This Whole30 Coconut Paleo Chicken Curry is an easy weeknight dinner with bold, Indian flavor. Simple to make, great for meal prep and healthy, too!
PIN Whole30 Coconut Paleo Chicken Curry
Mr. FFF and I were talking the other day and both agreed that we could actually LIVE off of curry.
His favorite is the vegan pumpkin curry and my favorite is either THIS one OR vegan coconut sweet potato curry. It just depends if you’re feeling vegan or carnivorous, you know?
But really, we love all the curry on the blog. Crockpot Thai peanut butter chicken curry, Slow cooker mango chicken curry or this more traditional Indian curry, we don’t complain.
Why You Will LOVE This Recipe
- If there’s something I could eat ALL. THE. TIME, it’s got to be curry. I love the spices, I love the heat, I love the textures, colors, and flavors that make it the deliciousness it us!
- I love that with curry you can be creative and kind of make it your own — there’s not just one type of curry to enjoy. As I’ve already mentioned, my blog is LOADED with a wide variety of curries to please everyone, like Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Curry and MANY more.
- You can make it any number of ways (stove top, Crock Pot, etc) and make any number of adjustments to cater to your dietary needs
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, divided
- 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
- 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 4 tsp yellow curry powder
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk (14 oz)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, minced
- rice or cauliflower rice, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a large, high-sided frying pan on medium/high heat. Add in the chicken thighs and cook for 1-2 minutes per side until seared and golden brown, then transfer to a plate.
- Add the remaining oil and turn the heat to medium. Add the red pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric and garam masala and cook until the veggies begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients, up to the cilantro, and bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover, and simmer another 5-10 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Remove the chicken and shred with two forks on a cutting board, then stir it back into the curry along with the cilantro.
- Serve with rice of choice and DEVOUR!
Dairy-Free Swaps
So, Mr. FFF can’t have dairy, so I need to be mindful of that when cooking for him. It’s actually not difficult at all to come up with ways to make food delicious and leave dairy products out of the equation. In this whole30 curry recipe, I’ve made it Mr. FFF friendly by swapping out a couple of ingredients for a dairy-free option, just like in my coconut curry soup:Â
Heavy Cream: Many curries and sauces use heavy whipping cream to add that richness. Thankfully, full-fat coconut milk will do the same thing while also adding that creamy coconut flavor that brings life to this curry!
Butter: Instead of frying up your protein and veggies in butter, coconut oil is a great alternative
Spice, Spice Baby
DID YOU KNOW that many spices not only add flavor to dishes we cook, but they can also be beneficial to our health and well-being? It’s a win-win situation! Here is some more info on how these spices can benefit you:
- Yellow Curry Powder: It is a cancer-fighting, inflammation-reducing, digestion-aiding spice that tastes DELISH!
- Turmeric: It has anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and antioxidant properties and may be beneficial in improving the health of your skin.
- Ground Cumin: It is a rich source of iron and aids in healthy digestion.
- Garam Masala: This Indian spice has been known to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and is also anti-inflammatory!
Can you freeze Curry?
If you’ve made up a big pot of curry and can’t finish it all, freezing curry is a great option! All you need to do is put it in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Curry freezes and thaws very well so it is a fabulous freezer meal to have for those busy days!
Other Healthy Curry Recipes
Instant Pot Tahini Cashew Curry
Thai Pineapple Paleo Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Coconut oil, divided
- 1 1/2 Lbs Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 Red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 Cup Onion, diced
- 1/2 Tbsp Fresh garlic, minced
- 1/2 Tbsp Fresh ginger, minced
- 4 tsp Yellow curry powder
- 2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups Crushed tomatoes
- 1 Can Full fat coconut milk (14 oz)
- 1/2 Cup Cilantro, minced
- Rice or cauliflower rice, for serving
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp of the coconut oil in a large, high-sided frying pan on medium/high heat. Add in the chicken thighs and cook for 1-2 minutes per side until seared and golden brown, then transfer to a plate.
- Add the remaining oil and turn the heat to medium. Add the red pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric and garam masala and cook until the veggies begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients, up to the cilantro, and bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover, and simmer another 5-10 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks, then stir it back into the curry along with the cilantro.
- Serve with rice of choice and DEVOUR!
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PER SERVING: FREESTYLE POINTS: 8 Â POINTS+: 7Â OLD POINTS: 6
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I didn’t have peppers so I made it with broccoli instead. I would have loved the red color, for looks, but I don’t think a different vegetable changes the taste. I cut the chicken to cubes before cooking them to reduce browning time. Overall it’s very easy recipe and It came out delicious!
I also LOVE broccoli in my curries! Glad it came out delicious 🙂
How many Calories per serving is this meal?
This recipe doesn’t specify the number of servings, so to get you a semi-accurate number, I’ll have to make some assumptions.
If we assume this recipe serves 4 people with the main ingredients, then add a few more calories for the other elements of the recipe, such as the red pepper, onion, crushed tomatoes, and the spices, we land at around 2,400 calories for the entire dish or 600 calories per serving, excluding rice or cauliflower rice. Please note that these are rough estimations and will vary depending on portion sizes, the accuracy of ingredient measurements, and specific products used in your dish.
I made this for about 15 people and they loved it! Great recipe- totally forgot to add cilantro, and still tasted good!!
That’s GREAT to read Becca, I am so glad you all liked it!
Me again…. I made this recipe last night. I tweaked a few things and it turned out amazing. I used skin on, bone in chicken thighs which I browned on both sides and then set them aside. I used a shallot instead of an onion and I also added some medium diced sweet potato which I softened in the microwave before adding them to the onion and garlic. Once that was all translucent I used a small amount of potato water to deglaze the pan. I added the browned chicken back to the pan once all ingredients were in and I let it cook through. I served it on some wilted spinach. It was fantastic!
That SO great to read! Thanks Meadow