Chicken Korma with coconut milk and cashews – a rich and creamy curry that’s mildly spiced and easy to make! Serve over cauliflower rice for a hearty and healthy low carb meal! | Gluten Free + Paleo + Whole30
Chicken Korma with Coconut Milk
Let’s be real.
Curries can look really intimidating to make. They always have these huge ingredients lists and the flavours are always so complex and delicious that it just feels like a lot. Ya know?
Well. Difficult, this is not! Glancing briefly at the ingredients and instructions here this chicken korma with coconut milk might look like a lot – it’s not.
Altogether, it will take about 30 minutes to make with ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. It’s made almost entirely in one pan, though you will need a blender or even a small food processor as well.
More Ways to Cook with Coconut Milk
Steps
- Brown chicken then remove from pan.
- It’s alright if the chicken isn’t 100% cooked through at this stage because you will be adding it back to your dish later.
- Blend ginger, garlic and onion to create the base sauce.
- This recipe calls for two onions. One onion (the roughly chopped one) blends up with the garlic and ginger while the other is chopped and fried separately.
- Fry remaining onion – cook about 10 minutes until soft and lightly browned.
- Add spices and onion puree. Cook a few minutes.
- Add coconut milk and chicken stock. Simmer and reduce into a thick, golden-brown sauce.
- Make sure to use unsweetened coconut milk!
- Stir in cashew and chicken. Cook another 5 minutes or so until chicken has cooked through.
- Top with fresh herbs and enjoy.
Servings Suggestions
This chicken korma with coconut milk is a great option for people who are sensitive to spicy foods. It’s a pretty mild curry with only 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder. You can also reduce that amount down even more to 1/4 teaspoon if you really want to play it safe.
If you’re looking for a Whole30/low carb meal, serve this over warmed cauliflower rice and you’re all set!
Otherwise a side of gluten free flatbread or naan and regular rice is also a great option!
Chicken Korma with Coconut Milk
Chicken Korma with coconut milk and cashews - a rich and creamy curry that's mildly spiced and easy to make! Serve over cauliflower rice for a hearty and healthy low carb meal! | Gluten Free + Paleo + Whole30
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 4 large boneless and skinless chicken thighs seasoned with black pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 brown/yellow onions (one quartered and another chopped)
- 2 tablespoons garlic, crushed or finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, (optional)
- 1 cup full fat unsweetened coconut milk or coconut cream from a can
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- fresh cilantro for topping
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a large pan or skillet. Add the chicken and cook on a medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally until almost fully cooked through. Transfer the chicken to plate or bowl and set aside.
- Add the quartered onion (saving the other chopped onion for later), the garlic, ginger and water to a blender or small food processor and blend into a puree. Set aside momentarily.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil to the same pan you used to cook the chicken. Once warm add the chopped onions and sauté the onions for 10-15 minutes until soft and starting to brown.
- Stir in the onion, garlic & ginger puree along with the cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and chili powder. Gently cook another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the coconut milk (or cream) and chicken stock and let simmer for at least 5-10 minutes. Let the mixture reduce down and thicken slightly.
- Add the chicken to the pan along with the cashews and cook another 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and piping hot. Season with more salt as needed - this curry uses a lot of dried spice which can taste bitter if under seasoned with salt. Alternatively, you can stir in a bit of lemon juice to tone down potential bitter notes.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and more cashews if you'd like and serve hot over rice.
Notes
- Nut Alternatives: You can replace the cashews with flaked almonds or another nut of choice or omit them altogether.
- Coconut Milk: I recommend using a full fat coconut milk from a can as opposed to reduced fat or carton milk. The extra fat will yield a creamier curry. You can also just use straight coconut cream or regular dairy cream if you can tolerate dairy/don't need this to be Whole30 compliant.
Grace says
Came out a bit watery so I’m glad I only used a cup of chicken stock.. I did leave it to simmer for about 30 minutes to reduce down and added a bit of honey to sweeten it.
Sarah Nevins says
Hope you still enjoyed it in the end!
Rose says
Made this today, chucked extra almond flakes in cos the comments I read, amazing yummy I loved it and have frozen some for another day, thank you 😊👍
Sarah Nevins says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review!
Leanne says
Hi we love this recipe but it does seem quite bitter ? How can I stop the bitterness I wondered if perhaps too much onion and garlic ?? Thanks Leanne.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Leanne! If I ever run into a recipe that I find to be too bitter, the solution is usually to increase the saltiness, sweetness or sourness. In this case (and in general) I think increasing the amount of salt you use will do the trick. Add a bit more salt little by little and make sure to taste in between so you don’t over do it. You can also try adding a teaspoon or two of sugar. If you’ve done everything else to no avail, try adding a squeeze of lemon or lime juice as the acidity will likely make other flavours pop.
Hope this helps!
Tali says
Just made this and added sweet potato and used chicken thighs (forgot to defrost breasts) and WOW this was yummy! Im trying to get better at meal prepping large quantities for the week and I will definitely be going back to this one. I might add even more veggies next time. Thanks for the recipe!!
Sarah Nevins says
Love the sound of adding sweet potato! I’m so glad you enjoyed it – thanks so much for coming back to leave a review!
MARIA BELEN BURBANO CORRAL says
This is the second time I’ve made this recipe for my family, during the quarantine we came to stay with my parents and brothers so we are a total of 8 in the house counting my husband and 2 daughters ! The last time I had chicken korma was 10 years ago when I lived in England and I’ve been missing it so much .When I found this recipe on pinterest it looked to good to be true and waaaay to easy but on mothers day i gave it a try and also made naan bread. Let me just say that it was FANTASTIIIIIC ! My brothers loved it and my parents who had never tried it before just adored it ! I just finished making some right now for lunch !!! Thank you sooo much!!! From Cuenca Ecuador !!!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Maria! I’m so glad to hear that you all enjoyed it so much! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know what you thought! Hope you and your family are staying safe in these strange times!
Krissy C says
Did not taste like a Korma – more like a green Thai curry.
Jools says
Agree and far too bitter.. (and I have made many curries). However…! After I added some ground almonds, honey and a splash of mango chutney, it was much more tasty.
susan says
yes i do agree.. sorry . but there was not a lot of colour or taste.. i have made better.. i did has joole did added honey mango was tastier,, sorry but will not be making this again
Sarah Nevins says
No worries! Glad you were able to improve on the recipe for yourself 🙂
Natasha Sleight says
Can you tell me what the serving size is on the calorie count? I made this tonight. Excellent!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Natasha! So glad you enjoyed it! One serving size would be 1 chicken breast and about 1/2 cup of sauce.
Michele P says
Hi. Was wondering if I had curry powder, could I substitute that for the spices? If so, how much curry powder. I have garam masala so I can use that.
Thanks.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Michele! I think that’s a good option if you don’t have all the spices on hand. I recommend using 2 tablespoons curry powder but still using the garam masala as well.
Katie says
Chicken ended up too dry, I would suggest thighs next time. Also the whole thing was slightly bland, so I would add a lot more curry and chili powder next time.
Sarah Nevins says
Can’t go wrong with more spice!
Julia says
Thank you for the receipe, it had good flavours. But I found it slightly bitter tasting. I’m not sure why. I used full fat coconut milk. I did forget to add the salt, could this be the reason? Would be grateful for any tips on how to add some extra sweetness to this curry?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Julia! In my own experience I’d definitely say that salt can make or break a recipe. Sometimes things just taste off for some reason that I can’t put my finger on until I realise that it just needs a little more salt. If you make this again and that doesn’t help, you could also try adding a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce if you’re looking for a little more sweetness.
Amit Kumar says
Thank you so much, ma’am, for this detailed recipe, you have explained all the steps so nicely. It is somewhat different from what I employ, I use generous amount of fried sliced onions (as well as their paste) but haven’t used coconut milk, that seems very interesting… will definitely try it out.
Sarah Nevins says
I hope you love it!