Dinner tonight doesn't need to be a fuss. This creamy and satisfying, yet healthy Peanut Butter Chicken Curry is ready in under 30 minutes but tastes like you slaved away all day.
Table of contents
- This Indian-inspired curry recipe is...
- Recipe ingredients
- Ingredient substitutions
- What is peanut butter curry?
- How to easily cut chicken:
- How do you grate ginger?
- Can you make this recipe gluten-free?
- Is this recipe budget-friendly?
- How to make this chicken curry...
- Tips to make the perfect peanut butter chicken each time:
- How do you serve this peanut butter chicken curry?
- How long does this curry last?
- Can you freeze this peanut butter chicken?
- Tools needed to make this recipe:
- More quick and healthy dinner recipes you'll love:
- Get all my new recipes as they drop!
Add a deliciously unique new recipe to your family's menu this week with this Peanut Butter Chicken Curry Recipe. Inspired by Indian curry, this coconut-fusion chicken dish is warmly spiced, hearty, and glorious served over rice.
In this post, I share how to make the recipe, recipe substitutions, serving suggestions, and more.
Today I'm coming to you with an Indian-Thai fusion recipe!
'Cause what's better than just having Thai food or just having Indian food?? Having them together, of course!!
With creamy coconut, nutty peanut butter, warm spices, and a light and natural sweetness, how can we not think about Indian-Thai fusion?!
If you haven't noticed my love of this dish by how many exclamation points I've used in the last 3 paragraphs, maybe I can share with you how perfect of a fall dish this peanut chicken curry is! (See?? Another exclamation point!)
This dish is warm and satisfying, and though it fills in all the "cracks," and is entirely comforting, it's made with healthy whole foods ingredients.
That's right, there is no processed sugar (that is, if you use raw honey) in this recipe, it's easily made gluten-free, and it's also loaded with healthy protein and nutritious coconut milk (source).
A big steaming bowl of this curry will warm you up from the inside-out and it also heats up beautifully for lunch at work the next day.
I've even have friends who don't usually like curry exclaim that they can't get enough of it. So, it's worth trying on your friends and family who sit that curry "fence."
If your friends end up loving the curry, they'll love you for making and sharing it with them. And at the very least, you'll have extra curry for you! But I doubt that. Please don't shoot the messenger, though. 😉
Happy cooking, friends! Please let me know in the comments below how you liked this new dish!
This Indian-inspired curry recipe is...
- Creamy
- Spicy
- Nutty
- Savory
- Bursting with flavor
- Naturally sweet
- Hearty
- Full of protein
- Dairy-free
- Easily made gluten-free
- Tasty over steamed rice
- Perfect for leftovers
- Quick enough for weeknights
- Special enough for a dinner party
- An all-around favorite new meal!
Surprise your friends and family with a new twist on Indian and Thai flavors. This hybrid dish is a recipe that will delight everyone's taste buds!
Recipe ingredients
- Boneless & skinless chicken thighs
- Coconut oil -- virgin and cold-pressed coconut oil will give the best flavor
- White or yellow onion
- Fresh ginger -- see my notes below on the easiest way to grate this!
- Garlic -- freshly minced garlic is best for this recipe, but you can also use pre-minced in a pinch
- Dried coriander
- Turmeric powder
- Ground red pepper
- Coconut milk -- go for full fat coconut milk if you have it. Reduced-fat is just coconut milk with water added for the same (or sometimes higher) price; plus, the flavor of full-fat coconut milk is so much better
- Peanut butter -- natural peanut butter with just salt added is the best
- Honey -- use raw honey if you have it. Otherwise, any honey you have on hand will work for this recipe
- Fish sauce -- Red Boat Fish Sauce, though a pricier option, has the best flavor of any fish sauce I've tried.
- Soy sauce (or coconut liquid aminos) -- use liquid aminos to keep this recipe gluten-free!
Ingredient substitutions
- Chicken -- boneless skinless chicken breasts can work in place of the chicken thighs, but don't offer as much flavor or texture. I recommend thighs if you have them!
- Garlic -- as mentioned above, pre-minced garlic can work in place of the freshly minced. If using it, substitute in 1 tablespoon pre-minced garlic.
- Oil -- coconut oil adds a floral and sweet flavor to the dish, but a light flavored oil like avocado or light olive oil will work in place of it in a pinch
What is peanut butter curry?
Peanut butter curry is a new fusion recipe I created just for this post!
It's like Indian curry in that it has turmeric, garlic, ginger, onions, and other dried spices, but also has elements of Thai curry (fish sauce and coconut milk). To make it even more exciting, we stir in a bit of peanut butter and honey to make the dish nutty, naturally sweet, and utterly addicting.
You and your family will love this curry because it's unique and flavorful while being easy to make and quick!
How to easily cut chicken:
Here's one of my favorite pro-tips: cut the chicken into pieces with kitchen shears! They cut chicken easier than a knife and don't leave as much mess (I don't know about you, but I despise cleaning raw chicken off of cutting boards!).
How do you grate ginger?
The best way to grate ginger is with a microplane zester. After you've cut the ginger peel off, run the piece of ginger along the zester like you would cheese on a cheese grater.
Grate until you have enough ginger and run your finger along the backside of the zester to release any pulp.
Can you make this recipe gluten-free?
Yes, it is super easy to make this recipe gluten-free: simply substitute coconut liquid aminos in place of soy sauce and you're good to go!
Is this recipe budget-friendly?
Yes, this recipe is budget-friendly. It's a hearty dish that I have served up to 8 people with for only $9.94, or just about $1.25/serving!
To get the best pricing on this recipe, buy your chicken and coconut milk on sale. You can buy chicken ahead of time and freeze it or you can also buy it pre-frozen (and defrost the chicken before cooking).
How to make this chicken curry...
Below are illustrated steps on how to make this curry. For the complete recipe and specific measurements, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Toss the chicken pieces with salt and pepper until coated.
- Saute the chicken in 1 teaspoon oil in a dutch oven or large saute pan until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Saute the onions in more coconut oil until they are translucent.
- Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander, and ground red pepper to the onions. Saute until fragrant.
- Pour the coconut milk, peanut butter, honey, fish sauce, and soy sauce (or liquid aminos) into the spice mixture. Stir well, bring to a simmer, and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the pot and cook until heated through.
- Serve the curry over hot steamed rice and enjoy!!
Tips to make the perfect peanut butter chicken each time:
- Measure out all the ingredients out ahead of time. Cooking goes fast in this recipe, so you will have the best success with it if you have everything measured out when you begin cooking.
- Don't worry if little bits of chicken or spices stick to the bottom of the pan. If food bits stick to the bottom of the pot when cooking, do not worry. Just follow the recipe as directed. When you add the coconut milk to the pot, stir the pot and scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan (this is called de-glazing). All the bits should come up and give the sauce lots of flavor.
- Adjust the amount of ground red pepper to your liking. I wrote this recipe with a moderate amount of red pepper. It's enough to add a little kick at the end of your bite, but not take over the flavor. Increase or decrease your red pepper in ⅛ teaspoon intervals if desired.
How do you serve this peanut butter chicken curry?
This curry is delicious served over steamed rice or quinoa with a glass of white wine (pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, or riesling are perfect). Add on some steamed or roasted broccoli or green beans to round-out your dinner and you have a delicious weeknight meal!
My favorite way to steam rice is to cook it in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. To cook white long-grain rice, add equal amounts of rice and water and pressure cook on high for 3 minutes. To pressure cook brown long-grain rice, add 1.25 cups rice and 2 cups water to the cooker and steam for 15 minutes. Either way, natural release the steam for 10 minutes and then natural-release the rest of the pressure.
How long does this curry last?
Peanut butter curry leftovers last covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Can you freeze this peanut butter chicken?
You can also freeze this peanut butter chicken! Just package it in a freezer-safe container and it will last for up to 2 months in the freezer.
Tools needed to make this recipe:
- Chef knife
- Cutting board
- Dutch oven or 12" deep saute pan
- Microplane zester
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Heatproof spatula
- Kitchen shears (optional)
More quick and healthy dinner recipes you'll love:
- House Special Fried Rice
- Southwest Chicken with Black Bean Sauce
- Healthy Orange Chicken
- Rubbed Turmeric Chicken
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Butter Dressing
- Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry
- Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken and Rice
- Thai Green Chicken Curry
- Orange Salmon Protein Bowl
If you make and like this recipe, please review and rate it 5 Stars at the top of the recipe card. This helps other people to find the recipes and helps this reader-supported publication, too!
Thank you so much for your feedback and support of Mae's Menu!
Peanut Butter Chicken Curry
Email FacebookIngredients
- 1.25 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil divided*
- 1 large white or yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves or 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon dried coriander
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 14 oz. can coconut milk not reduced fat
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter
- 1 ½ tablespoon honey**
- ½ tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut liquid aminos***
- 4 cups hot steamed rice
- Diced cilantro to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, toss the chicken with the salt and pepper until covered.
- Heat up 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a dutch oven or 5 ½ quart saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and saute, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Move the chicken to a dinner plate or clean mixing bowl.
- Heat up the second teaspoon of coconut oil in the pan. Add the onions and saute for 3-4 minutes, continuing to stir frequently, or until the onions are turning translucent.
- Add the garlic, ginger, coriander powder, turmeric, and ground red pepper to the onions. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring continually, or until the turmeric has turned a darker yellow and the mixture is fragrant.
- Pour the coconut milk, peanut butter, honey, fish sauce, and soy sauce (or liquid aminos) into the onions. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir the mixture until combined and brought to a simmer. Reduce heat back to medium and simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so, or until thickened.
- Stir the chicken into the peanut butter sauce, and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the chicken is reheated and covered in the sauce.
- Serve the curry over hot rice with cilantro to garnish (if desired). Enjoy!
I have a weird name says
Your recipe looks delicious. Can I make this ahead of time?
Mae's Menu says
Yes! You can. You can make 2-3 days ahead of time. Store covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator and either reheat on low on the stovetop or in the microwave. 🙂
Rebecca says
Where is the curry in this dish? You call it peanut butter chicken curry.