One Pot Curry Chicken and Rice
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One pot meals are life! Make this One Pot Curry Chicken and Rice when you’re craving Indian food but you don’t want to do a lot of dishes. Chicken and rice seasoned with curry and coconut milk over fragrant Basmati rice hits the spot!
Searching for more Indian dishes? Search no further! I’ve got you covered with my Chicken and Broccoli Coconut Curry, Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala, Mango Chicken Curry, and Grilled Tandoori Chicken.
As with most ethnic cuisines in my life, I’m always a little skeptical till I try and then, I’m essentially hooked forever. The first time I tried Indian food I was in junior high. I went to some hole-in-the-wall with my older sister. I would never say “no” to any place my siblings wanted to take me, so I ordered and happily dug in. And I was rewarded with some of the best food I’d ever tasted.
While Samosas were the “easy” gateway Indian food, after that meal I never shied away from any and all options on the menu. That all-in mentality is what led me to try to make all the Indian dishes as an adult. (Such as my Indian Butter Chicken, so good!) I have no regrets.
Here’s What You Need
This healthy chicken and rice recipe is one of my family’s favorites and I’ve even impressed my parents with it! They’re not shy about giving their honest opinions so when they give two-thumbs-up I know it’s a keeper!
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- Oil
- Curry powder
- Salt
- White or Basmati rice
- Chicken broth
- Water
- Sugar
- Coconut milk
- Red bell pepper
- Onion
- Fresh cilantro or basil for garnish (optional)
Here’s How You Make It
Making this dish is easy to begin with and making it into a one-pot recipe makes it even simpler with one dish to clean.
- So, go ahead and get out the pot in which you want to cook this curry chicken and rice dish. I use a large 2-inch-deep skillet with a lid. But you can use a Dutch oven or any other large pot with a lid.
- In that pot, add the oil and heat over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken, bell peppers, and onions to the oil and sauté for 1 minute. (photo 1)
- Sprinkle the chicken with 1 tablespoon of curry powder and some salt. Keep stirring and cooking for about another minute or until the chicken is golden brown on the outside. Though it will not be cooked all the way through, you’ll be cooking it again in a couple steps so don’t worry. Take the chicken out of the pan and put into a dish and cover to keep warm. (photo 2)
- Next, using the same pan, add the rice, broth, water, salt, sugar, and the rest of the curry powder. Stir it all together again, and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer after it starts to boil. Let the mixture boil and the rice cook for about 15 minutes with the lid on. (photo 3)
- Take the lid off for a moment while you add the chicken back into the pan on top of the rice, arranged in a single layer. Cook for another 10 minutes with the lid back on. (photo 4)
- And, last but not least, take the lid off again and stir in the coconut milk. That’s it! Garnish this diced chicken and rice recipe with fresh basil or cilantro and serve! (photos 5-6)
Expert Tips and Customizations
Want to mix this dish up a bit? Great! Here are some of my ideas but I’d love to hear yours too!
- Top this dish with more than just herbs for garnish. Some ways I like to top yellow curry chicken are to add small dices of cucumber and/or tomato, a tablespoon of sour cream or Greek yogurt, or sliced green onions.
- Add a can of drained, rinsed chickpeas at the end with the coconut milk, or roast them and sprinkle them on top when you’re ready to serve. (If you enjoy roasted chickpeas, you’ll love them on these Greek Chicken Power Bowls!)
- Skip the chicken all together and just go with the chickpeas, tofu, or both for a vegetarian dish.
- Swap the rice for another grain like quinoa.
- Add cut, cooked potatoes to the mix when you add back in the chicken. Cut chicken to 1 pound and add a pound of potatoes to make sure not to overwhelm the other ingredients.
- Peas, diced carrots, and celery all make great additions too. Add carrots and celery when you’re cooking the chicken, and add the peas at the end.
More One Pan Meals
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta
- Lemon Herb Shrimp and Rice Skillet
- Stuffed Pepper Skillet
- One Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Spanish Chicken and Rice
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a rating!
One Pot Curry Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, chopped into 2-inch pieces
- 1 bell pepper, red or green, chopped
- 1 onion, white or yellow, chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon curry powder + 2 teaspoons, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided, more to taste
- 1 cup white rice, I used basmati rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup coconut milk
- fresh cilantro or basil for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large, 2-inch deep skillet with a lid, heat oil. Add chicken, onions, and bell peppers, and saute 1 minute.
- Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt and saute about 1 minute longer til golden brown on the outside. (Chicken will not be cooked through yet) Transfer to a dish and cover to keep warm.
- In the same pan, combine rice, broth, water, salt, sugar, and remaining 2 teaspoons curry powder. Stir well.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to high simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Uncover, return chicken to the pan (do not stir it in, just arrange it in a single layer on top of the rice so it isn't all heaped in the center of the pan). Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.
- Uncover, stir in coconut milk and salt to taste. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and serve.
Notes
- Add a can of drained, rinsed chickpeas at the end with the coconut milk, or roast them and sprinkle them on top when you’re ready to serve. (If you enjoy roasted chickpeas, you’ll love them on these Greek Chicken Power Bowls!)
- Skip the chicken all together and just go with the chickpeas, tofu, or both for a vegetarian dish.
- Swap the rice for another grain like quinoa.
- Add cut, cooked potatoes to the mix when you add back in the chicken. Cut chicken to 1 pound and add a pound of potatoes to make sure not to overwhelm the other ingredients.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
An excessive amount of liquid for 1 cup of rice. My other “1 pot rice + something” recipes call for 1:1. So I upped rice to two cups, excluded the water & pretty much followed the cooking instructions from a different one pot rice recipe I’m familiar with. Flavor was fantastic
Do I transfer the vegetables and the chicken or just the chicken to keep it warm and put the rice to cook with the vegetables?
Take both the chicken and the vegetables out. You’ll then put them back in for 10 minutes after the rice cooks for a bit. There’s a video of this recipe being made attached to this post for a visual. 🙂
Super easy with very little prepping. Perfect one pot meal for weeknight dinner. Love the curry flavor which was just perfect.
This was really good! I bumped up the salt and curry, and added carrots while sautéing the chicken, I also thought it would be runny, but it wasn’t at all! I added the whole can of coconut milk I had and it was still not at runny. For my family size (5) I’d probably double the rice/sauce next time.
I’ve made this dish twice in the past week, I thought I blew it by adding the Coconut milk with the rice and other liquids ,but no problem
Delish and easy!
absolutely delicious, family loved it and so easy
I got to say i was a little scared to try this recipe for the first time because i didn’t know if it was going to be spicy or not a good flavor, but i wanted to try something out of my comfort zone and it paid off ! I kinda eyeballed the chicken broth& coco milk to what looked good to me and just a splash of water i also cooked the chicken with my own seasonings to add extra flavor . The only thing was i am someone who loves flavor in everything i eat and even tho i added complete seasoning , chili powder and lots of salt and pepper and even extra curry powder somehow the dish was still a little bland to me next time I’ll def have to spice it up with more seasonings but overall so delicious and i added peas in the end and paired it with a side of cheesy broccoli. 9/10
So delicious!!!
Making your Curry Chicken and Rice as we speak. Looking forward to many more of your recipes! ..Just by taking a tiny sample I know it will be great
Thank you so much! 🙂