A quick and easy cook-from-scratch Chicken, Coconut & Tomato Curry recipe. Super mild and suitable for kids!
Who doesn’t love a good chicken curry, especially when it’s cold and miserable outside. Although there’s nothing better than homemade curry paste slow cooked for hours, it’s just not always practical especially when you need to prepare a quick and easy mid week meal for the family. It’s all too easy to reach for a jar of curry sauce but almost all the ready made curry sauces out there are loaded with unnecessary sugar. My solution? This Chicken, Coconut & Tomato Curry. It’s quite possibly the easiest cook-from-scratch curry recipe you’ll find, using just a handful of simple ingredients.
If your family isn’t a fan of spice, then don’t worry, this recipe is very mild. My 3 year old had no problem with it but for the baby I mixed the sauce with some greek yogurt, just to be sure it would be ok for his little taste buds!
I used raw chicken breast pieces in this recipe but you could also use cooked chicken, ideal if you have leftovers from your Sunday roast. In this case I would simmer the cooked chicken in the sauce for about 4-5 minutes to warm it through, before adding the tomatoes.
This recipe will also keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days. I often find that curries taste even better reheated the next day!
I served my curry with white basmati rice and poppadoms. Naan bread would be delicious too, perfect for soaking up all that amazing creamy sauce. This recipe went down a storm with my family and is now a firm favourite on our meal plans. I hope you enjoy it too!
Iona Hall says
January 10, 2019 at 4:58 pmA real favourite in our house, I use 2 chicken breasts and 1 can of chickpeas as my boys are only just starting to enjoy eating meat, they will try anything with chickpeas in! We have yet to find a recipe that doesn’t go down well in this house, just bought your book and app so looking forward to many more!
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
January 14, 2019 at 10:51 amYay! So glad you like it!
Dave Phillips says
September 8, 2018 at 8:34 pmTerrific little curry. The chicken came out really well – I was a bit neevous if not frying first – but it was succulent and juicy. Have had problems in the past with other recipes with garamasala tasting powdery and frankly awful. This recipe it worked wonderfully. I can’t wait to try more!
★★★★★
Pam says
September 8, 2018 at 5:46 pmMy boys who always find curry too spicy just loved this. It’s is going on our weekly meal plan for sure everyone loved it.
Claire H says
September 7, 2018 at 6:10 pmYay a winner with our picky two year old plus mummy and daddy too! Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Michaela says
July 27, 2018 at 1:37 pmHi,
I love all of your recipes so far. I’m yet to cook this one but wanted to ask if this could be done in a slow cooker & if so how long for?
Alex says
June 5, 2018 at 11:58 amAbsolutely love this curry and will definitely be making it again. I added diced carrot and spinach to mine and omitted the chopped tomatoes at the end. It was a winner with my 4 year old and my husband. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
June 5, 2018 at 9:10 pmThanks Alex. So glad you liked it!
Callum says
April 15, 2018 at 7:23 amBetter than anything from a jar. Super easy and fussy-friendly. I made this curry a little while ago, making it again this week. I’m excited to have it again!
★★★★
Esme says
March 5, 2018 at 11:01 amThis is such a good recipe! I normally make it the first day for my daughter with less spice and then save the rest for my husband and I for the following day after I’ve added a bit more heat! Lovely!!!
★★★★★
Dee says
January 23, 2018 at 12:00 amThanks for sharing your wonderful ideas! Could I just ask if garam masala is vital or would it be ok just to add the curry? Just that Im normally not a fan of curry so don’t have those ingredients but my fussy 7 yo likes spice so thought I would try it!
Cipriana Costello says
March 21, 2018 at 1:55 amaid say yea. thW garam is needed for sure! But there are garam recipes everywhere. A quick Google will tell you what spices to blend and you’ll be good to go.
Lara says
October 10, 2017 at 8:01 pmI make this fortnightly! I’m a childminder and have yet to find a kid that doesn’t like this! I do omit the tomatoes at the end as most kids end up picking them out. I serve with rice, peas and some naan!
★★★★★
Tamika says
May 30, 2017 at 6:07 amAwesome and very tasty kids loved it!
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
May 30, 2017 at 8:43 amYay! So glad to hear that!
SB says
May 16, 2017 at 4:42 pmOh my God, you’re literally my new hero.
Partners kids are reluctant to try new foods as their mother is fussy and let’s them eat whatever they like,often not healthy food.
Have tried recipes in the past to encourage them to eat certain foods and this one went down a storm! You have no idea how happy I am!
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
May 16, 2017 at 8:35 pmOh wow thank you so much! That’s made my day! So chuffed the kids enjoyed the recipe. Hopefully you’ll find some more here that they like!!
JC says
November 16, 2016 at 7:58 pmThis was the first time I had cooked a curry for my children aged 4, 6 & 8. They rarely agree at meal times but this was a hit and all 3 asked for second helpings.
I added chopped spinach a couple of minutes before the end of cooking time and served with short grain brown rice. I also used some tinned tomatoes instead of fresh.
Thank you!
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
November 17, 2016 at 9:47 amWow that’s amazing! I’m so glad they all enjoyed it!
Claire says
September 6, 2016 at 8:46 amCiara. Do you mean the tubes of tomato concentrate for this recipe? Thanks
Ciara Attwell says
September 6, 2016 at 9:46 amYep the tubes (or small tins) of tomato concentrate / puree / paste.
Claire says
September 19, 2016 at 8:42 amThis curry was a huge big hit with my husband last night, I added in roasted cauli, chilli, peas and flaked almonds and he had seconds. I’ve omitted the chilli for the kids portions but added in a layer of rice to freeze the pots today. It was extremely mild without chilli really just a strong tomato chicken dish. It needed more liquid than the recipe to give enough sauce. Thank you so much for sharing this and say a wee prayer that the kids eat it too. Not that I care becuas I’ll eat it all.
Jo says
August 28, 2016 at 2:59 pmDelicious curry. My 3 and 5 year old love it. This is the first recipe I’ve found to suit the whole family. Thank you very much!
Ciara Attwell says
August 28, 2016 at 9:10 pmThat’s fantastic Jo! So glad your whole family loved it!
bel says
August 20, 2016 at 6:46 amGreat recipe! I added half the tomato paste and onion to accomodate my little one and it was brilliant.
bel says
August 20, 2016 at 6:44 amBest recipe ever! It worked fantastic for my little fussy eater… Thanks for helping to make my life that much easier. Wonderful… 🙂
Ciara Attwell says
August 22, 2016 at 8:12 amI’m so glad to hear that! My kids love this curry too!
Laura says
August 13, 2016 at 12:45 pmTotal hit with my toddler. One question – do leftovers freeze well?
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
August 14, 2016 at 8:36 amYes I make big batches and freeze it all the time!
Sophy says
March 30, 2016 at 3:41 amHow many chicken breasts in 600g?
Ciara Attwell says
March 30, 2016 at 8:02 amDepends on the size but 3 should be enough for 4 people
PREETHI PONCENO says
March 23, 2016 at 7:49 amCan any other oil be used? Instead of coconut oil?
Ciara Attwell says
March 23, 2016 at 8:03 amYeah of course, or butter too!
Malin Andersson says
March 9, 2016 at 1:46 pmHello! Good job. Great recipe you have posted. I really want to try this recipe at my home. Tell me one thing, can I add some vegetables in tomato rice. I am waiting for your response. Thanks.
★★★★★
Jennifer says
January 5, 2016 at 2:39 amI’ve made this twice. Tonight in a pinch I used a can of Rotel instead of fresh tomatoes because hey – it’s January. I also added chick peas and served over crispy lentil cakes I had fried in coconut oil. Next time I think I will add Spinach or serve over a plate of greens. I love this recipe so much – I was afraid of trying to make curry from scratch but this is a great place to start. Thank you!
Ciara Attwell says
January 5, 2016 at 9:39 amSo glad you liked it Jennifer. A chickpea version sounds really delicious, I’m definitely going to try that!
Jax says
December 8, 2015 at 6:42 amI’ve made this recipe at least 5 times now. It’s delicious, quick, and easy! I rarely write reviews, but I had to say thank you for such a fantastic recipe!
For all those thinking of trying this, know that it’s an easy recipe to add to as well. I’ve added snow peas, cauliflower, mushrooms, and tofu. I also swapped the chicken for paneer once. Delicious! Fresh cilantro and whole cashews sprinkled on top also taste amazing with this! Adding the fresh tomatoes at the end is brilliant and gives the dish it’s freshness! Better than takeout AND healthier. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
December 8, 2015 at 10:00 amJax thank you so much for coming back and commenting. It really means so much to me to hear that you enjoy my recipe. I love the idea of using paneer instead of chicken. I need to try this!!
Peter says
July 18, 2015 at 12:28 pmIs the chicken pre-cooked?
17 minutes doesn’t seem like enough time to fully cook the chicken.
Ciara Attwell says
July 19, 2015 at 12:46 pmHi Peter, yes it’s plenty of time so long as they are not very large chunks
Sophie says
April 4, 2015 at 10:34 amI’m 17 and just made this for the family, everybody loved it!!
So delicious and easy to follow!
Ciara Attwell says
April 6, 2015 at 4:09 pmHi Sophie, so glad your family enjoyed this meal. Thanks for coming back and commenting! x
Alice says
July 6, 2015 at 6:55 pmI would love to cook this meal for my family, I’m buying some balti bowls think it looks lovely in them and kids will love these, what size bowls are used I’m not sure if they are 15cm 20cm or larger?
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
July 6, 2015 at 7:07 pmThese are about 15cm. I’m not sure if you are in the UK but if you are I got mine at Poundland. Absolute bargain!
Fiver Feeds says
March 29, 2015 at 7:08 pmLovely recipe, seems very easy to make. I’ll definitely need to see if it tastes as good as it looks 🙂
Felix says
February 16, 2015 at 2:08 pmThis chicken curry is exactly what I need in these wet German winter days. This will be one of our family dinners this week!
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
February 16, 2015 at 7:43 pmI hope you enjoy it Felix!