I fell in love with Indian food last year and have craved it ever since. I’ve experimented here and there but it’s still completely uncharted territory to me. I recently discovered the show Spice Goddess on the Cooking Channel and I watch it whenever I get a few spare minutes.
Last week I saw her make this Chicken South Indian Style and was totally inspired. Sure, I didn’t have *any* of the spices called for in the recipe, nor did I have time to go hunt them down, but cooking is all about improvising. My yellow jasmine rice is one of my all-time favorite recipes that I’ve ever made for the blog, so I decided to use a similar mix of spices for this recipe.
And of course, there is the jasmine rice. So simple, so aromatic, SO important. This dish just wouldn’t be the same without the jasmine rice. It’s worth hunting down if your local market doesn’t have it. Ethnic markets or major supermarkets with well stocked ethnic aisles should carry jasmine rice in large, 5 lb. bags, which will be a fraction of the cost of the small “gourmet” rice brands. Check the bottom shelf, it’s usually hiding there.
Turmeric Chicken
Turmeric Chicken
Servings 6Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.22)
- 1/2 red onion ($0.65)
- 2 inches fresh ginger ($0.30)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic ($0.24)
- 1/2 Tbsp turmeric ($0.07)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1 whole bay leaf ($0.15)
- 2 lb. chicken, breast or thigh ($3.98)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($1.17)
- 1 13.5oz. can coconut milk ($2.15)
- salt & pepper to taste ($0.05)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro (optional) ($0.20)
- 2 cups uncooked jasmine rice ($0.88)
Instructions
- Combine the jasmine rice with 3 cups of cold water in a medium pot. Place a lid on top and bring up to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit undisturbed until you are ready to serve it.
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger using a small cheese grater. Saute all three in a large pot over medium heat with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil.
- When the onions have softened, add the turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Dice the chicken and add to the pot. Saute until cooked through (7-10 minutes).
- Add the can of tomatoes and the bay leaf. Place a lid on top and let simmer for 30 minutes. Turn the heat off and stir in the coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fluff the rice with a fork. Serve the stewed chicken mixture over a heaping portion of rice. Sprinkle fresh cilantro on top if desired.
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Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
Star the rice first and it will be done by the time the chicken is cooked. Combine 2 cups of rice with 3 cups of water. Place a lid on top and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and let simmer for 30 minutes. Turn the heat off after 30 minutes and let it sit undisturbed until you’re ready to serve.
Dice the onion, mince the garlic (if using fresh), and grate the ginger with a cheese grater. You can peel the ginger with either a spoon or a vegetable peeler.
Saute the onion, garlic, and ginger in a large pot over medium heat with olive oil.
This is the mix of spices that I used: bay leaf, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Super aromatic and delicious.
Add all of the spices except the bay leaf and saute for about 2 minutes.
Cut the chicken into bite sized cubes and add it to the pot. You can use either chicken breast or chicken thighs.
Saute until the chicken is cooked through (about 7-10 minutes).
Now it’s time to add some liquid and let it simmer. I always forget the coconut milk curdles like cow’s milk so I made the mistake of adding them both at once.
I would suggest only adding the tomatoes at this point and waiting to add the coconut milk at the end. I added both – oops. So, add the tomatoes and bay leaf, place a lid on top, turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer for about 30 minutes.
After it’s simmered a while, turn the heat off and then stir in the coconut milk. Because mine had been simmering in an acidic solution, it had curdled. It doesn’t taste bad, it just has an undesirable appearance. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Fluff the rice just before serving.
Spoon the chicken along with a good amount of sauce over the rice. Top with fresh cilantro if desired.
Guaranteed to make your house smell good or your money back!
…wait, no, never mind.
This is a great chicken curry recipe with a mix of spices different from what I’d normally go for. I will definitely be making it again.
I used premium (full fat) coconut milk which is boarding on being a bit much, I’ll probably use light coconut milk next time. Also I didn’t have as much chicken as suggested so I made up for it with a can of drained chickpeas added after about 15 minutes of simmering.
absolutely phenomenal, I promise, just do like she says
I followed the recipe exactly (except I waited to add the coconut milk as suggested). I noticed that Beth used fire roasted tomatoes and lite coconut milk in the photos, so I did too. The tomatoes had really good flavor, I don’t think regular would have been as tasty.
I only had regular coconut milk, so I saved half the can for something else and replaced the missing milk with water. Coconut milk has more than doubled in price where I live due to the pandemic, so I wanted to stretch it haha. Frugal tip— you’re just paying for water when you buy lite!
Ended up tweaking the recipe a little. Also, added spinach. So good! I love how simple and inexpensive it was. We already had all of the ingredients- love recipes like that!
So good, i omitted the cruahed red pepper and used tomato sauce instead of diced, I added peas too.
Our newest favorite: simple, easy, cheap, healthy, and tasty. We serve over spaghetti squash for my wife’s BLE diet which avoids rice and needs insane amounts of veggies.
This is breathtakingly good! We have a great little Indian restaurant in town, and I’ve been craving them like crazy during quarantine. I decided to give this a try along with your wonderful easy Naan (https://www.budgetbytes.com/naan/) and it was INCREDIBLE!! Super similar to the restaurant’s great flavours. We may or may not have totally pigged out on it. It was so so good and really not that much effort.
Has anyone tried halfing this recipe? If cooking for one person I feel this would be a LOT of food that I would be unable to finish. Thanks!
Did you know that all of the recipes on Budget Bytes have adjustable serving sizes? Simply put in 1 or 2 in the serving size box and the recipe will adjust. Hope that helps to keep your meals fresh and not have a lot of excess for leftovers.
Thanks so much for the adjust feature.
How much does the two inches of ginger translate into tablespoons. I have some frozen ginger that is already grated. Yeah, I’m lazy!
I use 2 tablespoons of garlic paste, I figure 1 Tbs = 1 inch fresh
Could this be made with beef instead of chicken? Would that still taste okay?
We haven’t tried it that way but you certainly could!
Do you have nutrition information for this recipe? Love it! But is it good for me? Lol…
I am making this right now, and I’m at the simmering stage and just tasted it. It tastes a little bitter–should it have a bitter taste due to the turmeric?
Hm, it shouldn’t taste bitter. A little brown sugar can help mitigate that.
Yes! This is a keeper! Personal taste…I only added 3/4 can of coconut milk. Any more and it would have been too rich.
Don’t double if you’re only cooking for two even if you want it soupy.
Can I add potatoes to this recipe
Sure, I bet that would be great. :)
Hello can I use ground ginger instead of the fresh ginger
I really encourage you to use fresh ginger for this one, since ground ginger has tastes quite a bit different from fresh ginger.
Tasted great, I used half of the chicken and coconut milk suggested and the recipe was easy to follow.
Tried recipe it turned out great, I did do a little of my own substitute for spices; allspice for cinnamon, basmati rice, picant sauce and African black pepper. Really spicy!😰
Wow. Really good receipe. I changed it up a bit by adding avocado oil and fresh tomatoes. The flavor is bomb!! Thanks for helping us eat great on our 21 day cleanse.
Hi Beth, Can I replace “canned tomatoes” with fresh tomatoes?
You could, but it will change the flavor slightly (perhaps for the better, that would be a personal call). Canned tomatoes are cooked, so they taste different than fresh, even though the fresh tomatoes will be cooked once incorporated into the dish.
Hands down the absolute worst recipe I have ever tried to follow.
I’m not sure how this comment is helpful at all? If you had trouble, why not explain what went wrong so Beth or anyone else reading can try to help. I have made this exact recipe (word for word) and have never had a problem. It’s one of my family’s favorites!!
Do you think this might still be worth making if I have to leave out the tomatoes?
It might still be decent, better if you could squeeze some lime juice or something else acidic into it to replace that quality from the tomatoes.
Wonderful dish! I made your Turmeric Chicken for a crowd of 8 last night doubling everything but the tomatoes and coconut milk and was so pleased with your recipe and all of the compliments from everyone. This dish and your site are keepers!
Are you supposed to drain the can of tomatoes?
Nope, add them juices and all.
Has anyone tried this in a slow cooker?
I did it for 4 hours on high and it worked fine! I added a 1/2 cup of chicken broth because I was worried about it scorching or drying out, but it would have been just fine without the broth.
Just have it on for a simmer right now!! Our home smells amazing! Can’t wait to taste it!
This was delicious! My husband and I both said it was one of our favorite dinners in a looong time! Thank you!
I made this dish on Wednesday this week, and made it again on Sat due to some leftover coconut milk.(Glad I bought a big box) Every bit of deliciousness was enjoyed by my family. This is an absolutely marvelous dish. Thank you!
I just made this dish and it is so crazy delicious can’t wait to try out another recipe 👍🏽
Made this tonight – used ABC chicken and leftover Japanese rice (resistant starch), added broccoli. I thought it was too runny, but the rice absorbed it – so no problem. Yum. Doubled the turmeric and cumin for personal taste and nutritional boost. Loved it – thanks – I will be adding your website to my bookmarked recipes tab. ~ from Minnesota :o)
Oops – forgot to mention – I served this w lightly salted cashews – they added a nice crunch and saltiness. Will do that again!
A little bland, I thought but other than that I enjoyed it.
Do you have a substitute for the coconut milk? I’m not a huge fan of coconut milk and wondered what I could use instead.
You could try half and half, which will make it nice and creamy, but that coconut flavor is really what makes this dish so special. :)
Super easy and very yummy!
Sounds great but jasmine rice very high GI so wld go with baskets thks
Hey!
We cooked this yesterday and were all very happy with the result. Very delicious!!! I just added some chilli for an extra amount of spiciness.
For the next time I consider to cook it without the lid so the sauce wont be that runny hopefully which of course is just some personal preference.
I really love your site, keep up the fantastic work.
Greetings from Germany!
I found fresh turmeric for the first time in our local supermarket, so I started to search for recipes. Yours is just perfect, thank you!
Leo
Beth,
Delicious! However, mine came out fairly runny. Any tips to thicken it? Should it be runny?
Yep, it has quite a bit of sauce, which isn’t that thick. But the rice helps soak up all that delicious flavor. :) To make it thicker, you can add just the tomatoes and let that simmer until most of the moisture evaporates away, then add the coconut milk. Using full fat coconut milk will also make it thicker.
Made this tonight using tofu instead of chicken. It turned out so good even the kids ate it!
This was my first time trying Turmeric Chicken, and honestly, it’s delicious!! I used four chicken breasts, split them in half, cut them up into bite sized pieces, and seasoned them. Once I added the unsweetened coconut milk, I seasoned the mixture, since I’m not a huge fan of bland food. My sister and I enjoyed this dish, and it’s definitely a keeper. Thank you, Beth!! :-)
I’m making the Turmeric Chicken for dinner this week, but I do have a question about coconut milk. Did you sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk? Thanks, Beth!! :-)
Unsweetened. The type that is in a can, not the type that is sold as a dairy milk substitute (that is much more watery than the canned variety). :)
Love this recipe! I make it all the time.
Today though, I made a little more than I need. Could this be frozen?
Making right now without coconut milk at all… used coconut oil for health bennies, however, I know that is not the same in the least :) but I’m just going to serve the chicken over the rice. Throwing a fresh tomato over it instead of diced tomatoes when I add the cilantro!! Those are my alterations for the people who have complained about the coconut milk. I may repost and let you all know how it turns out. It smells so inviting!!! Love the cinnamon and turmeric/cumin combo… these are all such healthy spices!!
Made this awhile ago with my friends and it was delicious, but subbed yellow onions for red because that’s all I had on hand, still turned out fine.
This was delish!
Made this recipe for the second time in about two weeks last night. My husband and I are in love! I had never made Indian food before now, but this is so, so good. And easy!
Love your blog and appreciate you helping me learn to branch out and save money!
I added freshly ground cashews during the half hour simmer to thicken it and subbed the cinnamon for garam masala. I’ll definitely make this again!
Only added about 2/3 of the can of coconut milk, and added a heaping teaspoon of garam masala, then let is simmer a bit to thicken. Super good. Definitely making this again.
Made this tonight for my husband and I. After adding the coconut milk, it was a bit bland and the flavors got kind of muddled–I had to add a lot of salt for it to really pop. I like other people’s ideas about adding cayenne pepper or lime juice…great recipe nonetheless!!
I tried this out again tonight with half chicken and half chickpeas for protein. Worked out great!
I just made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! However, I made a few alterations. I don’t care for tomatoes or coconut milk, so I subbed in a chopped head of broccoli and 1 cup regular milk and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Turned out great! I will definitely be making this again.
I really like the basic flavor of this recipe. The version I made came out quite liquid, so I served it over rice in bowls like a Thai curry.
Because of that resemblance, I think it could be cheaply and deliciously bulked out with some potatoes (1-1.5 lb.) and carrots (3).
Made this dish tonight. It came out perfect! I added the coconut milk at the end and let it simmer on low. The sauce was smooth. But the coconut milk did make it a bit bland. It needed some brightness so I added some lime juice this really brought out the flavors… I’ve been wanting to try an easy Indian type dish. You made this very simple and now I’m game to try new dishes!! Thanks for the recipe!!
I made this recipe tonight and really liked it however I tweaked it up a bit. Added 2tbs raw cane sugar, used less than half the coconut milk, added lots of cayenne pepper for a kick and salted heavily. The flavors really came together and turned out great!
I just made this and it’s absolutely delicious! A wonderful mix of flavours :)
Amy – I can’t get the Pinterest buttons to work with this website, so I started a Pinterest site and you can repin them from there. http://pinterest.com/budgetbytes/ (there is an Indian board). Hopefully I’ll be building an all new site soon, with working Pinterest buttons :)
I’d use the cayenne pepper in place of the crushed red pepper… but only use about 1/8 teaspoon.
Glad you found the ginger conversion! :D
I’m sorry, Beth, but, another question.. I don’t have crushed red pepper flakes but I have cayenne pepper and chile powder.. Would you use either of these as substitutes and if so, in what proportion? Thank you!! :)
BY THE WAY, I found an article on livestrong.com that gives a ratio for fresh and ground ginger! Here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/482895-what-is-the-equivalent-of-fresh-ginger-root-vs-ground-ginger/
Oh, I have a request! If it’s not too much trouble, can you add Pinterest buttons to your recipes? When I try to share them on Pinterest, the photos don’t show the dishes :( so I’ve been using the generic budget cover photo with the eggs.. which doesn’t make for a very appealing pin … Love ya!!!
Beth, I will try this! I fell in love with Indian food as well. Not lamb, though, blech! I’m really thanking God for your blog, missy!! SO awesome!
It was bland! Had to douse it with salt, but was wonderful once I got flavor back after coconut milk was added in.
Was fun to try a new dish, but as usually happens to me, the picture looks tastier than the final product. Nonetheless, When my wife and her sister walked in the house, they commented on the nice smell, so there is hope. I will give it another whirl in the future.
I also love Indian food! This looks delicious! Oh, and your blog ROCKS! Why not eat good food and stay on budget!? I have been planning out my family’s meals monthly and most of the recipes are from your site. Thank you SO SO much for all the hard work and dedication you put into this site! It’s the best!
found it slightly runny. might put coconut milk at the beginning. but still really great! was my first attempt at indian food. defnitely will make again.
Very delicious! Was out of cinnamon, added curry instead, added coconut milk at the same time as diced tomatoes. It still was soooo good. Next time will try to do exactly as recipe says, I am sure it will be very Delicious.
I added curry and coriander myself, it doesn’t matter if you add coconut milk at the beginning let simmer to allow the sauce to thicken up. Mine was so delicious.
This was so good, thank you for the recipe! I portioned it all out into tupperwares to take for lunch for the week, it’s perfect!
Made this last night. It was sooo good. Thanks for posting!
Fantastic! It was easy, delicious and perfect for our date night in! I will be making it many times again!
Really amazing recipe, just finished making it 20 minutes ago. Dad’s going to love some nice warm dinner. Couldn’t thank you enough for this!
A bit dissapointed. It smelled wonderful while it was cooking and i tasted it and it was great but then at the end i added the coconut milk and it must have absorbed all the flavor because the whole thing was extremely bland! I had to douse it in salt to give it any flavor. Not sure if i did something wrong but wint be making this again
That’s a really great recipe. This got me aproximately 2 hours to prepare since I’m a newbie haha. The taste was awesome. Looking forward to see any new recipes. :D
Thank you
I replaced the turmeric with cardamom (necessity, not really choice) and it turned out quite nicely. The aroma through the house is amazing. Excellent dish.
Chicken breasts covered in a deliciously thick lemon, turmeric and onion sauce for a splash of summer citrus.
Would the great chef/blogger at this site, who is better at experimental cooking than me, like to share in the bounty?
Chicken breasts covered in a deliciously thick lemon, turmeric and onion sauce for a splash of summer citrus.
Gotta try this one! YUM!
Enjoying this right now- LOVE IT! The only thing I will add next time is some lemon grass. This is delicious and even my littles enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing!
Just made this for my roommates! Soo good! Excellent blog Beth. :)
Just made this and it was great. Will definitely be making it again in the future.
Thanks for the recipe!
I would add the coconut milk to the rice, making coconut rice then spoon the other mixture over it. That way it wouldn’t curdle.
Chicken breasts covered in a deliciously thick lemon, turmeric and onion sauce for a splash of summer citrus.
This looks so good! I love turmeric chicken. Thanks for sharing – I had no idea how economic it is to cook this dish
this tastes great! i did use thighs instead of breasts as they were much cheaper at my grocery store. the combo of spices works deliciously. thanks for the recipes, i love your site!
This may seem strange, but I have a giant haul of indian spices left over. I live near an Indian neighborhood and got an entire grocery bag of cumin, garam masala, pink salt, hing, etc. for less than 30 bucks and have no way of using all this.
Would the great chef/blogger at this site, who is better at experimental cooking than me, like to share in the bounty? In honor of the great fiscal and physical benefits that this site has done for me, I’d be glad to send them out in sealed bags!
I never thought I would follow a food blog. Ever. I was almost certain I wouldn’t. And then came you. Yes, I realise this is a corny cliche from some romcom, but that is how my affair began with your blog. It’s an exception to my unplanned rule, and I’m better for it. THANK YOU for having such an exceptional (in the truest sense) blog. You’re rad.
Gotta try this! Have you ever created something that WASN’T fabulous?
;D Thanks! Fixed!
cook time: 45 hrs? :D