Slow Cooked Chicken in Coconut Milk

Very mildly spiced with few basic ingredients, this Slow Cooked Chicken in Coconut Milk is our current favorite comfort food. As the chicken slow cooks the kitchen gets filled with the citrusy aroma of curry leaves and sweet coconut milk. An unbeatable flavor blend! Paired with steamed rice, this Chicken curry will warm you inside out during the cold winter months.

The recipe credit goes to my best friend Vijitha, who can cook some seriously delicious South Indian food. She had cooked this chicken curry in a cast iron pan, which gave a gorgeous caramelized color. So if you have one, surely use that. But even without a cast iron pan, the curry comes out rustic and so hearty.

INGREDIENTS needed for the Slow Cooked Chicken in Coconut Milk:

• garlic
• ginger
• curry leaves
• Onion
• Tomatoes
• Chicken cubes (preferably with a mix of boneless and bones-in) : If you want to use boneless only, then use only chicken thigh.
• Fennel seeds and Fennel powder
• Cumin seeds
• Coriander powder
• Coconut Milk
• Coconut Oil for the best coconut flavor. You can use other kind of vegetable oil too if you don’t have coconut oil.

In terms of the spices, you can also use some whole spices like cinnamon stick and cardamoms. The key to the flavor and taste of the dish is to slow cook it coconut milk and addition of fresh curry leaves.

As you can see I didn’t add any heat because my son is still learning to eat spicy food. But you can surely add some chili powder or finely chopped green chili.

STEPS to prepare the Slow Cooked Chicken in Coconut Milk:

• Start my marinating the chicken cubes in boatload of garlic and fresh curry leaves, finely chopped. You need to let it marinate for at least 4 hrs or overnight for best flavor.
• Cook thinly sliced onion and tomatoes in coconut oil with the spices until it’s all soften and the onions are mildly brown in color.
• Pour the coconut milk, the marinated chicken cubes, few more fresh curry leaves, cover the pan and let it slow cook for 30 to 40 minutes in medium low heat.
• It’s true chicken doesn’t take that much time to cook, but in this particular dish, the slow cooking in coconut milk makes the chicken pieces extremely tender. Melting in mouth delicious!

I made this curry several times in the last month and it turned out delicious every time. The curry has a lot of gravy, which is so good with rice. There are several different kind of chicken curry in coconut milk but this one is truly unlike any I ever tasted. It’s a keeper and you will love it too.

LINKS TO MORE CHICKEN CURRIES 

Slow Cooked Chicken in Coconut Milk

Kankana Saxena

Very mildly spiced with few basic ingredients, this Slow Cooked Chicken in Coconut Milk is our current favorite comfort food. As the chicken slow cooks the kitchen gets filled with the citrusy aroma of curry leaves and sweet coconut milk. An unbeatable flavor blend! Paired with steamed rice, this Chicken curry will warm you inside out during the cold winter months.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Additional Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Curries and Stew

Cuisine Indian

Calories 601 kcal

Ingredients

 

• 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 inch fresh ginger (finely chopped)
• Handful of fresh curry leaves (finely chopped half of it and leave whole few of the leaves)
• 1.5 lb chicken cubes (mix of boneless and bones in)
• medium size red onion - 1 and ½
• tomato (roughly chopped - 1)
• coconut oil - 1 teaspoon
• 1 can coconut milk
• fennel seeds - ½ teaspoon
• cumin seeds - ½ teaspoon
• turmeric - ½ teaspoon
• coriander powder -½ teaspoon
• fennel powder -1 teaspoon
• salt -1 and ½ teaspoon

Instructions

 

• Place the chicken cubes in a mixing bowl and add 1-teaspoon salt along with the finely chopped garlic and fresh curry leaves. Give it a mix and let it marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight for best flavor.
• In a heavy bottom pan at medium heat add the coconut oil. Once it melts scatter the fennel seeds and the cumin seeds. Stir it around.
• Drop the chopped garlic and let it sizzle for few seconds. Then add the sliced onion, rest of the salt, turmeric and coriander powder. Stir it around for 2 minutes.
• Add the chopped tomato, fennel powder, stir it around and cook for 2 minutes.
• Pour the coconut milk and mix it around. Add the marinated chicken cubes stir it around. Cover the pan and let it simmer in medium low heat for 35 minutes.
• Take the lid off, add the whole fresh curry leaves, mix it around and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste for salt and add any if needed.
• Squeeze fresh lemon juice and serve it warm with rice.  

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 601kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 44gFat: 45gSaturated Fat: 26gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 160mgSodium: 402mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g

Keyword chicken curry, coconut milk curry, easy Indian curry, slow cooked chicken