This Chinese chicken curry recipe is so quick to make, you won’t be dialing your takeout restaurant any time soon! It’s also loads healthier and more filling!
For more healthy and delicious Chinese recipes check out Speedy Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry.
No matter how much one loves cooking, at some point of the week we all find ourselves tired and in need of some comfort food. That often mean takeout or takeaway as it is known here in Britain.
I know I want to order in at least once a week. It’s easy and it makes us feel like we are treating ourselves. Both great things.
What is less than great is the hefty price the takeout meals come with and the overall calorie count. For someone who tries to introduce balance in their life, those two things are hard to swallow. Pun intended.
Here is where my recipe for Chinese Chicken Curry comes in. Whenever we contemplate a takeaway, my kids immediately ask for Chinese over anything else. Not sure why since we hardly ever agree to that.
I never ever feel well after I eat Westernised Chinese food. However I loved real Chinese food in China, which was a completely new experience. Fresh and healthy food as opposed to deep fried and loaded with salt and sugar.
How is Chinese Chicken curry different from Indian curry?
If you are not an expert on both countries’ cuisines, it might be confusing as we often associate curry with Indian food. However curry is eaten in many Asian countries and China is one of them.
Chinese curry is often a bit more watery in consistency than Indian curry. This is due to the fact that Indian curries often use tomatoes as natural thickeners while it’s not the case with Chinese curries. Neither Indian nor Chinese curries use corn starch to thicken the sauce.
This being said, it’s important to mention that sauces are expected to be thicker in the West, so I’ve used corn starch in my recipe to thicken my Chinese curry sauce. You can also use xanthan gum to thicken the curry sauce if you’d like to lower the carb count.
Another point of difference is the mix of spices. In Chinese curries just a touch of the curry powder and turmeric is used along with other spices like coriander and star anise and a splash of soy sauce while the first two are the anchor flavours in Indian curries.
Do I use chicken breasts or chicken thighs for my Chinese curry sauce?
I’ve used skinless, boneless chicken thighs in this recipe as they are cheaper and more flavourful in my opinion.
However, I know it’s a matter of taste, so you can use either skinless, boneless chicken breasts or skinless, boneless chicken thighs with visible fat removed with very similar results.
You can also use fish or shrimp for an equally authentic Chinese curry.
What vegetables can I use in Chinese Chicken Curry?
Traditionally green peppers and potatoes are used as well as a whole array of other vegetables. In British takeaway version of this curry you will always see green peas.
Apart from the usual suspects like onions, garlic and ginger, I’ve decided to use red peppers, sugar snap peas for flavour and potatoes for sustenance. However you can use anything from carrots to broccoli to suit your own taste and what is available in your fridge.
Do you serve Chinese Curry over rice or noodles?
Chinese curry is absolutely delicious served over plain steamed rice but if you prefer noodles, who am I to stop you?!
Can I freeze Chicken Curry?
This curry can be frozen and it reheats beautifully. It’s very easy to double the recipe and freeze half of it for the nights when you truly need a takeout because you just can’t imagine cooking!
If you like this curry, check out more curry recipes on our site:
Ingredients
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut in bite sized pieces
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
- 400ml/1 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 potatoes medium
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 150g/1 cup sugar snap peas
- salt to taste
- chopped cilantro/coriander for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl mix the soy sauce with corn starch, then add chicken pieces and set aside until needed.
- Prepare the vegetables by chopping up the onion, peeling and grating ginger, peeling and cutting the potatoes and mincing the garlic.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan or a wok and add the chopped onions and ginger. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for a few seconds. Make sure not to burn the garlic.
- Then add the curry powder, turmeric and the 5 spice powder, mix briefly until you can smell the aromatics. Add the chicken together with the marinade and cook it for a few minutes, so the chicken is sealed but not cooked all the way through. Add the chicken stock and deglaze the pan by scraping up the bits stuck to the bottom of it with a wooden spatula. Then add potatoes and bring everything to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Then add sliced red pepper and sugar snap peas and cook for 5 minutes longer. At the end, taste and add a pinch of salt if necessary. Serve over steamed white or brown rice, sprinkled with some fresh chopped cilantro and green onions.
Tina says
January 12, 2020 at 1:31 pmDelicious! I found the potatoes weren’t cooked all the way through after the cooking time so had to leave on for much longer, did I do something wrong?
vikalinka says
January 12, 2020 at 4:07 pmI don’t think you did anything wrong, Tina but so many things can affect that. The size of potato pieces, the heat level, the amount of liquid in the pan, even variety of potatoes can change cooking time.There are so many variables when it comes to cooking in different kitchens with all kinds of equipment, so it’s impossible to account for all of them in a recipe.Leaving them cook longer was exactly the right thing to do. 🙂
Linda says
December 16, 2019 at 1:56 amSmells so good but so bland! How do you spice it up? Also, what isChinese about this dish?
vikalinka says
December 16, 2019 at 10:27 amHi Linda, this curry is not meant to be spicy however it should be far from bland. If yours turned out bland, the first thing I would do is to add salt. It brings all other flavours to life. I would also check if your other spices are up to date. With the combination that is used in this recipe this dish should be a flavour bomb. You are asking what Chinese is about this dish…I’ve answered your question in full in the post itself. Happy reading and cooking!
Best, Julia
DrTeeth says
January 8, 2020 at 4:03 amChecck how old your curry powder and 5 spice is… and make sure you release the aromatics by frying your spice mix at step 4. Also make sure you are not using reduced salt soy… if your pices are good, it will be seasoning. Add 1/4 tsp salt, stir and taste. You may need to do this a couple of times.
Neil walker says
December 13, 2019 at 7:18 pmi Added mushrooms n peas it was tops
vikalinka says
December 14, 2019 at 11:27 amOh I love the sound of that, Neil! Mushrooms are always the best addition. 🙂
I Burns says
October 5, 2019 at 9:30 pmSuperb recipe. Kids enjoyed it as well. Couldn’t find corn starch so used corn flour instead.
vikalinka says
October 6, 2019 at 8:43 amI am so glad you all enjoyed it! Cornstarch and corn flour are the same thing, just different names.
I Burns says
October 5, 2019 at 9:11 pmSuperb recipe. Kids enjoyed it as well.
Amanda says
September 4, 2019 at 6:55 pmI made this tonight, absolutely lovely.
vikalinka says
September 4, 2019 at 7:30 pmThat is so great! Thanks for you feedback, Amanda!
Nick says
June 22, 2019 at 6:30 pmWow I take my hat off to you for this little beauty.. thank you x
vikalinka says
June 22, 2019 at 6:41 pmMy pleasure, Nick. Glad you enjoyed it!
Claire says
May 18, 2019 at 6:56 pmMade this tonight for my family it was delicious even the children enjoyed it . Clean plates all round! thank you for sharing
vikalinka says
May 18, 2019 at 8:12 pmNothing makes me happier when the meal is a success with everyone including children! Thank you for sharing with me, Claire.
Rachel says
May 9, 2019 at 7:46 pmThis is a delicious Chinese chicken curry. I used madras curry powder. I didn’t add the potato but well worth a try.
vikalinka says
May 10, 2019 at 11:41 amMadras curry is one of my favourites too, Rachel! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Raj says
May 8, 2019 at 4:08 amRecipe is yummy. Can you please share the curry powder (brand) that has been used . If it was home made can you please share the ingredients
vikalinka says
May 8, 2019 at 11:44 amHi Raj, I am so glad you enjoyed this Chinese Chicken curry. The curry powder I used was brought to me from India by my husband. It’s delicious and fragrant. I am afraid I am not able to share any particular brand since they vary from country to country.
Herg says
April 14, 2019 at 11:47 amDelicious recipe, I added some home-made chapati.
Thanks a bunch!
vikalinka says
April 14, 2019 at 3:23 pmHomemade chapati sounds like an amazing addition to this curry!
Milana says
April 10, 2019 at 4:46 pmCan the Chinese 5 spice powder be substitued with something else?
vikalinka says
April 10, 2019 at 5:26 pmHi Milana, the Chinese 5 spice is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns, so you can add 1/4 tsp of each instead.
Natalia says
March 28, 2019 at 6:44 pmHi Julia, I made this Chicken Curry yesterday, and it turned out really nice. The only thing – I had to tweak the recipe a little bit. It says “mix the soy sauce with corn starch, then add chicken pieces and let marinade for 15 minutes.” But after mixing 1 tsp soy sauce with 2 tbsp corn starch you’d get a thick paste not usable for marinating. So, I used 3 tbsp soy sauce, and it was just enough liquid to marinate the chicken.
vikalinka says
March 28, 2019 at 7:50 pmHi Natalia, fair enough. The 2 tbsp of cornstarch was a typo and was meant to be only 2 teaspoons. I have corrected the typo. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Also, I wanted to mention that mixing of soy sauce and cornstarch is a technique called “velveting” in Chinese cooking. It’s used to preserve the juiciness of the meat by coating it in cornstarch with a help of a bit of liquid, so it’s not meant to be a marinade. It serves a different purpose. It’s similar to meat being dredged in flour in European cooking.
Dina says
February 25, 2019 at 7:51 amJulia, this Chinese chicken curry looks so delicious! All that garlic and ginger has me craving it so bad right now! My family would totally love this!
vikalinka says
February 25, 2019 at 9:48 amThank you so much, Dina! We are big fans of the garlic and ginger combo here as well!
Katya says
February 22, 2019 at 11:18 pmIt looks amazing! I love that you added potatoes to your Chicken Curry. I’ve made a chicken curry before but never with potatoes.
vikalinka says
February 23, 2019 at 1:44 pmThanks, Katya! I love that potatoes make this curry quite a bit more substantial while being very low fat.
NatalyaD says
February 22, 2019 at 3:39 amI have been craving this Chinese chicken curry after seen this recipe. I love a good curry recipe, this one looks like it’s easy to do at home. I think I am going to add it to cauliflower rice!
vikalinka says
February 22, 2019 at 10:09 amCauliflower rice will be a perfect low carb rice substitute here, Natalya!
Valentina says
February 22, 2019 at 2:52 amI can almost smell the aroma of this Chicken Curry filling my kitchen. Amazing, thanks for sharing the recipe.
vikalinka says
February 22, 2019 at 10:08 amOh yes it smells every bit as good as it tastes, Valentina!