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
Basic Steps + Recipe Notes
- 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 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.
Brian says
Having “steps” and then “directions” further below is super confusing and messed me up when starting the recipe.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Brian! Apologies – I can see how that could be misleading. The body of the post is where I usually give a very basic outline of the recipe with added notes explaining why or how something is done in that particular way. The recipe card is where you get the recipe ingredients + instructions without the sides notes, but more detailed steps.
I can absolutely see how that can be confusing if you’re not expecting to see the recipe fully down below so I’m really sorry that made things harder for you! I appreciate that feedback and I’ve added a bit to the “Steps” section of the post which explains that you can see the full recipe below for future readers.
Scott says
Great recipe, I added leftover turkey ( no chicken) and roasted eggplant with red and green peppers. Our families taste buds were very happy.
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Scott! I’m so pleased to hear you all enjoyed it!
Ellie Wildrick says
What’s step 3?😐😂
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Ellie!
I’ll copy and paste the step down here in case it wasn’t showing up correctly for you above:
“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 for 10-15 minutes until soft and starting to brown.”
To clarify, you basically just need to sauté one of your onions here. The recipe calls for 2 onions – one you cut into quarters and blend up with the garlic and ginger and one onion that you dice and sauté. You’ll get a different flavor out of the two onions for preparing and cooking them separately, and you’ll get a bit more texture in your sauce from the chopped onion.
Ruth says
Hi Sarah,
The recipe asks for chicken thighs but the ingredients list says chicken breast.
Which do you think is better or are they both similar in this dish?
Thanks,
Ruth
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Ruth! Sorry about the confusion – thanks for pointing that out to me! I think thighs are better, but you can actually use thighs or breast here. Chicken thighs usually have a better texture and flavor since they’re high fat, but chicken breast are a great option if you prefer a leaner option.
Jen says
This curry didn’t thicken up at all. I followed the recipe exactly, but it basically is just yellow soup.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Jen! Sorry to hear the sauce didn’t reduce down enough in that time. I know it’s too late now, but in the future if you have issues with recipe sauces not reducing enough, you should be able to speed things up by increasing the temperature to bring it to a boil and cook uncovered. Times will vary depending on pot sizes and stove top temps, but if left long enough it really should reduce down. Just make sure you do this without the chicken/meat in the pot as you don’t want to over cook it.
NAG says
Far to much garlic, 3/4 Tablespoon quite sufficient .2 Tablespoons makes dish to bitter.
Add 8 Cardamon pods scraped. For something totally different and exotic
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks for the suggestion!
Penny Lane says
Korma should never have chilli powder, paprika, or cayenne in it. It is the only one that does not and the only one I can eat. No heat is necessary or required.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Penny! You make a good point – I’ve changed the chili powder to be an optional ingredient
Linda says
Excellent, the whole family satisfied.
Definitely recommended 👌
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks, Linda! So glad you guys enjoyed it!
Susan says
What is a brown onion?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Susan! Sorry about that – I should have clarified that! Brown onions are also referred to as yellow onions (standard cooking onions). The onion itself is white – it’s the skin that’s yellow/brown.
Ben says
I use this recipe but I do it with thighs in a cast iron camp oven outside over wood and coal! Always beautiful! The smells around the yard and neighbourhood is amazing!
Sarah Nevins says
That sounds like such a lovely way too cook! So glad you’ve enjoyed it – thank you so much for taking the time to come back to leave a review!