I love curry! Specifically chicken curry, but really any keto curry brings me joy. And I’d eat it for every single meal if my husband didn’t have a say. Making it at home gives you all the warmth and complexity that you crave from your favorite Indian restaurant in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Here’s what I’ve learned from my love affair, but Beware! You may crave it every day now too—and when you do I’ve got more curry based keto chicken recipes, such as my curry chicken salad, chicken curry soup, and my keto chicken tikka masala.
Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3!
This is easily the most tested recipe that I’ve ever shared with you for one simple reason: I love to make it, I love to eat it. Is that two reasons!? Maybe. Here’s how to love this keto chicken curry as much as I do:
The first thing I want you to do is to skip a step. So many recipes call to brown the meat, and while this does develop flavor, I find that it can be difficult to get it just right, resulting in tough chicken. I skipped this step one night and let the chicken gently poach in the coconut milk and spices. It was the most tender chicken curry I had ever made. Better results, less work!? I’m in!
Here’s the trade-off—I insist that you toast your spices. In only a couple of minutes, dried spices get toasty and take on a whole new depth of flavor. Trust me, it’s worth your time.
And here’s where all the recipe testing really pays off. I had made this low carb curry so many times and was happy with the flavor—but honestly, it was still missing something. After a lot of research, I learned that the secret to the thick, slightly sweet, restaurant-style sauce is the addition of a sautéed onion. It adds mellow sweetness and the perfect amount of body. Using a blender makes the texture smooth and luscious.
Mmmmm… I can’t even write about this keto curry without craving it… I think I know what’s for dinner tonight!
Keto Curry Video Tutorial
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Important Ingredient Notes
This easy keto chicken curry recipe comes together with a handful of kitchen staples. Here are a few ingredients notes before you get shopping:
- Coconut milk – For this keto chicken curry recipe, we want the THICK full fat coconut milk, which can be found in the canned goods aisle–the thinner refrigerated coconut milk is not a sub here, as it won’t add as much creamy flavor. Now, if you have an allergy to coconut milk, you can use chicken broth–however, I MUCH prefer coconut chicken curry.
- Chicken – Most curry recipes are made with cubed chicken, but I prefer the texture of thinly sliced. Feel free to use whatever you prefer, just make sure the chicken has cooked to 165 F before removing it from heat. You can also make keto curry beef, pork or shrimp by swapping the protein here. Make this keto curry vegetarian by skipping protein altogether.
- Ginger – Pro tip, you can buy peeled and grated ginger in the freezer section of Trader Joes. YES!
How to Make Keto Curry:
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or large pot. Add onion and saute until soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add curry powder, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and cayenne pepper, and toast another minute or two, until fragrant.
- Stir in the coconut milk, tomatoes, salt, and bring your sauce to a simmer. Simmer to marry the flavors for 5 minutes.
- Ladle or pour the sauce into a blender. Blend sauce until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning — add more cayenne pepper if you’d like a spicier curry.
- Add the sauce back to the pot.
- Add chicken and stir to combine.
- Remove from heat, then stir in cilantro.
- Serve over cauliflower rice or rice. Enjoy!
Reheat/Storing/Freezing Tips
This dish is one of my favorite freezer meals. I like to store portions in individual bags–just remove as much air from the bag as possible before freezing. Chicken curry is easy to reheat in the microwave or over the stove, just top your warm bowl of curry with some freshly chopped cilantro before serving.
Serving Recommendations
The obvious answer here is curry chicken and rice with a side of freshly baked naan–but feel free to serve this dish however you’d like! Just me know what you try in the comments below.
Is Curry Keto?
This easy keto chicken curry has 7g total carbs, and 5g net carbs per serving, with 6 servings per the recipe below. Now, there are ways to cut the carbs in curry even more, just know it will totally change the flavor of the recipe. For example, you can:
- Skip the onion
- Skip the diced tomatoes
If you’re after a keto curry, I would focus most on what you serve this dish with. There are plenty of options for serving alongside curry instead of rice for keto dinners–cauliflower rice and keto naan are my two faves.
Commonly Asked Questions
Take the guesswork out of how to make keto chicken curry with these commonly asked questions:
- Is curry healthy? This depends on your goals and eating plan, but keto Indian curry is loaded with spices such as turmeric, which is known to reduce inflammation. It’s also packed with protein (from the chicken) and fat (from the coconut milk).
- How can I add flavor to chicken curry? You can adjust the spices in your curry to your liking. I suggest taste testing after your curry has simmered, then adjust the seasoning and salt.
- How do I make spicy curry? Adjust the amount of cayenne pepper added to this recipe. You can also add a jalapeno in with the onion.
- How do you thicken a curry? The reason we saute, then puree the onion is to create a THICK keto curry Thai sauce. If you like your curry even thicker, consider adding 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. This thickens sauces just like flour, but with a cleaner flavor.
- Can I add vegetables to the curry? YES! Just be sure to saute them before, otherwise, they’ll water down your sauce. I love keto vegetables such as broccoli and mushrooms in my curry.
- Do I have to blend the sauce? Nope! Just keep in mind, if you skip this step, your curry sauce will be thinner and not as sweet.
More Asian Inspired Recipes
Low Carb Keto Curry
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 tablespoons Coconut oil or vegetable oil divided (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 cups Yellow onion chopped (1 medium)
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 Teaspoons Ginger freshly grated
- 1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1/4 - 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 13.5 Oz can Full Fat Coconut Milk (Note 2)
- 3/4 cup Canned Diced Tomatoes drained
- 1.5 Lb Chicken Breasts boneless/skinless. Sliced very thin (Note 3+4)
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro
Instructions
- Saute + Simmer. Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or large pot (make sure you have a lid for this). Add onion (1 1/2 cups) and saute until soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic (3) and ginger (2 teaspoons), and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add curry powder (1 tablespoon), cumin (1 teaspoon), turmeric (1 teaspoon), coriander (1 teaspoon), and cayenne pepper (start with 1/2 teaspoon, we'll adjust later), and toast another minute or two, until fragrant. Stir in the coconut milk (1 13.5 Oz can), tomatoes (3/4 cup), salt (1 1/2 teaspoon), and bring your sauce to a simmer. Simmer to marry the flavors for 5 minutes.
- Blend + Taste. Ladle or pour the sauce into a blender (Note 5 skipping blender option). Blend sauce until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning -- add more cayenne pepper if you'd like a spicier curry.
- Want to add veggies to your curry? See note 6 below.
- Chicken. Add the sauce back to the pot. Add chicken (1.5 lb) and stir to combine. Bring sauce to a simmer, and cover/cook until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165 F -- about 7-11 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro (2 tablespoons), and serve over cauliflower rice or rice. Enjoy!
Fans Also Made These Low Carb Recipes:
Lindsey's Tips
- Vegetable or coconut oil. We want an oil with a high smoke point. For this particular recipe, coconut oil is a great option to enhance the coconut flavor.
- Full-fat coconut milk. This is coconut milk in a can, light coconut milk (from the refrigerator section) is not a substitute.
- Chicken (thin slicing hack!). Freeze the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting for an easier slice.
- Cubed vs. thinly sliced chicken. I prefer the texture of thinly sliced chicken in curry, but it's up to you. If you'd rather cubed, slice chicken into 1" cubes.
- Can I make this without a blender? Yes, however, your sauce will be thinner and not as sweet (still delicious!).
- Want to add veggies to your curry? Before adding your sauce back to the pot, saute veggies in 2 tablespoons of shimmering oil (the same type you used before), until they're soft and enough liquid has been released to not water down our sauce (about 6-8 minutes). We love adding broccoli and red bell peppers.
- Nutritional information is for 1/6 of this recipe and doesn't include cauliflower rice/rice, or additional veggies:
Seriously so much flavor and so delicious! Thanks for sharing this chicken curry recipe!
Right Lisa? I’m happy you liked it!😃
Thanks for such a great way to change up our normal chicken dinner routine. Such an easy recipe to follow.
Let me know how it goes Jen, Enjoy!😄
Good to know you can freeze this meal. I think I will cook up a big batch to freeze for the next busy school night!
Hope you enjoy Wanda😁
Yumm! So easy and super delicious. Love a good curry for busy weeknights and this hits the spot!
Glad you liked it Traci!🥰
This looks delicious and perfect for our diet, we haven’t had curry since getting on Keto, so this will be a treat!
Yahoo! So hope you enjoy it Michelle😀
Love Indian cuisine, but I usually don’t make it at home. I’m loving this simple and healthy chicken curry version. I’m going to make this soon. Thanks for sharing.
Hope you love this recipe as much as we do!🥰
This sounds so delicious! Definitely making soon
Let me know how it goes Vikki! Enjoy!😄
This chicken curry couldn’t look any more perfect!
Thank you Erin! Hope you give it a try!😃
We are massive curry lovers in this house and can thoroughly recommend this chicken curry recipe. Delicious!
Thanks Beth! Happy to hear your family likes it!🥳
I love all the great Indian flavors in this quick curry!
Thanks Katherine! Glad you enjoyed it!😄
Passing this on to my mother-in-law who does Keto and will LOVE this, looks delicious – thanks so much!
Sounds great! Hope you all like it!🥰
Such a great curry recipe! I love that it’s keto and uses coconut milk and oil. I use these all of the time in cooking and baking and they really make recipes taste fantastic.
I agree!😋 Thanks for trying my curry recipe😁
I love curry, too! Fantastic recipe that can easily become a new family favorite. Simple and yum – what else to wish for?
Yay! Glad you liked it Mirlene 🥰
Thank you for this delicious dinner idea. It was exactly what I needed to change up my boring chicken dinner routine.
Thanks Jen! Hope you enjoy!😃
Made this for dinner and it was delicious! Love homemade curry!
So glad to hear that Allyson 😀
Love how creamy this chicken curry is! Who can resist it?
Hi Catalina! So happy you loved it 🤩
Had this lovely curry with your equally lovely Naan bread tonight. A pairing made in Heaven!
I doubled all the spices because I grew up with curries and I love them hot and spicy. Hard to believe this is Keto!
Thank you so much for posting. : )
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that Carol!🥰
I seriously love this recipe!!! Highly recommended!
SO glad you loved it, Natasha!
Made this tonight, it was amazing!! 🤩 Awesome recipe!! Thanks for sharing! ❤️
Yay! You’re welcome, Katie! I hope you enjoyed!