Last updated on April 17th, 2023 at 09:39 am

How to make a quick and simple chicken curry dish with an instant big flavour?

What is Filipino chicken curry?

Today you might want to try to cook Filipino style or Filipino chicken curry after going through this post.

At the end of the post I hope that you would be happy to make Pinoy style curry with big flavour.

When you give the recipe a try tell us of your experience in the comments below.

This curry is Filipino style.

It is rich, creamy and savoury.

Pinoy-style curry is usually seasoned with fish sauce and curry powder. We use bone-in chicken for more flavour and to not waste any part of the poultry.

Chicken Recipes

My Mum used to cook this dish and chicken adobo and I loved it.

Now, I try to cook as much Filipino-style food for my daughter to connect us with our culture.

Amon and I enjoy cooking together and like to eat what we make.

We always try to follow a recipe and adapt it to the availability of ingredients where we are.

Amon’s first impression of this dish is it looked like a Thai curry.

She described it as creamy, sweet and it tastes a little of Thai and Indian curries.

Well, she is right.

The Thai aspect of it is the coconut milk and the Indian is the garam masala.

Marion’s Kitchen has a drool-worthy recipe for Southern Thai Yellow Crab curry which I would love to have every week if can.

Marion’s crab curry is creamy and it screams of goodness.

The other go-to site for Thai curries is hotthaikitchen.com. We love her super friendly recipes like green curry chicken and red curry with chicken. They both spell aroi!

Right, moving on.

Curry powder is the flavouring or spice powder added to this curry.

There is a good amount of spices in our kitchen cupboard to use up.

Once or twice a week, I try to cook an Indian-style curry which is why we have spices stacked in the kitchen.

This means Amon is familiar with Indian spices too.

Those are two cuisines that Mamon and I have tried to tell how Filipino chicken curry has similar taste to food from other countries.

How to customize chicken curry?

Carrots and potatoes are typically added to this curry.

Throw in bell peppers if available.

Do you like soft or crunchy carrots?

My daughter does not like carrots mushy so we add the carrots a few minutes before turning the heat off.

This way the carrots are cooked just right.

As I am serving curries at home with a youngster in mind, chillies are omitted for now.

Add chilli flakes or chopped fresh chillies to your liking.

My husband and I usually sprinkle chilli flakes on my portion.

In addition to adding and omitting a few ingredients, fish sauce is not on my list of ingredients.

I try to avoid perfuming the whole village with the smell of fermented fish.

As we know fish sauce adds umami to any dishes and I would love to have it.

I tap drops of fish sauce or patis in Filipino to the curry on my plate.

Can I freeze chicken curry?

You might ask if the curry could be frozen.

Yes, you can definitely freeze it but remember to heat it properly before consumption.

What can i serve this dish with?

Serve this with rice of choice, white, brown, red or even couscous or bread.

Have blanched vegetables and a small bowl of salad to make this an even more very exciting meal.

Whew you might say!

We are ready to roll to the preparation and cooking stages.

Ingredients you will need for the curry

Start with onion, ginger and garlic to be fried in neutral vegetable oil

2. Dry spices – garam masala, curry powder and turmeric

3. Bone in chicken and skin on

4. Root vegetables – carrots and potatoes

5. Liquids – water and coconut milk

6. Capsicum/bell pepper/sweet pepper

7. Salt and sugar

Substitutions and Additions

Back in the Philippines I used evaporated milk to make this chicken curry creamy.

To make this lactose intolerant friendly I now add coconut milk.

Curry powder is the primary spice for Filipino style curries.

The spice blend garam masala is not added in Filipino curries that I know of.

To up the spice of this dish, I throw in a teaspoon of garam masala.

For an earthy note and incidentally yellow colour, add heaping teaspoon of turmeric powder.

Why you will love this recipe?

It is gluten-free and dairy-free
This dish is ready in 30 minutes
Turn it vegan or vegetarian by substituting the chicken with tofu or tempeh
It uses up spices that could already be in the cupboard

How to make chicken curry?

Preparation

Mince the garlic, ginger and onion.
Cut the root vegetables, pepper and chicken to desired sizes.
Measure the wet and dry ingredients.

Cooking time

Fry the garlic,ginger and onion. Bloom the spices making sure not to burn them.
Seal the chicken. Add the potatoes and pour in the liquid.
Simmer for 10 minutes and check the meat and vegetables are fork tender.
Add in the carrots. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Time to add the pepper. Season and simmer for a minute.
The curry is ready to serve.

Watch the video!

Be sure to watch the video on Youtube or find the recipe below useful.

Challenge

Let this simple and easy recipe inspire you to try a curry Filipino style!

Do not forget to put the rice cooker on so the rice will be ready for when the curry is cooked.

If you liked this recipe why not try Filipino garlic fried rice to serve the curry with or macaroni salad Filipino style for snack or dessert?

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Let’s get cooking!