Chicken Curry With Sweet Potatoes and Coconut Milk Recipe (2024)

By Melissa Clark

Chicken Curry With Sweet Potatoes and Coconut Milk Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Rating
5(967)
Notes
Read community notes

I used to think the only reason to buy a whole chicken was to actually cook it whole. Why buy one for a recipe calling for parts when the supermarket will cut up the bird for you?

Then one day my mother set me straight. It’s one thing to buy a package of thighs or drumsticks when you need a specific part, but you might as well cut up your own bird if you need a variety.

You can use your cut-up chicken to make this ginger-and-lime-scented curry with coconut milk, sweet potatoes and chiles. Or substitute your favorite part, be it wings or legs or bone-in breasts. The bright, spicy and gently sweet flavors work well with any pieces of fowl in the pot.

When the chicken in this recipe is nearly done braising, you can fry up the liver, then coat it in some of the luscious sauce. If your mother is anything like mine, she’d be proud.

Featured in: A Whole Chicken Is Greater Than the Sum of Its Pieces

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1(3½ pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  • teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
  • Black pepper, as needed
  • 2tablespoons peanut, safflower or vegetable oil
  • ¼cup finely chopped scallion
  • inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated (1½ tablespoons)
  • 3garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 to 2jalapeno or Serrano chiles, to taste, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1(15½-ounce) can coconut milk
  • 2medium sweet potatoes (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1½-inch chunks
  • ¾cup coconut flakes
  • 1tablespoon black or brown mustard seeds
  • Fresh cilantro leaves
  • Lime wedges

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1067 calories; 83 grams fat; 42 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 56 grams protein; 1476 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Chicken Curry With Sweet Potatoes and Coconut Milk Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

  2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. Brown chicken pieces, in batches if necessary, until golden all over, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to a plate.

  3. Step

    3

    Stir scallion, ginger, garlic and chiles into pot and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in curry paste and cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk and sweet potatoes. Arrange chicken pieces on top of potatoes, placing breast meat on top. Pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of chicken. Bring to a boil. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes.

  4. Step

    4

    Meanwhile, in a large dry skillet over medium heat, toast coconut flakes until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and toast until they begin to pop, 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl and season with a pinch of salt.

  5. Step

    5

    Transfer chicken and sweet potatoes to a platter. Return Dutch oven to the stove and simmer over medium-high heat until cooking liquid has thickened to a saucelike consistency, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour over chicken and potatoes. Sprinkle with the coconut and mustard seed mixture and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

Ratings

5

out of 5

967

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Oksen

Amazing! I used boneless, skinless breasts as that's what I had. Didn't use the oven at all. Cooked everything but chicken stovetop in Dutch oven more or less as directed -- just added some frozen green peas at end which I highly recommend. Sautéed cubed breasts in EVO & shallots. Then added chicken atop curry when both were done. Served with jasmine rice cooked in ghee. Garnish as directed! Lime, mustard seed, toasted coconut. All my favorite chicken recipes are Melissa Clarks!

eliza

Delicious, fast and easy. I used skinless chicken thighs and just one jalapeño which was plenty of heat for my family's palate. Added some mango chutney and yogurt as side garnishes along with the coconut. Will definitely make again!

Kevin Osinski

This was surprisingly good. I used a mix of thighs, legs and wings so they would cook evenly. Since chicken skin turns flabby after being braised I removed it before cooking. This also keeps the dish from being too greasy. I browned the skinless chicken in a 12" nonstick skillet, removed it and proceeded with the recipe. I simmered it on the stovetop rather than in the oven, without any added water.

[continued...]

abby

I made this last night. It's very good, though time consuming. The chicken skin looked unappetizing once the dish was ready to serve. So I removed the skin and bones prior to serving. I'll make it again, but perhaps just with boneless, skinless thighs or breasts. And I don't think I'll add the coconut flakes next time - didn't care for their texture.

Chase

I really enjoy Ms. Clark's recipes because they beg for customization. I substituted cod for chicken in this dish, and carrots and green pepper for sweet potatoes. Consequently, I did not need to add water before I put the curry into the conventional oven because the coconut milk alone easily covered the cod fillets. I only needed to bake the curry for 25 minutes in order to cook the cod fully and tenderize the carrots.

Coquille

LOVE this recipe! Instead of waiting until the end to toast the coconut and mustard seeds, I did it at the beginning in our deep cast-iron pot, which I used for the whole dish, and it worked really well. Then those flavors were infused from the beginning and there wasn't an extra skillet to wash.

Kevin Osinski

[...continuing an earlier post]

I didn't have any green onions on hand so I added a few shallots which I quartered lengthwise along with the sweet potato. I also skipped the coconut and toasted the mustard seeds in the pan drippings before adding the ginger, garlic and chiles.

The lime juice at the end really makes the dish.

Chantelle

Short on time but really wanted to cook this recipe since I had made fresh coconut milk in the A.M. so I picked up precut butternut, sweet potato & cauliflower at the store. Had trouble browning the bone in thighs - skin kept sticking. Bought a mild Korma paste instead of red curry since my husband is sensitive to the extra heat. Served with brown long grain cooked with ghee. And a riff on Melissa's Green Beans Mustard Seeds, Cashews & Coconut - grated garlic, ginger, fresh tumeric.

Nancy

Mango chutney
Can use boneless skinless breasts

MichaelB

So when I make this, instead of removing the potatoes for step 5 I leave them in. Once it thickens (which takes longer than 5-10 mins), I have almost a sweet potato gravy that gets poured on top of the chicken at the end. It is amazing.

Karen

Made this last night and we LOVED it. Yes, it did take a little time cutting everything up but, honestly, not that much time. It was so worth it. I used one jalapeno and it did the trick. The sauce was wonderful, the potatoes so creamy, and the coconut/mustard seed garnish added just the right touch of crunch and sweet. Will definitely make this one again.

tungstencoil

How is coconut *not* Thai?! Coconut and coconut milk are quite typical. Here's a link; also, have personally been to Thailand multiple times. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dishes_made_using_coconut_milk

Kathleen

I buy it in the Asian aisle of my local grocery. Thai Kitchen brand.

dimmerswitch

De-luscious! Simple to do. Pretty on plate. Made per recipe but for subbing sliced shallots for chopped scallions simply because I didn't have them on hand. Noting some found chicken skin ugly-flabby at end, my outcome was not that. Don't rush the browning step in 2. For me took about 2C water to cover chicken half way up. But chicken throws a lot of liquid as it braises. Next time I'll use about 1C 'plus' water. Take the time to redux broth to sauce in step 5.

Georgia Gibbs

I used boneless skinless thighs and dipped them in seasoned flour before browning. One other change I made was to use 1/2 chicken stock / 1/2 water for the liquid. A new family favorite!

oregonian

This is a recipe worth following to a T. This is a recipe where you will feel what I imagine Melissa Clark wants you to feel: accomplished. Will make again. Did add a whiff of fish sauce prior to baking.Served over rice. My 9, 11, and 44 year old really enjoyed it.

Lisa

Could this be frozen for 4-5 days, thawed, and reheated to serve?

LBJ

We really enjoyed this but did amp up the flavour a bit by adding an extra tablespoon of red curry paste, double garlic, double serrano pepper and a tablespoon of fish sauce. Works well with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I added a tsp of “better than bouillon” to replace whatever flavour is lost when omitting the skin and bones. The toasted coconut and mustard seeds were really special - don’t skip.

Lisa

Took lots of notes from other reviewers. I added carrot from fridge, added frozen peas toward the end, I used boneless, skinless whole chicken breasts lightly coated in flour, all steps on stovetop only, reduced the sauce (important), otherwise followed recipe. Was like a deconstructed spicy chicken pot pie without the crust…yummy!

Cooking Fan

Excellent recipe. Cooked as described.

gavin

Careful not to overcook - only about 30 on the stove - needs a bit more flavoring (bit more curry paste)- get some peppers / garlic next time, but still very good with dry spices

Gretchen

I was excited to make this because I love curry and because the recipe has five stars and great reviews; however, it was just so-so. It did not have strong curry flavor, even though I ended up using four tablespoons of red curry paste. The addition of lime juice, cilantro and the coconut and mustard seed mixture helped, but did not save the dish. I used Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste. Maybe it would have been better if I had used a more authentic red curry paste from an Asian grocery store.

Tracy

Delish! Served with rice and it made the most wonderful and satisfying dinner. Looking forward to making this again :)

Victoria

Delicious flavour and quite simple to make although next time I might thicken the sauce a little and cut the sweet potatoes a little larger.

alana

This was so bland. What am I missing?

Janet

Excellent. Added some sh*takes with garlic and ginger. Chicken stock instead of water and doubled the curry paste. Took off lid at end and broiled to recrisp the skin.

judith

Made with fish, broccoli fish sauce, sugar, red peppers

Bob271878

I adapted this for leftover chicken: Started at step 3 and added cut-up, leftover for the last 10 minutes to heat through. The coconut, mustard seed topping is awesome.

Joanna

Used chicken thighs and subbed butternut squash for potatoes. Cooked it all on the stove top for about 40 mins. Chicken came out good but needed more salt. Squash got too soft, should have only put in for about 15 mins. Didn't add any water to the pot, there was enough liquid to come halfway up the chicken without it. Sauce needed a little more umph, maybe add another teaspoon of curry paste next time.

Lynn S

Great comfort food! Not too much work. I made it with two bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts that I cut in half and removed the skin. Followed the directions but used some yellow curry paste I had made. I also cooked it on top of the stove. At the end, I threw in a big handful of fresh baby spinach and added chopped cashews as a topping. Yum!

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Chicken Curry With Sweet Potatoes and Coconut Milk Recipe (2024)
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