This is an Easy Chicken Curry that you need in your life. If you are looking for a new way to eat lean chicken breast, but you don't like spicy food, then give this Tomato and Garlic Chicken Curry recipe a try. It's a rich and creamy curry with just a tiny bit of spice, which could easily be left out to make a lovely mild healthy chicken curry. This is a great kid friendly curry, that freezes well too.
One of our aims for this year was to order less takeaways and cook more alternatives at home. This easy chicken curry is our go-to on a Friday night rather than ordering from the local Indian restaurant! It has all of the flavour of a takeaway tomato based Indian chicken curry, but much less calories.
Check out our Healthier Takeaway section for more recipes.
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Why should you try it?
- A mild chicken curry and the chilies can easily be left out
- Quick and easy, and will kids love it
- Freezer friendly
- Under 400 calories a portion
- Protein packed
What you will need
- Chicken breast - You can use chicken thighs instead, but these tend to have a higher fat content.
- Garlic - This is a fairly garlic heavy curry, so feel free to reduce the quantity to your own taste.
- Ginger - Along with garlic, ginger is the base of most curries.
- Greek yogurt - Adds a nice creaminess as well as cooling the curry down a bit. You can use coconut milk too.
- Plum tomatoes - Good quality plum tomatoes are always preferable as cheaper ones can be a bit watery. We use plum over chopped as they have less of a metallic taste.
- Onion - You could use shallots for a sweeter taste.
- Spice mix - We made our own spice mix consisting of cumin, turmeric, chilli, cinnamon and coriander. You can use your own spice blend or even some garam masala.
- Coriander (cilantro) - Fresh coriander to finish the dish off.
Step by step
One: Heat oil in a large pan and then add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook on a medium heat for 3 minutes until softened.
Two: Add the chicken and cook for a further 3 minutes until browned.
Three: Once the chicken is browned, add the red chilli flakes, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and coriander to the pan and mix well and cook for a further 1 minute.
Four: Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree to the pan and gently simmer for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Five: Stir in the Greek yoghurt and coriander and season with salt and pepper before serving.
Watch our web story for a quick how-to on how to make this healthy chicken curry.
Is it spicy?
This easy chicken curry has plenty of flavour going on, but we kept it mild as I know not everyone wants to be blown away by a curry. It's really all about the spices, rather than the heat. There is cumin, coriander, cinnamon and of course lots of garlic, but just a sprinkle of chilli flakes which could easily be left out.
Will kids like it?
I love a spicy curry and although I have a limit, usually it's the spicier the better. However, our daughter doesn't quite have the same spice tolerance as I do - yet! She does love a mild chicken curry though - and this is a great curry for kids.
Curries are great way to introduce kids to new herbs and spices and you can easily sneak some vegetables in to this too. This has become a family favourite, so we keep it pretty mild and then I add an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes to my bowl before serving.
Is this easy to make?
Yes, it is super simple. Sometimes you look at a homemade curry recipe and there is a list of about 20 ingredients, and it's just off putting. This recipe just uses a few key herbs and spices that you probably already have in your cupboard, along with the chicken and tomatoes. It's even easier than ordering a takeaway.
How to adapt it
As with all our recipes, this is easy to adapt. We have had this as a vegetable curry when we needed to do a fridge clear out, we have had it with tofu and we have done a seafood version too that was really good. We've also used chicken thigh instead of breast, which makes it cheaper.
Our aim is to provide you with base recipes, like this sauce, that you can then adapt to suit your family's tastes and also so you can enjoy it again and again without getting bored.
We often add in some mushrooms, peppers, courgettes and even cut down the amount of chicken and add in some chickpeas for a protein boost. You can stir in some spinach just before serving too.
This low calorie and low fat curry is a great way to cut back on takeaways and without cutting back on flavour. It has all the spices you know and love from your favourite curries, without the heat, making it a curry suitable for the whole family.
FAQs
We all like a big indulgent takeaway curry every now and then, but that was becoming a bit too much of a habit for us, so we started making more healthy chicken curry at home. It doesn't get much healthier than this, and it's pretty low in calories too at just 386 calories a bowl (without rice).
Curries usually come with ghee or cream stirred through it, but we added some Greek yogurt to give it that delicious creamy flavour without all the calories. You could use coconut milk, but that would increase the calories. Then there are all the healthy benefits from all the garlic in this!
Yes, this curry freezes really well. Just let it cool fully and then store in plastic containers and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once it has defrosted you can either microwave it or heat it up in a pan.
It will also keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. We sometimes put leftovers in a wrap with some grill halloumi or on a baked potato.
We serves ours with some plain boiled rice (although some turmeric rice would be good) and lots of fresh coriander. We then had one of our super Easy 4 Ingredient Flatbreads on the side, which is really good for moping up all the leftover sauce.
If you wanted a low carb meal, then why not try serving the curry with Cauliflower Rice.
Extra tips
- If you like your curries spicier, add an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes before serving.
- Don't have all the different spices? Just use 2 tbsp of curry powder or curry paste instead. Or if you have Garam Masala, you can use that.
- Make the curry a little more indulgent by stirring some cream through just before serving.
- Add a portion of vegetables to this easy chicken curry by throwing in some chopped spinach a few minutes before the curry is finished.
- Don't like chicken? You could use any vegetables instead, or use tofu or king prawns.
- Try leftovers in a wrap with some grilled halloumi or on top of a baked potato.
- Why not halve the amount of chicken and add some chickpeas instead.
- Try stirring in some spinach a few minutes before serving for an iron boost.
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Recipe
Tomato and Garlic Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 400 g Chicken breasts cut in to chunks
- 1 Onion diced
- 1 Thumb sized piece of ginger grated
- 4 Garlic cloves crushed
- 0.5 tsp Ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp Turmeric
- 0.5 tsp Red chilli flakes
- 0.5 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp Ground coriander
- 2 tbsp Tomato puree
- 400 g Chopped tomatoes
- 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 1 Handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pan and add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 3 minutes until softened.
- Add the chicken and cook for a further 3 minutes until browned.
- Once the chicken is browned, add the red chilli flakes, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and coriander to the pan and mix well and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree and gently simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken it cooked through.
- Stir through the Greek yoghurt and coriander before serving and serve with rice.
Notes
- If you like your curries spicier, add an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes before serving.
- Don't have all the different spices? Just use 2 tbsp of curry powder or curry paste instead. Or if you have Garam Masala, you can use that.
- Make the curry a little more indulgent by stirring some cream through just before serving.
- Add a portion of vegetables to this easy chicken curry by throwing in some chopped spinach a few minutes before the curry is finished.
- Don't like chicken? You could use any vegetables instead, or use tofu or king prawns.
- Try leftovers in a wrap with some grilled halloumi or on top of a baked potato.
- Why not halve the amount of chicken and add some chickpeas instead.
- Try stirring in some spinach a few minutes before serving for an iron boost.
Ben Myhre
This curry looks absolutely divine and your pictures are divine. My wife isn't as much of a fan, so I have to save stuff like this for a special 'me' occasion. I am putting this on my list!
Valentina
I love just about all things curry! This recipe is calling my name -- love the simple and delicious ingredients, and as always, I love your step-by-step photos. :-)
Ann
I have a three year old so I'm always looking for exotic flavors I can adapt to his picky palate! And it's also one of my goals to get less takeout this year, so we are so on the same page! We love this recipe and will be making it again.
Claudia Lamascolo
this chicken sound fantastic, I love the tomato and garlic flavors and have never tried curry so this will be a great flavor for me!
Shashi at SavorySpin
I love a good curry and this chicken one sounds so delicious!
Danielle Wolter
Great idea using greek yogurt. I totally need to try making curry with it. This looks amazing, what a great recipe!
Katherine Hackworthy
Such a tasty curry, and an ideal meal for the family. Lovely touch using yogurt instead of cream, and adds lovely flavour too.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
What a tasty looking curry - tomato and garlic are two of my favourite flavours! It sounds so full of flavour!
Sandi
I have never tried a tomato and garlic curry. I need to add this to my must try list!
Pam Greer
Love the use of the yogurt instead of cream!! This is the perfect healthy version with just the right amount of spice!
Catherine
What a hearty and flavorful meal! This looks absolutely delicious and I would love to try this soon. I love curry and I know this will be a hit with my family.
Jenni LeBaron
I love a good curry and this one looks fantastic! I think cinnamon in curry elevates everything!
Cindy Gordon
Curry is one of my favorite flavors! I am so excited for all the ingredients in this recipe!
PRAJAKTA SUKHATME
This chicken curry looks amazing. We are big curry family and I am always lookout for new recipes. With little chill setting in the air, this warm and comforting meal will be perfect. Beautiful presentation of the food too !!
Julie
Just made this curry for our tea! It was delicious! So tasty.
Dannii
So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for coming back to rate it :)
Iryna
This must be so flavorful. I don't mind having this Chicken Curry for dinner.
Annissa
What a gorgeous curry! My mouth waters just looking at the recipe. I love combinations of exotic spices!
Kelly Anthony
I am ALWAYS looking for new things to do with chicken breasts! This looks so savory!!
Lisa Huff
Great timing! Just had something similar at a restaurant last week and was thinking, I should try this at home! thanks!
Emily Hill
My husband would absolutely LOVE this dish. I need to make it for him for sure!