This luxurious Chicken Sweet Potato Curry is an Indian-inspired meal made in one pot with mostly pantry staples. It’s a fabulous weeknight dinner that is nutritious and filled with ultra-creamy, rich flavors that will taste as good as your favorite Indian takeout. Update: Slow cooker instructions are now included!
I love having a curry recipe in my back pocket that I can whip up easily and quickly when the craving hits. This chicken and sweet potato curry has all of the restaurant-quality Indian flavors you crave but uses pantry-friendly ingredients, comes together in one pot, and is ready in less than 40 minutes.
Made with fiber-rich sweet potatoes, spinach, chicken, coconut milk, and antioxidant-rich spices, it feels and tastes indulgent yet it’s super nutritious and good for you. Using just the right amount of spices and coconut milk, this recipe gives you a luxuriously rich and gourmet curry.
- 🌟Good To Know🌟
- Recipe Ingredients And Notes
- Variations And Substitutions
- How To Make One Pot Chicken Sweet Potato Curry: Step-by-Step Instructions
- Helpful Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How To Serve This Curry Recipe
- How To Store And Reheat Leftovers
- More Simple Curry Recipes To Try
- 5 sensational salad recipes, just for you
- Chicken Sweet Potato Curry
If you love a good curry, you must give this one a try. With many variations offered, you can enjoy this delicious curry, no matter what your food sensitivities may be. Best of all, it reheats beautifully making it both a meal prep, and freezer-friendly meal.
🌟Good To Know🌟
This chicken and sweet potato curry recipe is not aiming to give you an authentic Indian dish. However, here we use a combination of Indian spices and other ingredients that recreate the lovely Indian flavors you look for in a curry. In other words, a curry in a hurry that actually tastes good!
Recipe Ingredients And Notes
You will love that the ingredients in this curry are budget-friendly and can easily be found at a regular grocery store.
- Chicken – I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they cook up so tender and flavorful in this curry. However, boneless skinless chicken breasts will work just as well.
- Sweet potatoes – To me, the tender sweet potatoes in this curry are the star of the show. They soak up all the delicious curry flavors and in turn help sweeten the curry so it isn’t too spicy or one-note.
- Aromatics – Here we use onion, garlic and fresh ginger to form the aromatic base of our chicken and sweet potato curry. If you don’t mind a little heat, I highly recommend adding green chilies such as serrano or jalapeño. Keep in mind they aren’t just there for heat, they also add lovely flavor.
- Ground Indian spices – To keep this curry weeknight-friendly, we take a short cut and use a pre-blended curry powder along with other fragrant ground spices such as cumin, Indian chili powder (or regular chili powder), turmeric, and garam masala. The spices are gently toasted, also known as bloomed, in the skillet which intensifies their flavors.
- Coconut milk – You will need a can of full-fat coconut milk. This is what gives the curry a creamy and luxurious flavor. I don’t recommend lite coconut milk for this curry or it could turn out quite thin.
- Canned chopped tomatoes – You will need 1 cup canned chopped tomatoes. I like this brand. If you have fresh tomatoes, go ahead and use them (you will need to dice them small, then measure about 11/2 cup).
- Cilantro – Optional, but adds great flavor to the curry.
Variations And Substitutions
Make it vegan. This is a great recipe to make vegan. Simply omit the chicken and you’ll have a fabulous vegan meal. If you wish to add a protein, add a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas. Alternatively, add some cubed, baked crispy tofu.
Coconut milk allergy? Use homemade or store-bought cashew cream. To make your own cashew cream: place 1 cup raw cashews in heat proof bowl, cover with hot water by 1-2 inches. Soak for 20 minutes. Drain and add to a high-speed blender with 1 cup fresh water. Blend until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
Add more veggies. Sauté red bell peppers with the onions, or stir in chopped green beans half-way through. You can also add fresh or frozen green peas towards the end of cooking.
How To Make One Pot Chicken Sweet Potato Curry: Step-by-Step Instructions
Step1: Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, serrano peppers, and salt and sauté until onion starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken pieces in an even layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned in spots.
Step 2: Stir in the ground spices, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, until the chicken is evenly coated in the ground spices, about 1 minute.
Step 3: Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the sweet potatoes and coconut milk, scraping up any browned bits.
Step 4: Bring the curry to gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover, and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste, season with a pinch more salt and pepper, if needed.
Step 5: Add the spinach, cover the pan again and cook until spinach is wilted and sweet potatoes are fork-tender, about 5 minutes more. Note that the cooking time will vary slightly depending on how big your sweet potato chunks are and the size of your chicken pieces.
Step 6: Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve hot over rice or with flatbread.
Helpful Tips
Adjust the spice level to your preference. I find a little bit of heat is almost necessary in curries — it helps intensify all the flavors . As written, this curry is only mildly spicy but you can make it as spicy as you’d like by adding less or more chilies.
Cut the sweet potato into small-ish chunks. For the dish to finish cooking quickly, chop the sweet potatoes no larger than 2-inch pieces.
If serving with rice, make it while curry is cooking. For a speedy weeknight dinner, make sure to multitask and prepare the rice, or whatever side you’re making, while the curry is simmering. Store any leftover curry separate from the rice, otherwise the rice will soak up all the sauce.
Add more coconut milk. Depending on how much chicken and sweet potatoes you use, you may feel like you’d like a little more sauce. Have an extra can of coconut milk on standby in case you need to add more. I often add 1 cup more.
Frequently Asked Questions
This coconut chicken curry is a nutritious, well-balanced meal all on its own. You get complex carbs and fiber from the sweet potatoes and leafy greens, protein from the chicken, and antioxidants from the spices.
As written, I find this curry to be exceptionally thick and creamy. However, depending on the coconut milk you use, a dairy-free, quick curry like this one can turn out a little thin. If this happens to your curry, stir in a tablespoon of almond butter. It will add richness and also help thicken the curry.
If, on the other hand, your curry turns out too thick, or you would like more sauce, add more coconut milk or a 1/4 cup of chicken broth. I wouldn’t add water as it will wash down the flavors.
Yes! I have included instructions in the recipe card notes.
How To Serve This Curry Recipe
A big bowl of curry is super satisfying and filling all on its own with perhaps just a few slices of toasty naan for dipping into the delicious sauce. However, we can never resist spooning it over some fluffy white Jasmine rice. A side of avocado slices drizzled with lime juice would also make a great accompaniment.
For a low-carb side, try it with cauliflower rice, or steamed broccoli.
How To Store And Reheat Leftovers
- To store: Once cooled, store the curry leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: For best results, reheat the curry in a saucepan, stirring often, over medium heat. The sauce will have likely thickened in the fridge so make sure to add a few splashes of liquid to thin it out a bit. You can add chicken broth, coconut milk or any other unsweetened plant-based milk.
- To freeze: This curry will freeze well. Freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 4-6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then follow reheating instructions.
More Simple Curry Recipes To Try
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I hope you love this Chicken Sweet Potato Curry recipe. If you make it, please leave a comment and star rating at the bottom of the page so I know how you liked it. Thank you!
Chicken Sweet Potato Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, or avocado oil
- 1 red or yellow white onion, diced
- 1 serrano pepper or jalapeño pepper, finely diced (see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut to bite-size pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated (or minced)
- 2 – 3 Tablespoons curry powder (see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon Indian red chili powder, or regular chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes, or half of 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 pounds (about 2 medium) sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 can 13.5 oz / 400 ml full-fat unsweetened coconut milk (see notes)
- 3 cups (45g) baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 – 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan that has a lid over medium-high heat. Add the onion, chili pepper (Serrano or jalapeño), and salt and sauté until onion starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken in an even layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned in spots.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, chili powder, cumin, turmeric, black pepper and garam masala (if using). Cook, stirring constantly, until the chicken is evenly coated in the ground spices, about 1 minute. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stir to combine.
- Add the sweet potatoes and coconut milk, scraping up any browned bits. Bring the curry to gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste, season with a pinch more salt and pepper, if needed. Add the spinach, cover the pan again and cook until spinach is wilted and sweet potatoes are fork-tender, about 5 minutes more.
- Turn off the heat, drizzle in lemon juice and stir in chopped cilantro. Serve hot over rice or with flatbread garnished with a little more cilantro, if desired.
Notes
*Omit the coconut oil and leave the chicken thighs whole.
In the bottom of the slow cooker, whisk together 1 can coconut milk, 1 (14-ounce can) crushed tomatoes, 2 tbsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp garam masala (if using), 1 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 1.5 lbs chicken thighs, 1 diced onion, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 diced Serrano or jalapeño, 1 piece peeled and grated ginger and 2 peeled and chopped sweet potatoes. Using tongs, gently toss ingredients together to ensure evenly coated.
Cook on Low for 7-8 hours or High for 4 hours. Roughly chop the chicken. Stir in spinach, cilantro and lemon juice 5 minutes before serving.
Serve over rice and with more chopped cilantro.
Deb
Quick and yummy! I added more spinach and red pepper to increase the veggie content. We found it quite mild, so next time would increase the spices.Also added some chopped salted cashews as a garnish for some crunch.
Sandra Valvassori
Happy to hear you enjoyed the curry, Deb! Love that you increased the veggies and added cashews, too! In regards to the dish being a bit mild, I find that curry powders vary so greatly in strength so it’s a bit tricky to get it right. I tweaked the recipe a bit to include garam masala as an option and also Indian chili powder which adds a little more punch. If you give it another try, let me know how it goes. As always, thank you for taking the time to leave a review — it’s very helpful to me and other readers 😊
M Howard
The directions didn’t really say when to add the jalapeño. Nor when the masala should be introduced.
I added the masala when the chili pepper was added and the jalapeño as a garnish.
As far as chili powder, Deep brand extra hot, is a good choice for spicy. The first time I did 1 tsp of tones chili powder and 1/16 tsp of the extra hot (it is wickedly hot by itself). Next time I will not hesitate to go 1/2 tsp of extra hot. And throttle up accordingly on following dishes.
Only thing I added to venture off into the unknown was grated smoked gouda over the garnishes.
Sandra Valvassori
Hi Marty, sorry for the confusion – the recipe calls for a serrano pepper or a jalapeño pepper so in the instructions I say to cook the “chili pepper” with the onion. I will amend the recipe to make it more clear. I did, however forget to say when to add the garam masala, thank you for catching that, it has now been fixed! Also, thank you for your tips on the spicy chili powders, and I am now dying to try it with grated smoked gouda – yum!
Diane
Another winner. The aromas were wonderful. We’ve had many curries in our day- this one was easy, and delicious and Gluten free I made basmati and added unsweetened shredded coconut to the rice. Thanks, again, Sandra
Sandra Valvassori
So happy to hear you enjoyed the curry, Diane! Love that you added shredded coconut to the rice – yum. Thank you for your kind review.
Rachael R
I made this last night and it’s absolutely delicious. The only change I made was to add a tsp of sugar because that’s what we do for korma and it helps lift the spices.
Being British but living in the southern US curry houses are one of the things I miss most about home, this really hit the spot on a cold night!
Sandra Valvassori
So happy to hear you enjoyed this curry, Rachael! I love the tip about the sugar and will include this as an option in the recipe. Thank you so much for your kind review!
Jenn
Found this recipe on Pinterest and have had it saved for a while. Made this a few times and it’s always a family favorite. I sub chicken breast for chicken thighs, light coconut milk instead of full fat (my husband doesn’t like the taste of coconut) and I added zucchini. (Also increases all the spices, garlic & ginger.) Served with basmati rice and a little dollop of sour cream on top and it’s absolutely delightful!!
Long story short to anyone thinking about making this, just do it! You can customize it all you want. ♥️
Sandra Valvassori
So thrilled to hear you enjoyed the curry, Jenn! I love your adaptations and will have to give some of those a try – adding zucchini sounds so good! Thank you for taking the time to write such a kind and helpful review!
Ellen
Anybody tried it in crockpot? tips for this?
Sandra Valvassori
Hi Ellen, thank you for reaching out. You are not the first to ask for slow cooker tips so I have now included instructions to make this recipe in the slow cooker in the recipe card notes. Hope this helps and would love to hear how this turns out for you!
Antoinette
I don’t normally leave reviews….I just don’t. But this recipe was tremendous! In spite of me accidentally switching the turmeric and curry powder 🤣 it turned out perfectly. I didn’t have serrano oeoer, so I uddried kashmiri peppers instead, and it was excellent. Thank you. This is a keeper!
Sandra Valvassori
So happy to hear this, Antoinette! Love that you used Kashmiri peppers—even better! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a kind review!
Toni
This was really yummy. A quick midweek meal with not too many ingredients and probably the closest I’ve gotten to making something that tastes like a takeaway curry. Delish!
Sandra Valvassori
Yay! So happy to hear this, Toni! Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a kind review!