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Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
This is the Best Chicken Curry Recipe, bar none. An everyday chicken curry doesn’t have to be bland and pale and mushy. This is the most authentic chicken curry you can make with your own homemade curry powder that will upstage every other curry that you’ve ever had!
I also give you all of my tips and tricks to make the most flavorful chicken curry ever, and how to adapt it to your taste as well.
If there’s one dish that I could make with my eyes closed, then it’s this chicken curry recipe. That is no exaggeration and I mean that quite literally. Just a rough calculation in my head estimates that I’ve made this chicken curry and variations of it over four thousand times in my life so far.
This is quintessential comfort food for my husband and myself. Every time we cook this chicken curry, we are instantly reminded of Sri Lanka, of our childhood, of home, of full and comforting meals.
While we do like any type of curry (check out my vast collection of curry recipes on the blog), this chicken curry really is our go-to. Plus, chicken curry is probably the most common type of meat curry eaten in Sri Lanka and other parts 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 a must try!
Why this chicken curry is special
- This is an easy recipe that is also truly authentic!
- Many recipes use store-bought curry powder that changes the flavor of the curry depending on the brand. This is CONSISTENTLY delicious, because YOU make your own homemade curry powder.
- You will honestly never have to follow any other curry recipes on the internet once you’ve made your own (roasted or unroasted) curry powder with my recipe.
- While it’s authentic, this recipe is also so adaptable! That’s the beauty of it. Don’t have coconut milk – no problem! Don’t like chili? No problem! Don’t have tomatoes? Just don’t add ‘em!
- This is a step by step recipe, and very it’s easy to follow even for novice cooks, and for anyone new to curries.
Ingredients
- Chicken – Bone-in chicken preferred.
- Onion, garlic and ginger
- Curry leaves – You can also use dried curry leaves that are readily available. Or bay leaves if they are easier to find.
- Cinnamon – Ceylon cinnamon is a little sweeter and preferred. But you can use regular cinnamon too.
- Curry powder – specifically a Sri Lankan curry powder. But you can also use a madras curry powder.
- Chili powder and / or paprika
- Green chili – Smaller chilies are spicier, so adjust to your taste.
- Tomatoes – optional, but add flavor!
- Coconut milk – make sure it’s CANNED full-fat coconut milk for the best flavor! You can substitute with water for a spicier curry.
- Salt and vinegar – to enhance flavor.
How to make the best chicken curry
A great chicken curry is a very versatile and easy to make dish. Sure, there are plenty of slow cooker versions and quick versions of 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 bland, mushy, mediocre-at-best chicken curry and a truly mind-blowingly flavorful curry!
HOW you cook the curry determines the flavors just as much as the ingredients. The proof is in the curry.
So here I share the inside scoop, some of the well-known “secrets” to cooking a fantastic chicken curry. Plus, I also share some variations to standard Sri Lankan chicken curry as well.
