Creamy Pineapple Coconut Chicken Curry

A creamy pineapple coconut chicken curry loaded up with chopped peppers, onions and carrots and of course, finished off with a few handfuls of salty cashews! It’s a crowd pleaser!

A lot of our cooking began because we would try something at a restaurant and think, I bet we could make that at home.

Slowly but surely we realized that restaurant food could not only be made at home but sometimes it was even better!

The type of coconut milk and coconut cream, curry paste and curry powder really seems to matter in this. Your curry could turn out totally different even though you followed everything to a T!

I’m going to list the exact brands that we used, but honestly, you should just experiment with what your store sells and see what you like because not all products are available at every store.

We’ve learned that coconut curry is a great way to step into the world of food. You can start out very mild and easy, but you can grow in heart and complex flavors.

For this pineapple coconut curry chicken we are going to stick to the world of sweet.

In testing and testing this recipe we discovered that coconut cream is a great start to the texture and sweetness but we still needed a little more sugar so after awhile we embraced cream of coconut.

Cream of Coconut can be found in the drinks section of the store, not in the Asian aisle.

What is Coconut Curry?

Coconut curry is a blend of coconut milk along with curry paste or powder, or a combination of both. Often it also includes garlic and ginger and it’s all simmered together with vegetables and/or meat.

Curry is a great dish to eat alongside or over rice.

Curry Powder VS Curry Paste

The biggest hurdle was the curry. Do you stick with powder or paste?

In the end we preferred a combination of both curry powder and curry paste.

Curry Powder-

Curry powder is most often used in Indian dishes. It is ground spices and packs a lot of flavor.

Generally curry powder is made of:  coriander, turmeric, and red peppers.

You might find you aren’t as big of a fan of curry powder dishes and then suddenly find one you like, that could be that you are a paste over powder person.

Curry Paste-

Curry paste is spices mixed with wet ingredients like, oil mixed with some garlic and ginger.

Mae Ploy or Maesri are two of the most loved curry pastes.

A curry paste is generally stronger than a powder but they are all created quite differently and should be well sampled to find what works for you.

How to Make Coconut Chicken Curry

1. To make coconut chicken curry, start by cooking the chicken in a pan.
2. Then head into warming the spices and curry together in the pot. Add a little oil, ginger, garlic and curry and cook until fragrant.
3. Add the remaining ingredients into the pot and simmer to really meld the flavors together.

That’s it!

A dish that looks and sounds like layers of flavors and ingredients is really a 30 minute recipe, or longer if you have time to let it sit and develop flavor.

Will Coconut Milk Thicken Curry?

Coconut milk does not thicken curry.

In fact, adding coconut milk can thin the curry sauce. It can help to lower the spiciness of the curry, but that’s really all, it doesn’t thicken.

How to Thicken Curry

So how do you thicken curry?

1. Low and slow simmer- simmering your curry sauce WITHOUT the lid will help to thicken things.
2. Add a slurry of cornstarch and water to the boiling sauce then turn it down to a simmer.
3. A little Greek yogurt or tomato paste can also help to thicken a curry.

We tend to only do number 1 and 2.

Is Coconut Curry Indian?

Coconut curry can be Thai or Indian. Both are delicious and while we mentioned above that one is usually a paste over powder they actually can be used interchangeably depending on the restaurant you’re at.

Is Coconut Curry Spicy?

Coconut curry is usually a more mild curry, but it all depends on the person making it and the curry they use.

What Coconut Milk for Thai Curry?

You usually buy the red can of coconut milk, don’t you.

I used to as well.

But then I discovered this Chaokoh coconut milk and we’ve had the best results with it.

Is Coconut Curry Sauce Vegan?

Coconut curry sauce is vegan, but that doesn’t mean the dish is.

A lot of coconut curry dishes have chicken so it’s best to double check the menu.

Can You Freeze Coconut Curry Chicken?

Because coconut curry contains coconut milk it can separate when you freeze it so it’s best to avoid adding the coconut milk until you’re ready to reheat and eat the dish.

How Long Will Coconut Curry Last in the Fridge?

If you’re not freezing coconut curry, how long will it keep in the fridge?

Coconut curry can last for 2-3 days if stored properly.

More Curry Recipes

• Easy Coconut Chicken Curry
• Chicken Curry Casserole
• Curry Chicken and Rice Casserole

What to Eat with Curry

• White Rice
• Naan
• Mango Sweet Rice

4.05 from 49 votes

Pineapple Coconut Chicken Curry

By Sweet Basil

Prep10 minutes mins

Cook1 hour hr

Total1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings8

Remove Ads

SaveSaved Pin Print

A creamy blend of coconut and pineapple curry sauce with chicken, veggies and cashews all served over fluffly white rice!

Want to save this recipe?

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Post Post Permalink

Email *

Go

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• ▢ 2 Chicken Breasts, Boneless, skinless and sliced thin
• ▢ Kosher salt , to taste, starting with 1 teaspoon
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Curry Paste
• ▢ 1/2-1 Tablespoon Curry Powder, I like 1/2-3/4
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons Ginger, Fresh Grated
• ▢ 6 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• ▢ 1 Onion, Sliced
• ▢ 1 Red Bell Pepper, Quartered, seeded and sliced
• ▢ 1 Green Bell Pepper, Quartered, seeded and sliced
• ▢ 1 1/2 Cups Carrots, Sliced
• ▢ 2 Cans Coconut Milk, Unsweetened 13.5 ounces each
• ▢ 1 2/3 Cups Cream of Coconut
• ▢ 6 Ounces Pineapple Juice
• ▢ 3/4 Pineapple, Cored and Chopped
• ▢ 6 Ounces Whole Cashews
• ▢ Cilantro, Chopped for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions 

• In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat the stove to medium high heat and add the oil. Once hot add the chicken and a sprinkle of salt.
  1 Tablespoon Olive oil, 2 Chicken Breasts, Kosher salt
• Cook the chicken until no pink remains and add the curry paste, powder, ginger and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2 Tablespoons Curry Paste, 1/2-1 Tablespoon Curry Powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons Ginger, 6 Cloves Garlic
• Add the veggies and turn the heat to medium. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
  1 Onion, 1 Red Bell Pepper, 1 Green Bell Pepper, 1 1/2 Cups Carrots
• Add the remaining ingredients except the cashews and bring to a simmer. Turn to medium low and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
  2 Cans Coconut Milk, 1 2/3 Cups Cream of Coconut, 6 Ounces Pineapple Juice, 3/4 Pineapple
• Throw in cashews right before serving over perfectly cooked white rice. Garnish with cilantro if desired.
  6 Ounces Whole Cashews, Cilantro

Recipe Notes

This chicken curry will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 508kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 40g, Saturated Fat: 33g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 100mg, Potassium: 860mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 5187IU, Vitamin C: 80mg, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

REMEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE TO our FREE Oh Sweet Basil NEWSLETTER AND RECEIVE EASY RECIPES DELIVERED INTO YOUR INBOX EVERY DAY!

When you try a recipe, please use the hashtag #ohsweetbasil on INSTAGRAM for a chance to be featured in our stories!  FOLLOW OH, SWEET BASIL ON FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER FOR ALL OF OUR LATEST CONTENT, RECIPES AND STORIES.