tbsp (12.5g) - Coriander Seeds
- 1 Tbsp (7g) - Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp (3g) - Fennel Seeds
- 1/4 tsp (1.5g) - Fenugreek Seeds
- 4 - Whole Cloves
- 3 - Cardamom Pods
- 8 - Fresh Curry Leaves (6 Dried)
- 1 - 2 1/2cm Cinnamon Stick
- 1 - Small Dried Red Chilli (Optional)
Rice
- 1 Cup (200g) - Basmati Rice, Washed
- 1 ¾ Cups (180ml) - Water
Garnish & Serving
- Cashew Nuts, Roughly Chopped
- Coriander (Cilantro)
- Long Red Chilli, Thinly Sliced
- Naan Bread or Any Bread
Instructions
- Toast the coriander seeds, cumins seeds, fennel seeds & fenugreek seeds in a dry pan over a medium high heat for 2 minutes or until lightly golden & just starting to crackle.
- Place all of the curry powder ingredients into a spice grinder or mortar & pestle and grind into a fine powder. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan or pot, sear the chicken in batches for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown all over. Remove & place into a bowl for the time being.
- To the same pan or pot, add in the onion, garlic, ginger & turmeric. Saute for 6 minutes or until lightly golden & soft. Add in the curry powder & fry for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add in the diced tomatoes, season to taste, mix well & bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low & allow to simmer for 3 minutes.
- Place the chicken back into the sauce along with any juices that may be in the resting bowl. Cover the chicken in the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
- In the meantime, place the washed rice into a saucepan over high heat, add in the water & bring to a boil. Once boiling, place on a lid, reduce the heat to low & steam for 14 minutes. Turn off the heat, leave the lid on and let it sit for 4 minutes before fluffing it up with a fork.
- After 30 minutes, stir the coconut milk through the curry sauce, taste for seasoning & simmer for a final 2 minutes.
- Serve over the fluffy rice & garnish with cashew nuts (optional), coriander (cilantro), chilli & naan bread.
Nutrition Guide
The above nutrition guide is based on daily averages and is calculated for a single portion.
Recipe Notes
Sri Lankan Chicken Curry Storage Instructions
This curry will last up to 4 days in the fridge and 5 months in the freezer. It is recommended to keep the rice and curry sauce separately; however, it’s not the end of the world if they are together.
Sri Lankan Chicken Curry Reheating Instructions
The curry can be placed into a pan over medium-high heat and heated gently whilst stirring regularly until the sauce and chicken are hot. Alternatively, it can be put into the microwave and heated in bursts.
Do I Need To Use Basmati Rice For This Sri Lankan Chicken Curry ?
Basmati is the traditional style rice to serve with Indian or South Asian style curries as it’s light and fluffy and absorbs sauces exceptionally well, but that doesn’t stop you from using the rice you may have a cupboard that you want to use up.
Rice Alternatives
- Brown Rice is a healthier alternative and works very well with this curry.
- Jasmine Rice is more fragrant and when toasted, creates a nice popcorn-like flavour. It can be used for a recipe like this but I recommend it as a last resort as it doesn’t absorb sauces like basmati and long-grain rice.
- Long Grain Rice is another version of rice that fits into the basmati, jasmine and brown rice category, as these all have their versions. It’s long-grain (hence the name), is friendly, fluffy, stays separate after cooking and absorbs sauce very well.
- Rice Pilaf is a dish on its own, aa mixture of spices, nuts and dried fruits mixed through basmati rice. The flavour of such rice is a fantastic side dish if you don’t like mixing curries with rice and enjoy eating them separately. My recipe here is a perfect side dish for this Sri Lankan curry.
Watch How To Make The Recipe
Did You Like This Sri Lankan Chicken Curry Recipe?
Please take a second to leave a comment and rating below, and ill get back to you as soon as possible.
The water to rice ratio is well off in this recipe. Curry was really nice though.
Hi Adam. The water to rice ratio is spot on for me as seen in the video. A lot of these types of issues depend on the strength of your gas or electric stovetop plus the thickness and heat distribution of your cooking equipment. If you don’t mind me asking, What was the issue with your rice? I’m glad you enjoyed the curry. Thanks.
The rice was slightly chewy, had a bit more bite to it than I like, it could have been the size of the pan I was using possibly.
I do apologise for that. The size of the pot or pan definitely makes a difference as the water will either be compact or more spread out thus covering the rice at different levels.
Made the recipe, including the rice, and the rice was perfect. As was the curry. Great job!
Amazing!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you, Frank.