Easy Curry Chicken just like your favorite Chinese takeout restaurant with curry sauce, bell peppers, carrots and onions. Start to finish in less than 30 minutes, faster than delivery!
Chinese Takeout Curry Chicken
We have an argument in our house when it comes to takeout. I’m firmly in the Mongolian Beef camp while my husband is all about the Chicken Curry. Want to know the problem with this? My delicious Mongolian Beef ends up smelling like curry!
We’ve come to the conclusion we just can’t order out for takeout chicken curry anymore. So when there’s a craving in the house I make this super simple recipe.
I do use a standard curry powder but if you want a more authentic homemade curry you can certainly make your own curry powder.
Homemade Easy Curry Powder Recipe:
Mix together the following:
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon cardamom
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 2 tablespoons ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
What is the difference between Indian, Chinese and Japanese Curry?
Indian curries tend to be creamier, with a coconut milk or tomato base. There are a wide variety of Indian curries, and they are each made with specific spices added at different times during cooking. Chinese curry and Japanese curry are more similar to a beef stew, and are most often a more mild curry with sweeter flavors. Chinese and Japanese curries tend to have less variety, often using the same or similar spice blends.
How to make Chinese Chicken Curry:
- Cut the chicken and vegetables into thin pieces.
- Cook the oil and curry powder to bring out the flavors.
- Brown the chicken in the pan with the vegetables.
- Don’t overcook the chicken or vegetables, they should be slightly crisp still.
- Temper with a bit of sugar and add in sesame oil before serving.
Looking for more Asian food takeout?
- Crispy Sesame Chicken
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Panda Express Recipes… every single one in fact: Panda Express Recipes Index
Tools used in the making of this Curry Chicken:
Wok: The best way to cook quickly and over high heat for Asian dishes, this wok is the perfect stir fry pan.
Soy Sauce: Nothing much to say here except Kikkoman has the best flavor overall and I always recommend reduced sodium.
Sesame Oil: The flavor of sesame oil in this dish is unmistakeable and not really able to be substituted. Some Asian grocery stores will try and sell less expensive options that aren’t actually sesame oil, so just be sure the one you’re buying is authentic sesame oil.
Chinese Curry Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts , boneless and skinless
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman brand)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 carrots , peeled and cut in 1/4 inch slices
- 1 green bell pepper , cut into slices
- 1/2 yellow onion , sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
Cut the chicken into thin flat slices (think the size of a matchbook).
- Combine the soy sauce and cornstarch and add in the chicken and set aside.
- Add the canola oil to a heavy skillet or wok and heat on medium-high heat.
- Add the curry powder and stir with spatula until you can just smell it, for about five seconds or so.
- Add in the chicken with marinade.
Cook for a couple of minutes then add in the carrots, bell pepper and onions.
Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are just barely soft and the chicken is just cooked through.
- Add in the sesame oil and sugar and mix well, cooking an additional 30 seconds.
Love this dish. Made it for the first time tonight and will be adding this to my favouites list. I like a curry that has vegetables and the chicken was so tender. The whole family enjoyed it and it was so easy to make and great to be able to prepare it in advance. Thanks for sharing this.
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it, Anne. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
I loved everything about this except that the flavor was really off for some reason. The chicken was so bland. It desperately needed salt even though I used regular soy sauce and the curry flavor wasn’t very strong. (Strangely the vegetables tasted fine). I used organic curry powder from Whole Foods. I’m going to try with the curry paste you suggested because otherwise it was a great recipe–the chicken was so tender and I loved the veggies.
Omg yum! Used keens curry powder and it was amazing.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Kirsten. Thanks for the 5 stars.
Hi Sabrina,
I made this curry chicken and it was very nice. However the curry powder I used was very dark. Could you recommend a curry powder that is like in your picture. More of a yellow colour. Thanks
I use Mae Ploy curry paste.
So FAST and VERY Yummy! I would make again and again!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Lori. So glad you enjoyed it.
Substituted honey for the sugar and shrimp for the chicken but made exactly as directed and it was perfect. Tasted better than takeout in my opinion and so incredibly simple. Making it again tonight with chicken this time.. For sure a keeper
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was my first curry recipe I have tried. Was expecting more curry flavor. Doubled the curry powder and still not enough curry. Also, it wasn’t spicy at all. How does one add a little more fire to it?
This is a milder curry as a base so it suits more people, but you can definitely play with the spice to kick it up!
There are a couple ways to get more heat:
1. Adding dried chili peppers. This is not “Chile powder” but actual dried chilis like Kashmiri, jalapeño or cayenne.
2. Add fresh hot chilies. Added bonus, temper the chilies in oil and use that oil in the recipe or as a garnish.
My curry is very salty & dark brown. Looks nothing like picture. Does this mean i burned my curry?
Did you change any of the ingredients or measurements? It might not necessarily be burnt, it could be from the soy sauce. You could add a bit more sugar to help offset the saltiness.
Delicious and so fast to prep and cook! My wife is going to make this again next week.
omg this is amazing loved it so much!!!! did add some mushrooms as i love them in curry
making this again for sure. thank you so much.
the curry powder is spot on so nice.
Thanks for the 5 stars Karin!
I used peanut oil. I also made a roux with the corn starch and coconut cream to give it a nice creamy base. I would suggest cutting down on the cayenne pepper unless you like it that HOT. Top it off with Cilantro for a 5* recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Karyn!
Hi im a bit worried about the cardamon as this is a strong spice is it ground or whole
Ground 🙂 You can always adjust to your liking.
I have made this recipe once before and it was delicious. My husband loved it alot, so that’s what I’m making tonight. It’s a little spicy for my kids kids though.
Hi! This recipe sounds great & easy, and I would like to try it. I’m just not quite clear about Step 2 in your directions …
“2. Add the soy sauce cornstarch to the chicken and set aside.” – do I just put the sauce & starch on the chicken pieces and mix it all, or do I mix the sauce & starch before putting it on thr chicken? (Sorry, I don’t have much cooking experience :-/ which is why a recipe titeled “easy” is very appealing to me 😉
So sorry about the confusion. You’ll want to mix the soy sauce with the cornstarch and then add the chicken. I updated the recipe card to be more clear. Thanks for letting me know!
Hi Sabrina
Could you recommend a curry powder brand med spice, the curry powder I got from the Thai store made my curry too brown Thanks
I use Mae Ploy curry paste. 🙂
The sauce for this looks amazing, and seems really simple to make! What a great dish, and so nice that it doesn’t take too much time!
Great for busy nights, for sure!
We love curry chicken! I know we’re going to love your recipe for it! Making it soon!
Enjoy!
This is amazing! I love the flavors of curry chicken.
Thank you!
This curry is making my mouth water.
It’s so good! I hope you enjoy it!
I love making chicken curry! I am going to have to try this one asap!
I’d love to know what you think!
My family loves curry chicken, so I can’t wait to make this!
I hope everyone enjoys it!
I always try to prepare different recipes with chicken.I do love Chinese dishes more, and mostly i go for Chinese recipes.This seems like easier one( i always go for easier ones) so definitely gonna try this.instead of canola oil, can i use another oil?
You can use vegetable oil or really any kind of cooking oil that you have on hand. I hope you enjoy it!
Can you believe I’ve never had curry? This looks like a great one to try!