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Home Collections Curries

Golden coconut chicken curry

By Nagi Maehashi
222 Comments
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Published11 Sep '23 Updated21 Jun '25
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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
4.73 from 121 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.

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222 Comments

  1. Alison Lee says

    October 3, 2025 at 3:08 pm

    5 stars
    Love the flavours. This is one of my favourite curries. I added chilli powder and curry leaves but only use half the stock and coconut cream

    Reply
  2. Lisa says

    October 1, 2025 at 2:29 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious but I wish I had read some reviews first. I found the sauce to be too thin and I followed the directions. I think next time I will not add as much of the chicken stock. And, will boil it more rapidly.
    If using fresh turmeric like I did, wear gloves. I still have yellow fingernails the next day!

    Reply
  3. Judith says

    September 27, 2025 at 5:43 pm

    The dish was tasty but I halved the chicken stock after reading some of the reviews. I also added some chilli and some extra Garam masala to give it a bit more flavour. I think that the secret to getting a thicker sauce is to let it boil rapidly. The end result was very much loved

    Reply
  4. Karen Shrimpton says

    September 26, 2025 at 7:31 pm

    2 stars
    Bland and watery, and I didn’t even add all the liquid (stock and coconut cream) as I could tell it was too much! I high-simmered it, but it did not reduce as expected according to the recipe. To save it, I had to thicken with cornstarch, then add more salt, fish sauce, and lime juice to bring out the flavour. I also added baby potatoes to increase the starch content and further thicken the mixture. in the end this worked after much tweaking. Bones are there but needs more love to make palatable.

    Reply
  5. Em says

    September 25, 2025 at 6:56 pm

    Massive win tonight. Delicious and flavourful and easy peasy.
    Felt quietly confident so doubled the spice to store for next time (and couldn’t find fresh turmeric so used powdered and added to spice mix)
    Will give a veg version a whirl next time.
    Yum

    Reply
  6. Rebecca says

    September 13, 2025 at 7:11 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this. Used pumpkin and zucchini instead of chicken to make it vegetarian. Loved the sauce. Followed the recipe as written otherwise and sauce was not too thin.

    Reply
  7. Sue says

    September 8, 2025 at 12:19 am

    Not sure where I went wrong Sauce too watery I thickened it up and I was sure this would not get the usual tick of excellence to my surprise family loved it.I will try again to see where my error was Thanks Nagi

    Reply
  8. Judy Jones says

    September 3, 2025 at 2:32 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. Made it with fresh turmeric and honestly, was a little dubious about how this would turn out as wasn’t that keen on the smell of the turmeric, however, it was gorgeous! I too found the soup to be on the soupy side, in that it wouldn’t coat the back of spoon, but that suits my tastes just perfectly, so it gets a full 5 stars for me and the husband and my boys who also ate it all up with.

    Reply
  9. Martin Arrowsmith says

    August 24, 2025 at 9:56 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe, as usual, Nagi. I added some green beans and sliced baby carrots. Crispy Chilli oil to top it off!

    Reply
  10. Brett says

    July 23, 2025 at 4:07 pm

    Very delicious ! Really simple to put together once the ingredients are prepared. Will be making this again for sure and adding a bit of chilli spice.

    Reply
  11. Seun says

    July 14, 2025 at 9:26 am

    5 stars
    Leaving an honorary 5 stars in advance before I retry this recipe next week and see if I can get the flavors I know are hiding there

    Reply
  12. Ann says

    July 9, 2025 at 11:49 am

    1 star
    I didn’t like this recipe. The sauce was too thin. The preparation steps were confusing.

    Reply
  13. Fe says

    July 7, 2025 at 1:47 pm

    When should we add things like potato or sweet potato?

    Reply
  14. Jane says

    July 6, 2025 at 11:40 pm

    5 stars
    This was a request from the family, as I’ve been feeling like a mid-week change! And this was an amazing Hit that the whole family loved. ( even our 10yr old went for seconds !!) the only thing I would say is, that I needed to get quite a few extra pantry spices for this.. but well worth it !

    Reply
  15. Lee says

    July 3, 2025 at 11:36 am

    2 stars
    I’ve made this twice to be sure it wasn’t just me – once with fresh turmeric and once with powdered and both were just okay.
    The recipe is super watery and the flavours weren’t that amazing for a curry.
    It also turned into an unappealing green colour once cooled.
    I won’t make it again unfortunately.

    Reply
    • Tara says

      July 29, 2025 at 4:19 pm

      2 stars
      Sorry Nagi, this is my first real disappointment with a RTE recipe. Far too much liquid and could not balance the spices properly. Overall it just tasted like a curry with no love. Ill just give this one a miss in future and stick with your other curries.

      Reply
      • Stuart says

        August 14, 2025 at 6:45 pm

        5 stars
        I wonder about these comments about it being too thin – I followed the method, and after 12 minutes at a high simmer it reduced nicely and had a great consistency.

        Adding the broccoli (and, in my case, some asparagus tips) reintroduced some water, but again it reduced down quickly.

        So I’m wondering: did people have the pan on too low a simmer? Or did they put a lid on?

        Reply
        • Gigi says

          August 30, 2025 at 11:41 am

          4 stars
          My sauce was thin too. I I should have kept the rolling boil on the higher temperature for all 12 minutes per the directions.
          I thought the flavors were unique and interesting. I might exchange coconut cream for coconut milk to cut back a tad on the sweetness, but overall, it was a very flavorful dish.

          Reply
    • Helen says

      September 17, 2025 at 5:24 pm

      1 star
      Same thing happened to me. Very watery and bland. Quite disappointing and the only meal from RTE I haven’t liked

      Reply
  16. Kate says

    June 30, 2025 at 8:12 pm

    5 stars
    We all enjoyed this and its super easy. I couldn’t get fresh turmeric so used powdered and it was still great it’s a lovely, mild curry

    Reply
  17. Jill says

    June 28, 2025 at 8:54 pm

    5 stars
    Just made this for the second time…wow! Sooo delicious, flavours are complex but not too much, finished it this time with a sprinkle of chilli flakes and some toasted cashews, other half is still raving☺️ 👌

    Reply
  18. Margy says

    June 28, 2025 at 4:37 pm

    My very fussy 13 year old ate this and said “Mum, this is the only Indian food I trust” 😁 High praise! Thanks again Nagi for another delicious recipe.

    Reply
  19. Sara says

    June 27, 2025 at 12:03 pm

    5 stars
    Made this last night, absolutely delicious. I didn’t find it too spicy so could potentially add more chilli if needed but I was happy with it. A great winter dish.

    Reply
  20. Tamsin says

    June 25, 2025 at 7:56 pm

    5 stars
    So tasty. I just want to drink the broth.

    Reply
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