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 / roti paratha), 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, diced or sliced.
- 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.2 – 3 tbsp coconut oil, ½ onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1 inch ginger
- 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.6 – 7 curry leaves or 2 bay leaves, 2 ½ tbsp roasted Sri Lankan curry powder, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp paprika
- 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.½ tsp salt, 2 lbs chicken,, 2 serrano peppers (or regular green chili), 3 roma tomatoes, 2 tsp brown sugar
- Add coconut milk, water, vinegar, and bring the curry to a boil. If you want less gravy, add less liquid.½ cup coconut milk, ½ cup water, 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 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.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Tamsin says
Have made this recipe about 8-10 times now and it is perfect every time (sorry for not rating sooner!). Have been slow cooking it recently, just keep it at the lowest simmer possible on the hob for approx 1hr 40. I use skinless boneless chicken thighs but keep them whole as they break apart when it’s finished.
Lisa says
I’ve made this many times with store bought curry powder and it’s amazing!! Each time I make it I try with different curry brands. My fav so far is one from world market.
Judy hauersperger says
I haven’t made this, although I may attempt it sometime.l because it sounds delicious. HI did want to thank you for including the ingredients with the instructions. I get tired of scrolling back and forth when I’m using a recipe online. It’s very helpful.
Robin Pyle says
This sounds very interesting. If I wanted to make this in a Dutch oven & roast it at the end as you suggested, how would I go about that? (Temperature, length of time, lid on or off-?) Thanks in advance for your help.
Dini says
Hi Robin
I unfortunately have not made this curry in an oven, so I cannot provide detailed instructions.
I find that long cook times in the oven (or slow cooker), tends to over cook the chicken. I personally do not cook the chicken until it has the super soft “fall off the bone” texture, especially for curries. So when I have used the oven to make curries, it is usually at the end, to “finish” the curry, to caramelize the chicken pieces, or to reheat a big pot that I made previously if I’m feeding a crowd.
Bianca Di Lanzo says
What an amazing dish ! The way Dini wrote out the recipe instructions made it so easy to follow. My family absolutely loved it, even my fussy teenagers, and my 11 month old grandson was begging for more ! (no salt or chilli in his !)
I now have a nice jar of the Sri Lankan curry powder sitting in the cupboard waiting for next time I make this delicious curry . Thank you Dini ! I can’t wait to try out some of your other recipes. Greetings from Australia
G Hewson says
Fantastic flavour! I went out and bought a spice grinder so I could make the curry powder and am very glad I did. The freshly toasted and ground spices make this dish special.
I love the way you format the recipe instructions on your site, listing the ingredients used in each step saves reading back and forth. Thank you!
sherri says
i want to make this today but i need to make for 10 people. how much to i up the ingredients
Dini says
Hi Sherri
It will depend on how you are serving this curry. Is it with rice or roti? Other vegetable or protein side dishes? How many pieces do you wish to serve per person? Are you cooking with bone-in or boneless chicken?
Usually you can get 6 – 8 pieces of thighs for 2 lbs (depending on the size), and this recipe should be enough for 6 (1 piece per person) WiTH other side dishes.
However, I usually cook 1 whole chicken (about 4 lbs) for 4 – 5 people, because I prefer to have extra than not have enough, and I always find that people do go for seconds when I make this curry. So for 10 people, I would cook about 2 whole chickens or about 15 pieces of thighs, or 20 pieces of chicken legs. .
Once you know the weight of the meat you want to cook, you can adjust the recipe to get the amounts for the rest of the ingredients. PLEASE NOTE, that it doesn’t have to be exact, and you can adjust the spice levels to your taste!
I hope that helps!
MaryAnn Hoopes says
I haven’t made this because I’m using raw bone-in chicken thighs and the cooking time scares me! Did I miss a step?
Dini says
Hi MaryAnn
This recipe is for fairly standard sized chicken pieces. As per the instructions larger thigh pieces (bone in) should be cut in half.
Hope that helps.
MarcoV says
I will be trying this chicken curry
Dawn Russell says
I was looking at the picture, have you added coriander leaves
Dini says
Hi Dawn
Cilantro was added as a garnish for the pictures but I usually don’t add it when I’m making it at home.
However you absolutely can add some and stir it in before serving it as well.
Camellia says
Amazing! This is my favourite chicken curry. We always have a batch of the curry powder ready to go. Have been using this recipe for some time now. Never fails to impress
Ana Djordjevic says
This recipe is amazing. I must have have made it more than 50 times in the last few tears since i’ve discovered it.
I am making the curry powder, too.
Thank you!
Bruce says
This a go to. Been making it for years. I like it with more gravy so I up the coconut milk and cayenne. Good with whole chicken pieces or boneless breast.
Lesley Knox says
I loved this recipe. I made the curry spice mix and of course have loads of that left, so will be happy to have this curry again. Very quick and easy to make. Very different from the usual Indian currys I make.
José says
You weren’t wrong – this ticked all the boxes and was the best chicken curry I have ever made!
Sean says
Absolutely fantastic, I’ll not be making a Thai green curry anytime soon.
Jane M says
I made this tonight using your curry powder recipe. O M G came out perfect. I loved the way you included the measurements in the instructions
Shar Black says
Love this recipe. Make this dish all through winter.
Robbi says
Love this recipe! Making the curry from scratch makes all the difference.
Chris says
Hi Dini
I tried your recipe and it was easy and I like it
Also what part of Canada do you reside is it in Toronto or what part of Canada I do live in Toronto
THANKS
Charlotte says
❤️
Antony Thornely says
You know it’s a great recipe when the first time Doig it it’s delicious, and it is delicious. Definitely make the spice mix
Teri webb says
Love this curry! I’ve made it lots of times now. I just love the flavour. And I think it’s a must to make tour own Sri Lankan curry powder
Mide Ololade says
This was great, good response from the family
Mark E says
That is taking a top 3 spot in my all time favourite curry recipes, absolutely delicious and well worth the extra time to make the curry powder! Thank you so much for sharing
bill brearley says
Great recipe very tasty I also made it with your curry powder recipe. Thankyou
Zeena says
Hi Dini,
I will be making this curry next week (I am so excited).
quick question: can I use coconut cream instead of coconut milk? Or would you suggest sticking to coconut milk?
Dini says
Hi Zeena!
Coconut cream is fine! It will be a little richer, which isn’t an issue for me but you can cut it with a little water IF you want.
Make sure it’s unsweetened coconut cream though!
I use coconut cream sometimes as well, and don’t always dilute it with water – it’s really a personal preference!
I hope that helps!
Andrea says
Could you use the curry mix with goat too as the curry powder smells like it would
Dini says
Hi Andrea!
Yes you can! I do have a recipe for goat or lamb curry 🙂 Just click here to go to that post!
I hope that helps!
Jim White says
Hi Dini. Our local Asian store has large tubs of Leela roasted curry powder which worked great in this. I had some leftover moong dal which I threw in, and turned this into a sort of Sri Lankan Dhansak. Really lush, thanks for the inspiration!