Filipino Style Chicken Curry

Filipino Chicken Curry is a mild and creamy chicken stew cooked in coconut milk and yellow curry powder, with potato, bell pepper, celery, and long green chili. I like this over warm white rice because the sauce is rich but still gentle. This is something I usually make for weekend dinner when I want a comforting chicken dish that is different from the usual chicken adobo. It is not spicy at all, so everyone at home can enjoy it. This Filipino Chicken Curry recipe uses bone in chicken pieces that are pan fried first, then simmered in the coconut curry sauce until tender.

I cook this version a little differently from the usual ones. I like adding a small amount of celery with the onion and garlic because it balances the richness of the coconut milk. I also leave carrots out because I like the potato to carry the body of the sauce. Carrots are fine if you like them. I just do not usually add them to my chicken curry.

If you have made ginataang manok before, this curry will feel familiar to you. The base is the same gentle coconut milk simmer that ginataan recipes use. The curry powder is what gives this dish its own personality.

What is Filipino Chicken Curry?

Filipino Chicken Curry is a creamy Filipino chicken stew cooked in coconut milk and seasoned with mild yellow curry powder. It is one of the dishes that Filipino home cooks make when they want something warm and comforting, but a little different from the usual adobo or sinigang. The flavor is gentle and creamy, and the curry powder gives a soft aroma without making the dish hot.

Filipino Chicken Curry likely came from the way our cooking absorbed outside flavors and made them fit local ingredients. Instead of using a long list of fresh spices the way Indian curry does, many Filipino home cooks use yellow curry powder mixed with coconut milk. The taste is still very Filipino because of the coconut milk and patis, but the curry powder gives it a different aroma from regular ginataan. There is no tomato in this version, and no yogurt either. The sauce is creamy from coconut milk alone.

In most Filipino homes, this is a regular weeknight dinner. Some families also serve creamy chicken dishes like this during gatherings because they feed a crowd and reheat well the next day.

Why I Cook It This Way

These are the small details I pay attention to when I make this Filipino Chicken Curry recipe.

• I pan-fry the chicken first. A light brown crust on the chicken gives the sauce more flavor later. The chicken also holds its shape through the long simmer instead of falling apart.
• I stir the curry powder into the liquid, not into the dry pan. I like adding the curry powder after the coconut milk goes in because it dissolves evenly and does not risk burning at the bottom of the pot.
• A little celery goes with the aromatics. Many versions of chicken curry do not use celery, but I like adding a small amount because it balances the coconut milk. The celery does not stand out in the finished curry. It just keeps the sauce from tasting too heavy.
• The chicken simmers long and the vegetables go in late. The chicken needs 30 to 35 minutes to turn tender. The potato and bell pepper only need 5 to 8 minutes at the end, so the bell pepper stays bright and the potato keeps its shape.
• Patis goes in at the end. Coconut milk can make it harder to judge saltiness right away, so I like adding fish sauce near the end and tasting before I add more.

Ingredients

• Chicken – Bone-in pieces cut into serving sizes. Bone-in is the better choice for stews because the meat stays moist and the bones flavor the sauce as it cooks.
• Coconut milk – The base of the curry sauce. A 13 to 14 ounce can of regular coconut milk is what I usually use. Ginataang Gulay Recipe Mix combined with water also works if you have a pack around. The mix already has some seasoning in it, so go lighter on the fish sauce if you use it.
• Baking potato – Cubed. Baking potatoes hold their shape better than waxy ones during the second simmer.
• Red bell pepper – Sliced into squares. Goes in near the end so it stays bright.
• Celery – Chopped. Cooked down with the onion and garlic.
• Red onion – Chopped. Part of the base of aromatics.
• Garlic – Chopped. Goes in with the onion.
• Curry powder – A mild yellow curry powder is what you want for this recipe. Avoid red curry paste or hot curry blends because they change the flavor too much. Filipino chicken curry should taste mild, creamy, and gently spiced.
• Long green chili pepper – Whole pieces, mostly for aroma. Keeping the chili whole means the seeds stay inside, so the dish does not turn spicy.
• Cooking oil – For pan-frying the chicken and sautéing the aromatics.
• Water – Mixed with the coconut milk to make the right amount of sauce.
• Fish sauce – Seasons the finished sauce. Add it at the end and taste before adding more.
• Ground black pepper – Goes in at the end with the patis.

Cooking this Filipino Chicken Curry is straightforward. You only need to pan-fry the chicken, simmer it in the sauce, and add the vegetables near the end. The whole thing happens in one pot.

1. Heat the cooking oil in a pot over medium heat.
2. Pan-fry the chicken pieces for one and a half to two minutes per side, or until the outside is light brown.
3. Remove the chicken and set aside on a clean plate.
4. Leave the oil in the pot for the next step.

The chicken is not fully cooked at this point. It finishes in the sauce.

1. Using the remaining oil, sauté the onion and garlic, then add the celery. Continue cooking until the onion and celery soften.
2. Combine the coconut milk (or the Knorr Ginataang Gulay Mix dissolved in two cups of water) and pour it into the pot. Let it boil.
3. Add the curry powder. Stir until the powder dissolves and the sauce turns uniform yellow.
4. Return the chicken to the pot. Cover and cook over medium heat for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.

Check the pot once during the simmer. If the sauce is reducing too fast, add a little water.

1. Add the potato, red bell pepper, and whole long green chili. Cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the potato is fork-tender.
2. Add the fish sauce and ground black pepper. Stir.
3. Taste the sauce and adjust the patis if it needs more salt.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with rice. Share and enjoy.

If you want a thicker sauce, leave the lid off for the last few minutes and let it reduce.

What to Serve with Filipino Chicken Curry

• Steamed white rice – The easiest and most natural pairing. The rice catches all that creamy sauce.
• Garlic fried rice – If you have day-old rice, this is even better. The toasted garlic plays well with curry.
• Ensaladang talong – Grilled eggplant salad with tomatoes and onions. The vinegar cuts through the creamy sauce.
• Saging na saba – Boiled saba banana on the side. A common pairing with ginataan dishes at home.
• Calamansi or lemon wedges – A squeeze over the curry lifts the flavor if it feels too rich.
• Atchara – Pickled green papaya. Sweet, tangy, and a nice break from the coconut milk.

Storage

This Filipino Chicken Curry stores well. Many people will tell you it tastes even better the next day because the flavors settle in.

• Refrigerator: Let the curry cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container for up to three days.
• Freezer: You can freeze it for about two months, although the sauce may separate a little after thawing. That is normal with coconut milk dishes. Stir it back together while reheating and it will come out fine.
• Reheating: Warm in a saucepan over low to medium heat. Stir often and add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick. The microwave works too. Use medium power and stir every minute so the coconut milk does not break.

More Filipino Chicken Recipes

• Ginataang Manok – Chicken simmered in coconut milk with green papaya. A simpler version of the same idea without the curry powder.
• Pininyahang Manok sa Gata – Chicken with pineapple, coconut milk, and bell pepper. Sweet and creamy instead of savory and creamy.
• Chicken Afritada – Another Filipino chicken stew, but with a tomato-based sauce instead of coconut milk.
• Chicken Kare-Kare – A peanut sauce stew that fills a similar role at the dinner table.

• Bone-in chicken – Boneless thighs work well. Cut the simmer time to about 20 minutes. Boneless breast also works, but only needs about 15 minutes or it dries out.
• Coconut milk – Coconut cream gives a thicker sauce. Use about three-quarters of the same volume and thin with water if needed. Evaporated milk works in a pinch, but you lose the coconut flavor.
• Baking potato – Yukon Gold or any waxy potato is fine. Sweet potato changes the flavor toward sweet.
• Red bell pepper – Green bell pepper works. Yellow or orange also fine.
• Long green chili – Banana pepper or jalapeño with the seeds left in. Skip it if you want zero heat.
• Fish sauce – Salt to taste. About half a teaspoon for every tablespoon of patis the recipe calls for.

Filipino Chicken Curry is a good dish to cook when you want something creamy and comforting with rice. The chicken becomes tender, the sauce tastes even better the next day, and the whole pot feels familiar without being the same as adobo or sinigang. Try this Filipino Chicken Curry recipe and let me know how it turns out. Watch the video above to see what the sauce should look like before the vegetables go in.