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An easy Indian-inspired chicken curry made with yellow curry powder, garam masala, cayenne and chili flakes. Add chunks of sweet potatoes and fresh spinach, then simmer in a creamy spiced coconut sauce. Spoon the curry over steamed basmati rice and add warm naan. It’s so delicious! And, leftovers are even better the next day!
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Some of my favorite dinners happen after a full day of recipe testing—when I just cook with what’s on hand and what sounds good. Recently my oldest brother mentioned he was craving Indian curry, and with the chilly fall evenings, a creamy curry sounded perfect.
I kept this one really simple: just curry powder and garam masala (such a good combo), plus coconut milk for that classic, creamy sauce. It comes together in under 30 minutes, and everyone loved it. A cozy, weeknight win for fall and winter!
These are the details
Ingredients
- chicken breast or thighs – I used boneless, skinless
- yellow curry powder
- garam masala
- cayenne pepper
- chili flakes
- salted butter
- yellow onions
- sweet potatoes
- coconut milk
- baby spinach – fresh or frozen works too
- cilantro
For Serving
- steamed basmati rice
- warm naan
- chili flakes
Kitchen Tools
This is pretty straightforward. I make my curry in a high-sided braiser or Dutch oven. You need a good knife to chop, plus a cutting board. That’s pretty much it.
Steps
Step 1: Season the chicken
If your chicken pieces are small, leave them whole (they’ll naturally break up as they cook). Or cube them if you prefer.
Add the chicken to a large braiser or Dutch oven. Sprinkle over the curry powder, garam masala, cayenne, chili flakes, and a generous pinch of salt. Add half the butter and the onions; toss to coat.
Step 2: Start cooking
Set the pot over medium-high heat. Let the butter melt and begin to brown around the chicken; cook until the onions are soft and the spices are fragrant, 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 3: Add sweet potatoes & coconut milk
Stir in the remaining butter and sweet potatoes. Then toss for 1–2 minutes to coat.
Pour in the coconut milk and 1 cup water (or broth). Mix in the cilantro, then simmer the chicken until it is cooked throughout and the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. The time will depend on the size of your chicken. Taste and adjust salt and heat.
Step 4: Finish the curry
Stir in the spinach and cook just until wilted, 1–2 minutes. If the sauce is thicker than you’d like, splash in a little extra water; if it’s thin, simmer a few more minutes.
Step 5: Serve
Spoon the curry over steamed basmati rice and ladle extra sauce on top. Finish with more cilantro (and lime, if you like). Warm naan on the side is perfect.
Leftovers
Like chili, curry is even better the next day as the flavors meld. Store airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
Looking for other Indian inspired dinners? Here are my favorites:
30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs
Super Simple Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala
Gingery Coconut Sweet Potato and Rice Stew with Chili Oil
Lastly, if you make this 30 Minute Indian Chicken Sweet Potato Curry, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute Indian Chicken Sweet Potato Curry
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, use to taste
- salt and chili flakes
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato, chopped
- 3 cups canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- cooked rice, for serving
- fresh Naan, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a large Dutch oven or Braiser, toss the chicken with the curry powder, garam masala, cayenne, and season with salt and chili flakes. Add the onions and 3 tablespoons of butter. Set the pot over high heat. Melt the butter and cook until the butter begins to brown around the chicken and you are smelling those spices. 2. To the pot, add 3 tablespoons of butter and the sweet potatoes. Toss them around in the butter, mixing everything. 3. Reduce the heat to low. Add the coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water. Add the cilantro to the top. Partially cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the spinach. Season to taste with salt and chili flakes.4. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice. Top with fresh cilantro. We love this with a warm piece of naan.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Love how fast and easy this recipe cooks up! And delicious!
I had a zucchini hanging around which I threw in at the last minute.
Loved it!
Thank you
Hey Isabell,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment. So glad to hear it was enjoyed!
So good, so easy. Such a great fall recipe.
Hey Emilie,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment. So glad to hear it was enjoyed!
I made this last night. After reading the comments, I left out the 1/2 cup of water and I did add a little cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken it up just a bit. The flavor was amazing! Definitely a keeper! We can’t wait for the leftovers tonight! Thank you Tieghan!
Hey Nancy,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment! Enjoy your day!
I don’t really like coconut milk. What can I sub with? 2 cups milk, 1 cup broth?
Hey Jenn,
You can use any other milk that you enjoy for this recipe:)
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Hey Tieghan,
I love curry so I was super excited to make this dish. One thing that is always consistent when making it is the heavenly smell throughout the kitchen while cooking. When it was done I think I may have added to much coconut milk perhaps. The second problem I ran into was I needed more flavor to it. I added salt, pepper, and more curry. Not a tough problem to fix as it always easier to add spice then take it away of course. To make the sauce thicker I just kept adding cornstarch till it got to a better consistency. To be honest it tasted better the second day. Not sure why that was but I loved it more the second day. If you were adding curry paste to it what color would you use red or green? Thanks for the inspiration as always.
Thanks so much, Mike!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for sharing your notes. I would do red curry paste for this recipe.
Have a great week!
HI! This looks delicious! Can I use curry paste instead of curry powder? Thank you!
Thanks so much, Alison! Sure, that would also work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe!
Made this last night and it was amazing. I did not realize the sweet potato I purchase was a white sweet potato and I think the flavor was perfect. Not as sweet as the orange kind. This is going on the regular rotation. Used only 11 oz of coconut milk it was plenty.
Thanks so much, Diane! I appreciate you trying this recipe, so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great fall weekend!
This is the quickest indian dish I’ve made so far . I used the cook times as a base. I thought 6 tbsp was a little light. The seasoning,onions and chicken soaked up the butter. Next time I’ll skip the 1/2 water for a thicker sause. This meal has been added to the book of favorites.
Thanks so much, Justin! I appreciate you trying this recipe, so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great fall weekend!
This wasn’t my favorite dish, but I didn’t downright hate it. The 6 tbsp butter of butter felt like a lot, and the cooking times seem short for sure – mine was not 15-20 mins.
Hi Jenna,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! Have a great Friday!
I make dinner for my neice and her family. I had used/adapted many of your recipes. This one will be precooked, and I will add rice to it, so it is a one dish meal she can just reheat. I like to use Seeds of Change Organic Quinoa and Brown Rice. I also add extra veggies. 🩷
Such a great idea, thanks so much for sharing, Debbie!!
Love this recipe! Perfect for a fall weekday meal, the warm spices of curry and garam masala and just the right spice with coconut milk, broth served on top of jasmine rice and diced sweet potatoes, delicious. My only suggestion would be to not add the 1/2 c water for thicker gravy. YUM!!!
Hi June,
Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, I’m happy to hear it was a win. Have a wonderful day!
Why do you have star anise pods scattered everywhere in your photos but there isn’t actually star anise in the recipe? Is it just for asthetics? If you are aiming for an artsy shot, why not use an ingredient that is actually in the recipe itself? Just a thought……
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for sharing your feedback and sorry for any confusion! You can certainly simmer a star anise pod in the sauce, that will be great! Otherwise, it is not required for the recipe.
Can i use russet potatoes if i have them on hand?
Hey Jill,
Totally, that will be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this dish!
You say “ Mix in the cilantro, then simmer the chicken until it is cooked throughout and the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes” but then in the recipe you say 20-30, which is correct? 15 mins is a bit of a difference 🙂
Hi Terry,
You can follow the recipe as written and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Sorry for any confusion! Please let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it!
Hi Tieghan, why does it say 15-20 minutes in the steps above? (Please don’t tell me to follow the recipe, I’m asking for an answer as to why they are different directions.)
So sorry for any confusion. It’s 15-20 minutes. Have a great day!
The recipe was written with 2 different cooking times so that’s why I wanted to check 🙂 Thanks
Hi HBH. Is star anise supposed to be used? It’s not in the ingredient list but it is in almost all of the pictures. Please let me know because I’m trying to figure out grocery shopping. I ask because you put star anise in so many of the pictures on the site, I’m never sure if it’s just because Tieghan likes how it looks. I say this kindly, but this frustrates me. I’m on the site looking for help with dinner ideas, I just don’t have time to make sense out of pictures that don’t correspond to recipes. I’m not familiar enough with curry to know what spices go in.
Hi there,
So sorry for any confusion! Star anise is not required in the recipe, but if you would like to simmer it in the sauce, that would be great! I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try!
Do you cut up the chicken or leave whole ?
Hi Matt,
For this recipe, I leave the chicken whole.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Looks delicious, but so much butter!!! For health reasons could you substitute some of the butter for something else without losing the flavor?
Hi Jocelyn,
Sure, you could just reduce the butter or use half butter/half olive oil. I hope you love this dish!
I have a dairy allergy, do you recommend just swapping the butter for oil or should I skip this one? Thanks!
Hi Claire,
I would just skip the butter for oil:) I hope you love this dish!