If you’re looking for the BEST chicken curry recipe, then this authentic Sri Lankan Chicken Curry recipe will tick all the boxes! I’ve also provided some tips on how to cook this incredibly flavorful chicken curry and how to adapt it to your taste!
The BEST Chicken Curry recipe you’ll ever need!
- Why you should make this amazing chicken curry
- Sri Lankan chicken curries (or other curries) can be made in one of two ways.
- Can I make a whole chicken curry or can I use boneless chicken?
- Curry Powder for this Chicken Curry
- Is this Sri Lankan chicken curry spicy?
- What an authentic Sri Lankan curry should be
- Here are some tips + variations to follow to make the BEST Sri Lankan chicken curry.
- How to serve this Chicken Curry
If there’s one dish that I could quite literally make with my eyes closed, this is it. This Sri Lankan Chicken Curry is one that I make and have made AT LEAST once a week for many years now. It’s quintessential comfort food for K and myself, and we are instantly reminded of Sri Lanka, of our childhood, of home, of full and comforting meals, every time we eat this Sri Lankan chicken curry.
We do like any kind of curry, but this chicken curry really is our go-to. Besides, chicken curry is probably the most common type of curry eaten in Sri Lanka and any other part of the world for that matter.
If you’re new to the world of curries, or even if you are a seasoned pro, this curry is must try!
Why you should make this amazing chicken curry
- This is an easy recipe that is also truly authentic!
- Many recipes use store bought curry powders, that change the flavor of the curry depending on the brand. This is CONSISTENTLY delicious, because YOU MAKE the curry powder.
- While it is authentic, it is also so adaptable! Don’t have coconut milk – no problem! Don’t like chili? No problem! Don’t have tomatoes? Just don’t add it!
- This is a step by step recipe, so it’s easy to follow even for novice cooks.
A great Sri Lankan chicken curry is a very versatile and easy to make dish. Sure, there are plenty of slow cooker versions and quick versions of this chicken curry that you could find online with a google search. These recipes mostly employ the “dump and cook” method of adding all the ingredients into one pot at the same time and then cooking all the way through. That’s how you get the difference between a mediocre chicken curry and a truly mind-blowingly flavorful curry! HOW you cook the curry determines the flavors just as much as the ingredients.
So here I’ll share the inside scoop, some of the well-known “secrets” to cooking a fantastic chicken curry. Plus, I’ll also share some variations to standard Sri Lankan chicken curry as well.
Sri Lankan chicken curries (or other curries) can be made in one of two ways.
- “කිරට” (kirata = milky). A chicken curry made with coconut milk, and can be less spicy, richer in taste because of the creamy coconut milk component. OR
- “මිරිසට” (mirisata = chili/spicy). A chicken curry made without coconut milk, so can be spicier, and lighter.
You can easily adapt this same chicken curry recipe to make either of these versions of chicken curry. We prefer the “kirata” style with the coconut milk that is a richer tasting curry because of the coconut milk. However, we make the “mirisata” style more often so that I don’t use too much coconut milk in everyday cooking.
Can I make a whole chicken curry or can I use boneless chicken?
You can make this chicken curry with bone-in pieces from a whole chicken, or just bone-in pieces of just chicken legs or chicken thighs. Or for convenience, you can just use boneless pieces of chicken. Obviously, boneless chicken will cook faster, and is my choice when I want to cook a quick curry that can be ready in less than 30 minutes. BUT, a GOOD chicken curry uses bone-in chicken pieces because the bones flavor the curry sauce (or as we call it – curry gravy).
If you’re using boneless chicken, I recommend using the red meat over white meat of chicken. Chicken thighs (red meat) has more flavor and won’t overcook easily and can withstand the cooking time.
For a healthier option you can use sliced boneless chicken breasts too. But make sure to cook them for a shorter amount of time OR braise them for a longer time to make it tender. Otherwise the pieces will be too dry.
To cook with sliced chicken breasts for a quick curry, make sure to make the curry sauce FIRST and then add the chicken at the end and only cook it until the chicken is cooked through.
Some choose to remove the chicken skin to lessen the fat in the chicken curry as well. I have always loved eating the skin, so I compromise and add half with the skin, and half without. So that’s totally up to you!
Curry Powder for this Chicken Curry
Arguably, curry powder is the most important ingredient for this chicken curry. So, I use my own homemade ROASTED Sri Lankan curry powder to make this delicious chicken curry. It’s made with,
- Coriander seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Black peppercorns
- Cardamom seeds from cardamom pods
- Mustard seeds
- Cloves
- Fennel seeds
It’s got a robust flavor and is the perfect combination of spices for any curry, especially for classic Sri Lankan curries. And since it’s not a very spicy curry powder, you can control how much chili powder you add as well. The first four ingredients mentioned above, are crucial for a curry powder. I sometimes leave out the mustard and fennel seeds out from this curry powder and still get fantastic results.
I would highly recommend making this curry powder for this curry. You can use store bought curry powders too, but remember that you may need to adjust the amount you add depending on how strong/weak the curry powder is. Some supermarket curry powders are really quite weak, and makes your curries taste extremely bland. So taste and adjust if that’s the case.
Is this Sri Lankan chicken curry spicy?
Yes, we usually add 2 tsp of cayenne pepper (yup! that’s TWO teaspoons, we really do like it spicy), and 1 tbsp of regular (not sweet or smoked) paprika. In Sri Lanka, you’d only use chili powder that is pretty strong, and very vibrant in color, so it flavors the curry while making it beautifully red colored as well.
The additional cinnamon stick adds a nice sweet spiciness that also helps balance the heat.
BUT, you can adjust the spice level in this curry.
If you’re not a fan of spicy, you can adjust this level to suit your preferences.
You can add less black pepper to the curry powder. Don’t eliminate it completely because black pepper is an important part of this Sri Lankan chicken curry.
If you want that characteristic red color of the curry, but not the heat, then increase the paprika and reduce the cayenne pepper. But if you can handle spicy curries, or prefer them that way, then go ahead and add 2 tsp of cayenne pepper as I do.
And if you choose not to add chili powder/cayenne pepper OR the paprika, that will be fine too. The result will be a very mild Sri Lankan chicken curry, that’ll be mostly brown in color (and not a red curry), with a slight red tinge (from the tomatoes), but it will still be just as delicious without the heat.
What an authentic Sri Lankan curry should be
To me and my family, a basic, authentic Sri Lankan chicken curry,
- is spicy (and therefore more red in color than brown),
- there’ll be some oil floating on top (especially, if the curry is made with coconut milk. The coconut milk is cooked with the chicken to the point where the coconut milk splits and the oil separates from the milk).
- The gravy is just so damn flavorful, you can drink it on its own!
This Sri Lankan chicken curry ticks all the boxes! It’s a versatile recipe that you can adapt to your taste and still be absolutely delicious.
Here are some tips + variations to follow to make the BEST Sri Lankan chicken curry.
- For best results, use a whole chicken cut into pieces, OR bone-in chicken (like legs or thighs).
- Use Sri Lankan curry powder. If you can’t find it, you can easily make your own following this recipe. Lots of recipes will say that you can use madras curry powder, but that tastes different from Sri Lankan curry powder, and will not give you authentic results. Sri Lankan curry powder has a lot of coriander seeds, and doesn’t have turmeric. You can substitute Sri Lankan curry powder with madras curry powder if you really must, but just remember that the taste will be different. I recommend making your own Sri Lankan curry powder, which genuinely tastes better and is quite versatile too.
- Since there is pepper in the curry powder, you do not need to season with salt and pepper at the end too. Just season with salt to your taste.
- Use coconut oil and good quality coconut milk whenever possible.
- After you cook the chicken curry, let the chicken curry sit for a while. This allows the chicken to absorb the flavors of the curry gravy. This is why this chicken curry tastes even better the next day.
- Curry leaves are preferred for curries, but if you can’t find them you can use bay leaves or pandan leaves.
- Layer the flavors for best results – don’t dump in all the ingredients at once. Soften the onions and garlic and ginger first before adding the spices. This lets different flavors grow and strengthen. Using roasted spices adds an extra layer of flavors.
- For an added twist (which is not traditional) – roast the chicken curry in the oven towards the end. It caramelizes the chicken (which you cannot do on the stove-top), giving it an extra layer of texture that enhances the flavor.
- This is more of a caution than a tip. Be mindful of your preferred spice levels. Adjust the cayenne pepper to your taste.
How to serve this Chicken Curry
We serve it with rice and some vegetable side dishes. My favorite is beetroot curry! I always loved chicken curry and beetroot curry together. I highly recommend that combination of sweet beetroot curry with the spicy chicken curry.
Another option is to serve it with roti. Sri Lankans love and prefer to eat Pol roti, which is a flat bread made with coconut and wheat flour. But we also love godhambara roti (or roti canai), and maybe even some naan bread if we have some at home.
If you have chicken curry leftover, here is my absolute favorite way to re-purpose them! Turn it into Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti – a very popular Sri Lankan street food!
You can also make a really easy chicken curry fried rice or a curried chicken salad sandwich too!
If you’re a fan of curries and Sri Lankan food, then you may love these recipes too!
- Sri Lankan Crab Curry
- Sri Lankan Shrimp Curry (Prawn Curry)
- Authentic Black Pork Curry
- Cashew Curry (VEGAN)
- Mango Curry (VEGAN)
- Sweet and Spicy Apple Curry (VEGAN)
- Sri Lankan Beetroot Curry
EQUIPMENT & TOOLS I USED FOR THIS RECIPE
Sharp knife to cut a whole chicken into pieces.
Spice grinder to make the curry powder – I like to use an inexpensive coffee grinder to make my spice powders.
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Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
Ingredients:
- 2 – 3 tbsp coconut oil
- ½ onion yellow or red
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 6 – 7 curry leaves or 2 bay leaves
- 2 ½ tbsp roasted Sri Lankan curry powder
- 1 cinnamon stick or 1 small regular cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp salt plus more to taste
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chili powder (less if you like it less spicy. PLEASE SEE NOTES)
- 1 tbsp paprika not smoked or sweet paprika
- 2 lbs chicken, whole chicken cut into sections OR any bone-in chicken thigh or leg pieces (large thigh pieces should be cut in half)
- 2 serrano peppers (or regular green chili) cut length-wise, with or without seeds
- 3 roma tomatoes cut into cubes (or 2 medium-sized regular tomatoes)
- 2 tsp brown sugar see notes
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar PLEASE SEE NOTES
- ½ cup coconut milk PLEASE SEE NOTES
- ½ cup water
Instructions:
- Add the coconut oil in to a large saucepan and heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger to the heated oil and cook until softened.
- Add curry powder, chili powder/cayenne pepper, paprika, cinnamon, curry leaves and mix to combine. Cook for a few minutes until you start to smell the spices.
- Add the chicken, serrano peppers/green chili peppers, salt, 3 roma tomatoes, 1 tsp sugar, and mix to coat. Cook for 10 minutes with the lid off, on medium high heat. Stir frequently to make sure the chicken or the spices don’t burn.
- Add coconut milk, water, vinegar, and bring the curry to a boil. If you want less gravy, add less liquid.
- Lower the heat, and let it simmer with the lid closed, for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt to taste. The chicken should be completely cooked by this point. Taste the curry and season to taste if needed. You can add the rest of the sugar or more salt, or vinegar to your taste. Remember that curries can be adjusted to your taste!
- If the chicken curry gravy is too thin, or there’s too much of it, uncover and simmer the curry for a further 10 minutes or longer. This step is optional, but it will allow the water to evaporate and the gravy to thicken.
- Turn off the heat and let the chicken cool down slightly. Serve with rice or roti.
Oren says
Mind. Blown. So. Good.
Jo Copley says
Can’t believe I made curry from scratch, and it tastes amazing!!! Saving this one for sure!!
Alice says
How long do leftovers last?
Dini says
Hi Alice
I usually only keep it for 3 days in the fridge. But I prefer to freeze the leftovers, portioned properly. Frozen, it can last 2 -3 months.
trudes says
OMG Making the curry powder was so much fun even though it seemed to take me a long time to gather all the necessary spices ( no fennel seeds so used the small amount of fenugreek and star anise I had instead) By the time I had finished my kids were really eager for me to put it on the table ! when I did I couldn’t believe I had actually made it and I don’t think they could either – a REAL curry! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe and well explained instructions. Can you recommend a good coconut vinegar please?
Dini says
Hi Trudes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 You can leave out fennel next time if you don’t have it. I often leave it out because I run out of fennel seeds, and it still tastes amazing!
As for the coconut vinegar, I buy coconut vinegar when it’s available at the Asian store I go to, or other times I just use apple cider vinegar, because that’s more likely to be in my pantry. Hope that helps!
James Green says
I love this. Such a great curry to make. Intense smells and flavours.
Karen says
First time making curry anything. Loved this dish! Made my own curry powder as well, following the recipe included. Can’t wait to make this again!
Veno says
Hello please help. Chicken curry tasted awesome but there was way too much oil how do I correct this please any hints would be great. Thanks
Dini says
Hi Veno
There are a few ways to reduce the fat.
You can reduce the oil that’s added to the curry when cooking it.
Make sure to remove the skin and excess fat from the chicken. You can also use chicken breast to further reduce fat, but this will make the chicken pieces drier too.
Also note that the coconut milk added to the chicken curry, splits into the solids and oil. So there is a layer of fat from the coconut milk used. This is part of an authentic curry. If you don’t want this, you can skip adding coconut milk or add it at the end to prevent splitting.
Hope that helps
Kumar says
Omg . Taste brilliant, smells whole house and neighbours asking, feel like l am in Srilanka .
Thanks and love your wonderful recipe
Sue says
Absolutely lovely. Very easy to make and enjoyed by everyone
Casey Relf says
I cooked this tonight, soooo good!! Thank gig for the recipe, I was surprised to see so many positive comments and thought it couldn’t be true!
Sarah says
Dini, absolutely love this recipe — have made it multiple times and keep your Sri Lankan curry powder on hand for other dishes, too! I just got an instapot and am wondering if this recipe could be adapted?
Dini says
Hi Sarah!
I’m so glad that you enjoy this recipe!
With regards to using an instant pot. You could, but I personally don’t like to. Usually chicken curry should have a little bite, and not feel too mushy when you eat it. If the chicken is over cooked, it results in fall of the bones, soft meat (soggy meat) that my husband and I don’t like. And it’s easy to overcook chicken curry in an instant pot, especially if the pieces of meat are small. You could cook it for about 15 – 20 minutes and see if it works for you, but personally we just don’t like it.
I hope that helps!
Nimeshi Fernando says
Loved it and it tasted amazing. Im in a bit of a pickle because now my fiance wants to eat it all the time :p
I also made my own roasted curry powder from your recepies! It’s amazing!
Dini says
Haha, I’m glad to hear! Thanks so much for letting me know Nimeshi 🙂
Precious Russell says
This is now my go to recipe for curry. My husband and I are chicken farmers in South Africa and I had run out of chicken ideas. We both like a curry and this is the best chicken curry we have had! Authentic flavours and the whole house smells delicious while it cooks. Thank you for a great recipe!
Sharda Gurung says
Thank you so much for posting this amazing curry recipe. This recipe is a keeper.
Dave M says
Have made so many curry recipes from the internet, some good, some less so, but this is a 5 star recipe. This curry is so fragrant and flavourful, with some nice satisfying heat. My kids love this too, think the coconut tempers the heat for them.
Thank you so much!
Jennifer says
I tried this recipe yesterday. It was delicious and such a lovely combination of flavours. Thank you so much.
Nazia Abdulrehman says
OMG!!! I am an Indian but am gonna say this is the best curry ever!
Tamsin says
Do I have to specifically buy apple cider vinegar for this recipe ? Doesn’t seem like that would be traditional. What would be the traditional vinegar used through I can use instead – white ? Also if I buy fresh coconut milk from the market do I need to dilute it with water ? Thanks ! Looking forward to making it.
Dini says
Hi Tamsin
The authentic version uses coconut vinegar, which is what we use at home. But a good quality one is harder to find.
The closest to it would be apple cider vinegar, which is why it’s included in the ingredient list. White wine vinegar has a harsher taste, so if you choose to use it, you may need to reduce the amount.
Fresh coconut milk is fine to use too. If its the first press coconut milk, it may need to be diluted to reduce richness. But also bear in mind that it also depends on how rich you want the curry to be. If you don’t want it to be rich, dilute it – but if you like it rich, then use the undiluted version.
Hope that helps.
Tamsin says
Ooh great. I’m in Thailand. I should be able to get coconut vinegar, no worries. Thanks for your reply ! Can’t wait to give this a go !
Deepthy says
Really good
James says
Thank you for this recipe, I haven’t made a curry before and made this for the family and everyone loved it. Can you add Star Anise to this curry?
Dini says
Hi James
I’m glad your family loved the recipe 🙂
We don’t usually add star anise in this curry. It will give the curry a licorice-like flavor, and if you like that, then you can add star anise if you like.
We like adding star anise to our rice to give a nice fragrance and flavor, but don’t add it too much to our curries.
I hope that helps
Rach says
Do you put the chicken in uncooked?
Dini says
Yes Rach, the chicken is added uncooked in step 3. I hope that helps.
Zackary Anderson says
This was an instant classic hit for my family, I cannot even tell you the number of times people have asked if they can just buy the ingredients if I show up to cook it, thank you SO much for creating this recipe.
Andrew Candy says
I’ve been making this for well over a year now, at least once a fortnight and often once a week. It’s my go-to curry! Even after all this time, each time I make it it seems to improve just that little bit – maybe my confidence with grinding the spices and combining the ingredients? I know the recipe off by heart these days, I just wanted to come back and say how much I appreciate you sharing it for all of us. Thanks Dini! ^^
Dini says
Yay, that’s fantastic, I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you so much for letting me know Andrew! 🙂
Paul Ragbourne says
Takes me ages to make but I love it
Ben says
This is a wonderful curry thank you.
Aly says
Recipe is fantastic. Easy and delicious!
Anne Putt says
This is a wonderful recipe, my Family gave it a ten out of ten which never happens so I was extremely pleased.
As I’m vegetarian I removed some of the sauce for myself prior to adding the chicken , i had it with spinach it was delicious.
Dini says
Hi Anne
I’m so glad that you and your family enjoyed this recipe!
You can also use this same curry base to make a vegetarian curry too! We love to make it with sweet potatoes, potatoes or carrots, and then wilt some spinach during the last few minutes of cook time. This beetroot curry is also an easy and excellent vegetarian curry we make quite often 🙂
Terracharm says
We haven’t had curry for quite some time this is fabulous. we loved making this from scratch so thank you for sharing this with us..
Catherine says
This recipe is so very authentic and with the roasted homemade curry powder, the aromas that came out on the second day were to die for!! Thank you so much for sharing ☺️
Precious Russell says
I have made this curry several times now, following the recipe to the dot. It’s always a hit, every time. On the last occasion, I added 1 bird’s eye chilli because my husband likes his food spicy.
Ian ferguson says
Have made this a few times and stuck to the recipe as I’m lucky enough to have proper Sri Lankan curry and chilli powders it is so good and very spicy just the way I like it and reminds me of when I was in Sri Lanka and having curry for my breakfast so thank you for sharing
Quique Gualde says
We prepared this curry yesterday and it was an instant winner. Had it for lunch and the leftovers for dinner with some friends who visited and loved it too.
I have a question, the pictures that accompany this recipe show the plate decorated with small pieces of cilantro, yet the recipe doesn’t mention cilantro at all.
We did not add it; but next time we will, since we love cilantro with our curries; but I wonder, do Sri-Lankers use it in this dish?
Dini says
Hi Quique!
I’m so glad that you liked this curry! 🙂
I added cilantro at the end as more of a garnish than anything. When we make this at home, we don’t really bother with that, although you absolutely can add fresh cilantro at the end if you like it! We don’t usually bother with garnishing a dish when we serve family and friends 🙂
However, since the curry powder has a prominent coriander taste (seeds from cilantro plant), the cilantro just adds a fresh flavor to complement it.
I hope that helps!