This post may contain references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Oh Sweet Basil may receive compensation when you click on links to such products.
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
- To make coconut chicken curry, start by cooking the chicken in a pan.
- Then head into warming the spices and curry together in the pot. Add a little oil, ginger, garlic and curry and cook until fragrant.
- 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?
- Low and slow simmer- simmering your curry sauce WITHOUT the lid will help to thicken things.
- Add a slurry of cornstarch and water to the boiling sauce then turn it down to a simmer.
- 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
What to Eat with Curry
Pineapple Coconut Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 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
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
This recipe sounds amazing and I am preparing for dinner right now. But holy smokes!! I didn’t realize how much SUGAR is in the cream of coconut!! That in addition to the pineapple is like sugar overload. Trust me, I love sugar unfortunately but this seems like a lot of sugar in what could be a healthier recipie. Yowza!! no wonder people like it. It’s loaded with sugar!! LOL
Hi Michelle! How did you like it? Ya, it’s definitely not a low sugar recipe, but boy is it yummy! I’ve been meaning to play around with this recipe to try and lighten it up. Thanks for the reminder! I hope you enjoyed it!
This was DELICIOUS! I didn’t have coconut cream so I just left it out and it was more like a chicken curry soup that we ate with rice. I added 2 drops of lemongrass oil and a little soy sauce (1 tsp) instead of some of the salt. I have to say that the flavor BEFORE the simmer was different than AFTER the simmer. Both were delicious but I sort of liked the flavor BEFORE the simmer, before the taste of the veggies was cooked in, so next time I’ll dip my serving out early. Anyway, this was a HIT and everyone went back for seconds.
Yay! Thank you so much Elizabeth! And thank you for sharing so much great feedback!
There are many kinds of curry. What kind do you recommend for this recipe?
Hi Gloria! For the curry paste, I like to use a mild yellow curry paste or sometimes I use red. Mae Ploy is a good brand or Thai Kitchen is usually easy to find.
For those who like their veggies on the crisp side, follow all the steps as listed but don’t add the veggies (particularly the bell peppers) until the last 10 minutes of simmer. We like everything very spicy, so I also added about 20 thai chili peppers (aka “Birds Eye”)
Thank you so much for the feedback and the tips!
Just made this tonight, absolutely delicious. Can we freeze it?
Hi Nicci! 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.
For everyone who skips the paragraphs and goes straight to the recipe like I do- the recipe calls for coconut cream but “oh sweet basil” uses cream of coconut- which apparently is different- and probable is the reason my curry was so tart (sour?) and not suitable for consumption… but hey what’s one bad dinner compared to all the successful ones these people have brought me! Love this site
I’m so sorry about that Caitlin! Yes, it should be cream of coconut instead of coconut cream. I have updated the recipe card. Thank you for bringing that to my attention!
Hi, my partner loves this recipe, she really likes pineapple and coconut curries! We really like how flexible it is, too–we often change the vegetables based on whatever is in our fridge that day, but the recipe still always tastes great. Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you so much Corey! We love the versatility of this recipe too! Thank you for taking time to leave us a comment!
Is the oil in the first step the same 1 tbsp olive oil from the ingredients or is the olive oil part of the mix in the curry?
From the previous response it is assumed the coconut cream is not unsweetened?
Hi!! Thank you so much for all of your amazing recipes! I love your food and most often when I want to make anything at all, I go to your site FIRST and search for it because your recipes are a guaranteed HIT!!! Thank you for sharing your yummy, fun life!!!
I made this last night and it smells divine! The chicken and veggies taste yummy too, but the sauce didn’t turn out quite right though for me because I don’t think I got the coconut cream/ cream of coconut correct. I’ve read it over several times, but I’m a bit confused.
In the story, you mention, Choakoh coconut milk, coconut cream and also cream of coconut (found in the drink aisle). However the printable recipe only calls for coconut milk and coconut cream. I found the coconut cream to be the asian brands sold in a can right next to the coconut milk. The cream of coconut is the Coco Real brand in a squeeze bottle in the drink section.
Which one should I be using?
And thank you so much in advance for your reply because I can’t wait to make it again!
Hi Desiree! Thank you so much for your support and kindness! It’s going to depend on how sweet you want it. If you felt like your first attempt wasn’t sweet enough, go with the cream of coconut found by the drinks. It has a little more sugar and is what we prefer for this recipe.The coconut cream will be in a can right by the coconut milk and is less sweet but still gives a great flavor! Sorry for the confusion!
I love pineapple curry and this recipe looks delicious! I’ve never tried to make it though and get confused as to which kind of paste to use – yellow, green or red?
Any color of curry paste works great with this recipe! I usually go with red and occasionally yellow.