A super quick chicken sweet potato curry that features juicy chicken braised with tender sweet potatoes and chickpeas in a coconut curry. It is extremely easy to put together and tastes so hearty – perfect for a busy weekday dinner or meal prep. {Gluten-Free}
The long hot summer is finally coming to an end and fall is just around the corner. Although I have enjoyed plenty of refreshing salads and cold noodles over the last couple of months, I can’t wait to dig into some hearty soups and stews as the cool weather sets in.
Curry is one of my favorite dishes for a weeknight dinner. It can be quite easy to put together, it’s super flavorful, and the leftovers only get tastier. I’ve shared some easy curry recipes in the past including Thai-style salmon curry and Instant Pot curry beef. Today I want to share this comforting chicken sweet potato curry recipe that’s perfect for the fall.
Chicken sweet potato curry ingredients
Chicken sweet potato curry uses many pantry staples that you either already have on hand or are available at most grocery stores. I got all my ingredients from ACME®, where you will find fresh produce, organic products and many affordable and high-quality store brands. Their Fall Into Flavor content hub also offers seasonal recipes, virtual cooking classes and culinary tips to get you inspired. I really like their shoppable recipes that make grocery shopping a breeze and they’re also great for meal planning. Head over to acmemarkets.com/fall to find out more.
What type of curry powder to use
Instead of using 20 ingredients to make my own curry mix, I took a shortcut and used ACME®’s exclusive O Organics® curry powder. I also added some of their exclusive O Organics® cumin, paprika and turmeric to add a bit more flavor and color to the dish. My Indian friends might not approve of my approach, but I find the method so convenient when you’re trying to get something on the dinner table on a busy weekday night.
Mise en place
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
- Chopped onion
- Minced ginger and garlic
- Sliced chicken pieces
- Chopped sweet potato
- O Organics® Drained garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- Spice mix
- O Organics® Chicken broth
- Coconut milk
- Signature SELECT® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Butter
How to make chicken sweet potato curry
- Brown the chicken
- Add the aromatics and sauté to release fragrance
- Add the spice mix and gently sauté to toast the pieces
- Pour in the broth and add the rest of the ingredients, simmer, then finish it up with coconut milk
The whole process will take less than 20 minutes from start to finish. When the chicken sweet potato curry is simmering, you can steam some rice at the same time to make yourself a complete meal.
The chicken sweet potato curry is so comforting to eat. The chicken pieces are tender and juicy. The sweet potato and chickpeas are soaked with the rich curry flavor. The curry will be delicious when it’s freshly made, but if you store it in the fridge overnight, the spices will blend together even more, and the ingredients will become more flavorful.
This post is sponsored by ACME®. All opinions expressed are my own.
More easy weeknight meals
- Scallion Beef Stir Fry (葱爆牛肉)
- Air Fryer Garlic Ribs (蒜香排骨)
- Black Pepper Chicken
- Beef and Broccoli (牛肉炒西兰花)
- Pork Lettuce Wrap (San Choy Bow)
Chinese Cooking Made Easy
Are you new to this website? This free email series is a great place to start. I’ll walk you through a few of my most popular recipes and show you how and why they work. You’ll quickly start to cook better Chinese food in your own kitchen.
Chicken Sweet Potato Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs , cut to bite-size pieces (*Footnote 1)
- 1 white onion , minced
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 thumb ginger , minced
- 3 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (Optional, *Footnote 2)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb sweet potatoes (2 small or 1 big) , cut into 1” (2.5 cm) pieces
- 1 can garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) (15 oz / 425 g can) , drained
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk (13.5 oz / 400 ml can) (*Footnote 3)
- 1/2 cup cilantro , chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a 9” dutch oven or a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chicken pieces without overlapping. Cook for 1 minute without disturbing, or until the bottom turns golden brown. Flip to brown the other side.
- Add the butter, onion, ginger and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the onion turns light golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the curry powder, cumin powder, black pepper, paprika, and turmeric powder. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 30 seconds, until the curry powder is evenly coated.
- Add the chicken broth, sweet potato, garbanzo beans, and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes turn tender.
- Pour in the coconut milk and cook over medium heat until the sauce just starts to simmer. Turn off heat and garnish with cilantro, if using. Serve hot over steamed rice or by itself as a main dish.
Notes
- I highly recommend using chicken thighs in this recipe, so the meat will stay juicy and tender. If you use chicken breast, you should remove it from the pan once you finish browning (step 1), and then add it back at step 3, after the broth returns to a simmer.
- Turmeric adds a beautiful bright yellow color to the dish. You can skip it and it won’t affect the taste of the dish much.
- Sometimes coconut milk separates, and the thick cream is floating on the top. To make the curry extra creamy, I prefer to only add the thick creamy layer to the curry and leave the coconut water behind. If you’re unsure, add half a can of coconut milk, stir and taste the curry. If you prefer the curry to be milder, you can add the rest of the coconut milk.
Nutrition
Have a question or feedback? Add a Comment
Did you make this? I want to see! Tag @OmnivoresCookbook on Instagram, and rate the recipe below.
Diane Mac
I love the spices but the chicken got rubbery very quickly in the sauce. I used boneless chicken thighs. How do you make this so the chicken cooks through without getting rubbery and dry? Thanks.
Maggie Zhu
The best way is to cook the thigh until just cooked. Over cooking causing the meat to lose juice and turn dry. What you can do is to remove the chicken from the pot and put into a plate after browning. During step 3, add the chicken back after 6 to 7 minutes or so, then cook everything together for another 3 to 4 minutes or so. The chicken thighs are mostly cooked during the browning, so they don’t need that much time to boil in the sauce.
Margaret c
This turn d out so yummy. Just enough bite for me. I did use frozen diced chicken. I had doubts about that but it turned out fine. I was feeling a bit lazy lol
JJ
This was the best curry I’ve ever made. I added spinach and used the note of only adding the cream from the top of the coconut milk with maybe a splash more … absolutely delicious my three year old even loved it!
Jennifer Jam
I have cooked many curry dishes and this has be far been everyone’s favorite! So much flavor! I used chicken breast and pre-roasted sweet potatoes which made this meal easy and quick.
Joan
Made this a few times and definitely love it! Thanks for a great recipe!
Steph
My first time making curry, this was delicious!
Lindsay
i followed the recipe exactly and it was really delicious. The note about only using the coconut cream was helpful and maybe for a better result than when I’ve used the whole can. Will make it again!
Sandy
This was delicious and easy to make. Loved it!
Erika
This was so good! I used a Japanese red sweet potatoe and after all of the ingredients were in I transferred it to a crock pot on high for 4 hours then added the coconut milk once I turned it off. Served with some greek yogurt and naan. Was the best curry I have ever made! Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe! Everyone enjoyed
Maggie Zhu
So happy to hear the recipe works in a crock pot! Sounds like a great way to prepare the dish. Thanks for leaving a positive review 🙂
Mari
Fantastic recipe; it turned out delicious. I used white sweet potatoes and smoked paprika as they were what I had readily available, and I can’t wait to eat my leftovers!
P. Hi
What is the serving size?
Brabara
Recipe sounds delicious. Would it still work as well in a slow cooker?
Maggie Zhu
I think a slow cooker will work well for this recipe!
Jem
I’m not joking when I say this is the best meal I’ve had all winter, because it truly is!! I broke down a whole chicken and measured out to about 700g then used a mixture of boneless and bone-in pieces to make this and it was really, really devious. In my opinion, the chickpeas are a must for this dish and makes it feel more rounded. I paired this dish with a side of steamed white rice and topped it with some lime mint that I grew in the summer. I’ll definitely have to make this again the next time I see sweet potatoes on sale!!
Jem
Sorry! I meant “delicious” instead of “devious.”
Maggie Zhu
So happy to hear you liked this dish! Using a mix of bone-in and boneless chicken sound so good. I can’t wait to try that out myself next time 🙂
Kalen
This recipe was amazing!! I did not make any substitutions and followed the recipe to a tee. WOW!! I rarely write reviews on a recipe but this one deserves it!! I’m sooo looking forward to my leftovers.
AQ
My kids don’t like curry but this loved this! I also added some carrots and spinach.
Carol
This recipe is super great! 10 out of 10 ⭐️
Rad haberdasher
Very tasty! A little underseasoned, but I just added a teaspoon of fish sauce and it was perfect. Even the fussy 2 year old ate every bite!
Donna G
After 10 minutes the sweet potatoes are still hard as a rock. The cooking time seems off to me. Am I misunderstanding the cooking time? Thanks
Maggie Zhu
I think it depends on the size you cut, the type of sweet potatoes also affect cooking time. I usually cut them into small bite-size pieces and it will start to turn quite tender at 10 minutes mark. If it’s still tough, you can simply braise the stew a little longer.
Sue M.
Substitute for curry spice???
Jnez
This recipe looks delicious! Since I am allergic to coconut, what would be a good substitute?
Maggie Zhu
Heavy cream would be a good substitution. I do like that the coconut adds a hint of sweetness to the dish, so it balance out the spiciness of the curry. If using heavy cream, taste the curry at the end and maybe add a pinch of sugar if needed.