Easy Chicken Curry
Craving a curry but don’t fancy all those extra calories? This Easy Chicken Curry is a tasty, slimming-friendly Friday night fakeaway.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories316
- Carbs3.5g
- Protein56g
- Fat8.2g
- Saturates2.3g
- Sugars1.7g
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
There’s nothing quite like a proper curry to really hit the spot after a long week. The only trouble is, those weekend takeaways we all look forward to aren’t always the most slimming-friendly. That’s why we’ve put together this Easy Chicken Curry. It has all the flavour you’d expect from your local, without the added calories (or cost!).
Another thing we love about this recipe is it’s super simple to make, exactly what you need when you want something that’ll warm you up with minimal prep. Best of all, it reheats beautifully, so if you do happen to have leftovers (we never seem to!), you’ve got a lunch that’s ready to go the next day.
We enjoy tucking into this recipe with a salad, or our Paprika Chilli Chickpeas.
What diets is this Easy Chicken Curry suitable for?
This Easy Chicken Curry recipe is suitable for both gluten-free and dairy-free diets. It can be made vegetarian, as long as you swap out the following ingredients for vegetarian versions:
- Chicken thighs
If you’re cooking for people with allergies please remember to take extra care. Use separate utensils, cookware, and preparation surfaces.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Easy Chicken Curry?
You don’t need any special ingredients or equipment to make this Easy Chicken Curry, but you will need a large saucepan with a lid. You can find one of these on Amazon.
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How many calories are in this Easy Chicken Curry?
There are 316 calories per portion in this Easy Chicken Curry, which means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence category. These are recipes that come in at 500 calories or less, perfect if you’re following a calorie-controlled diet. It also fits well with any of the major diet plans, like Weight Watchers, for instance.
If you’re serving this Easy Chicken Curry with an accompaniment, such as rice or a salad, remember to account for any extra calories.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight, then you might want to adjust these slightly. You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray, and set on a medium heat. Add the chicken thighs, then fry until browned on all sides.
Step 2
Add the onion, garlic, and spices, and mix well to coat. Add the stock cube to the water, then pour into the pan and stir.
Step 3
Set the pan on a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat. Cover with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, for one hour.
Step 4
Remove the lid and simmer for a further 30 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce. Then serve with your choice of accompaniment (we recommend fluffy basmati rice!)
What could I serve with this Easy Chicken Curry?
We think that this Easy Chicken Curry is perfect with fluffy basmati rice, or a colourful side salad. It also works really well alongside the following dishes:
How do you know when your Easy Chicken Curry is cooked?
You’ll need to cook your Easy Chicken Curry for an hour and a half, or until the chicken is cooked through, and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Here in the UK, standard advice is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep you and whoever it is you’re cooking for safe.
How long can you keep this Easy Chicken Curry in the fridge?
Once you’ve served up your Easy Chicken Curry, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours. If you do allow any leftovers to cool, be sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid, then chill. You can keep leftovers of Easy Chicken Curry in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze this Easy Chicken Curry?
Yes, you can! This recipe can be frozen, just remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
- Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer.
How do I reheat this Easy Chicken Curry?
From chilled: Place in a microwave-proof container with loosely fitting lid, and heat for 4-7 minutes — until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes, then stir. Then cook for a further 5-7 minutes — until piping hot.
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Easy Chicken Curry
Craving a curry but don’t fancy all those extra calories? This Easy Chicken Curry is a tasty, slimming-friendly Friday night fakeaway.
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Prep Time
10 MINS
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Cook Time
1 HR 30
- KCals 316
- Carbs 3.5G
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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Instructions
- Spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray, and set on a medium heat. Add the chicken thighs, then fry until browned on all sides.
- Add the onion, garlic, and spices, and mix well to coat. Add the stock cube to the water, then pour into the pan and stir.
- Set the pan on a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat. Cover with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, for one hour.
- Remove the lid and simmer for a further 30 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce. Then serve with your choice of accompaniment
If you’ve made this Easy Chicken Curry and loved it, let us know by sharing a photo and tagging us on Instagram or in our Facebook group!
23 comments
See what others have to say
Maggie BurrowsMonday 16th August 2021
Hi was wondering if you could use beef instead of chicken as I have fresh beef left over from Sunday Roast?? Thanks in advance. 😊😊
SharonMonday 13th September 2021
Hi Maggie, we haven’t tried this recipe with leftover cooked beef but it should work fine.Let us know how it goes!
AnnmarieMonday 18th January 2021
How many grams is a serving then?
HollyTuesday 19th January 2021
Hey Annmarie, We work out our recipes on the serving size not by weight. If you scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page on the website there is a little arrow by servings and you can alter up or down to serve more or less people. Hope that helps!
HannahThursday 7th January 2021
I’ve just had this dish with chips – it was delicious. Do the calories counted per serving include the rice?
SharonThursday 7th January 2021
Hi Hannah, we’re so pleased you thought this recipe was delicious.The calories stated are just for a single serving of the curry but not the rice.
Thanks for your lovely comment.
KirstyannSaturday 2nd January 2021
Would this work with cod fillets instead of chicken?
LisaMonday 4th January 2021
Hi Kirstyann
The curry sauce flavours would work well with cod, however it takes a lot less cooking than chicken thighs. You would have to cook the sauce on its own and only add the cod with 5-10 minutes to go, depending on the size of the fish. You might also end up with a sauce that lacks flavour as the chicken releases juices into the sauce over the longer cooking time. Hope this helps
LauraThursday 6th August 2020
Can I do the easy chicken curry in the slow cooker.
LisaFriday 7th August 2020
Hi Laura
We’ve not tried this in the slow cooker. You would have to remove the lid and turn your slow cooker up to high, at the end of cooking time to reduce the cooking liquid into a thick sauce. This might take longer than the half an hour stated in the recipe. Hope this helps.
CharlieWednesday 8th August 2018
Am I reading this right, simmer for 1 hour with lid on then an additional 30 mins for sauce to reduce with lid off. Or is it an hour in total and last 30 mins without lid
janeTuesday 28th April 2020
for Charlie, the recipe states: You’ll need to cook your Easy Chicken Curry for an hour and a half or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
LisaThursday 7th May 2020
Thanks for helping out, Jane.
MargaretWednesday 6th December 2017
Absolutely delicious and will definitely have this again. Looking forward to trying the creamy curry next time x
JudeWednesday 15th March 2017
Sorry where is the recipe for the chicken curry I can’t see the link.
KateFriday 17th March 2017
Hi Jude
If you’re on mobile you should see a big green button saying ‘Click HERE To Read More’ if you click that it will take show you the rest of the recipe
KirstyFriday 3rd February 2017
Hi can this be done in a slow cooker? Thanks ????
KateSunday 5th February 2017
Hi Kirsty
We’ve not tried it in the slow cooker, but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. It would probably need 5 to 6 hours
MarySaturday 28th January 2017
Not all curry powder is Free!!!
Kirstie clarksonWednesday 23rd November 2016
Looks lovely
AlexMonday 7th November 2016
I’ve just bought that instant pot and think it’s great. I was wondering whether this could be cooked using it and if so how long would you cooked it for. Thanks
Emma TTuesday 12th September 2017
Hi Alex,
Yes! It would take around 10 minutes on high pressure, with a NPR ????
Charlie @ The Kitchen ShedThursday 13th October 2016
Yes!! Chicken on the bone is the best. My husband only likes chicken breast but I absolutely love chicken thighs. This looks divine! I bet it would be great in the slow cooker too!
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