Fast, Creamy Chicken Curry Recipe (2024)

After reading some of the reader comments on the original recipe, we retested it and made some changes and clarifications: 1. Use 1 pound of chicken breast meat cut into slices (not four one-pound chicken breasts). 2. To prevent curdling, we recommend use sour cream not yogurt. 3. We increased cooking time from 15 to 25 minutes. We hope this helps!

For those who are off dairy, I used a creamy coconut milk instead of yogurt or sour cream and it was very tasty.

I tried the revised version and really liked it. My only change was to cook the breasts first whole and then remove and slice while making the sauce. Then put the pieces in as directed. Also used mucho curry. 11/2 teaspoons to me is like why bother.

Good quick dinner. Sauce comes together better with sour cream than yogurt.

I invariably add more cumin or cayenne to curry dishes, even if I mix my own curry powder. Olive oil works fine here. It isn't authentic, but who cares? Brown rice has fiber, which white rice does not. It is available in jasmine and basmati varieties. Takes longer to cook, of course. Lastly, chicken thighs are more flavorful and less dry than breasts. You can get them boned. They don't make pretty, uniform slices like in the picture though.

If you substitute sweet paprika for the curry powder, you have chicken paprikash. Serve with noodles.

I used chopped cooked apples to thicken my sauce. Very healthy and delicious

The taste was delicious. However, the liquid in the chicken seemed to cause the sauce to curdle and separate when I added it. 6 minutes was also not sufficient time to cook the chicken all the way through and the additional cooking time seemed to reduce the sauce too mcuh. Perhaps I was just using very thick breasts. Next time I will cook for the chicken in the oven for a bit before adding to the sauce.

I made this with the following tweaks: 1) sautéed chopped apple along with the onion. 2) used additional spices: garam masala, turmeric, and cayenne - “bloomed”in hot oil along with the curry powder. 3) Also included minced ginger and garlic with the spices. 4) used to 1C chicken stock to deglaze the pan and make it more “saucy”. Added golden raisins to the stock to hydrate those. Also had leftover cooked chicken breast which worked fine. My husband and I both liked this - I’d make it again!

Add sliced mushrooms with onion to make it more delish

Anne, I think your problem may have been using whole chicken breasts. The recipe says one breast, cut into 4 pieces. At least, that is how I read it.

I used light coconut milk in place of sour cream because that's what I had on hand. Took some extra time to reduce the sauce to a good consistency, but the result was creamy goodness.

Easy, fast weeknight dinner. Made as written the first time, second time doubled the curry and sauteed mushrooms with the onions, then tossed peas in at the end. I don't bother taking the chicken out of the pan before adding the sour cream and it seems to work fine. Served with roasted cauliflower, though rice would have been great as well.

This is plain nonsense! No chicken of any reasonable size has ever gotten cooked in 4 total minutes. That is eating raw meat, unhealthy and plain wrong!

Rajn: The instructions call for slicing the chicken breast into 1/2 inch slices. That provides for relatively slim slices of raw meat and a much quicker cooking time than whole pieces of chicken.

It certainly is fast and easy. The sour cream is very indulgent. It really needs a robust accompanying side dish. I found cutting the chicken breast into strips before cooking made it easier to season the chicken more thoroughly and quickened the cooking process assuring that the chicken was not pink in the center.

Very tasty, but I agree with most commenters -- double the curry powder. Garlic, ginger, apples, golden raisins -- all were good suggestions, as was adding stock and reducing it before adding the sour cream. Which could be low-fat sour cream, or even a little less sour cream. And now I sound like one of those folks who doesn't follow any of the directions for the original recipe! Actually, this is a great base recipe that can be changed to suit. Will add it to the roster.

I followed the recommendation to bloom additional spices, and to use ghee and coconut milk. It needs something to perk it up.

This was fantastic. I used a combination of coconut cream and Greek yogurt because I had them on hand (I use Trader Joe’s coconut cream in my coffee). No curdling at all. Added some frozen peas for some green color. Used a madras curry powder blend I picked up at a Patak Brothers. It had a bite to it but I like my curry spicy. This is a very adaptable recipe.

This is a keeper. Fast, simple and delicious. As others have noted, I doubled the curry but taste: you may want more. I'm sure additional ingredients ccould be tasty but I love a meal that genuinely takes 25 min from start to table.

This is a scrumptious quick curry dinner that I will have in regular rotation. I used 1 pound of chicken tenders, and used ghee for the oil. I probably (at least) doubled the curry powder (Jamaican curry powder) - about one teaspoon with the onions, and then sprinkled liberally on the chicken. It was a hit.

Bone in works too. Seer as directed and then cover it with a lid for 30 mins on low heat

Chicken tenders are a better choice for this...

Out of control delicious for a quick meal. Made with thighs instead of breast, used sour cream, and whipped up some sourdough naan.

I love this recipe and have made it many times. I quickly pound the chicken breasts flat and they do cook in 4 mins. I use a bit more curry and I add ginger. I often throw frozen peas in at the very end which gives it a nice crunch and more color. It's extremely fast and has good flavor. I also make more traditional curry but this one is my favorite.

I love this quick and simple curry recipe. I had some leftover cooked carrots that I threw in, and it was delicious.

It sure looks like the chicken breast was cooked whole, then sliced

Just made this in a pinch and used an excellent curry powder. I added triple the amount as my local butcher gave me large chicken breasts. It came out beautifully. Will try the heavy cream next time. Love Mark Bittman's recipes!

Like others I added additional curry powder to bring out more flavor. While I do like the "tang" of sour cream, I added a scant 1/4 cup of heavy cream in addition to the sour cream to add a little more richness.

This was quick and tasty, but the quality of the curry powder is very important. I added tandoori spice, which boosted the flavor and improved the color. I think creamy coconut milk would be a good alternative to sour cream and would make the sauce more liquid.