Recipe for Coconut Curry Fried Chicken at Life's Ambrosia

Last week I was craving fried chicken. This is nothing new, I tend to crave fried chicken a lot. I mean. It’s fried chicken. It’s crispy. Crunchy. Succulent. It’s everything fried food should be. And that is exactly what this recipe is. First the chicken takes a bath in a creamy coconut curry mixture and then it’s fried until golden brown and crispy. One bite and you’ll think you’ve gone to fried chicken heaven.

I realize that these two flavors can be a little off putting to some. Especially when I’m messing with such an American classic. But trust me on this one, if you don’t have much experience cooking with coconut or curry, this is a great recipe to start with. It’s not too sweet like you might think that coconut is. It’s not too spicy like you might think curry is. Instead you end up with a finger lickin’ good piece of chicken with a subtle sweet yet spicy flavor.

Coconut Curry Fried Chicken Recipe

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Chicken marinated in coconut curry then fried until crispy and succulent.

Serves 4

Prep time: 8 hr 20 min

Cook time: 35 min

Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons curry powder, divided
8 chicken pieces, rinsed and pat dry
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups flour
oil for frying

Instructions:

Combine coconut milk, 1 tablespoon of curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a bowl. Place chicken in the bowl and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Place remaining curry powder, salt, black pepper and flour together in a plastic bag.
Remove chicken from the coconut milk marinade and place in the plastic bag. Toss to coat. Allow to set for 15 minutes.
Heat 1 inches of oil in a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat until it reaches 350 degrees.
Remove chicken from flour and shake any excess off. Fry in heated oil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking for 20 - 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
Transfer to a cooling rack to allow excess grease to drip off. Place on a serving platter and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Responses to "Coconut Curry Fried Chicken"

“
Indian or west indian curry?
”

- Iman

“
Yum! Do you think this would work baked?
”

- Michelle

“
Iman- Indian. Michelle- Thanks! I think it could work baked but instead of only flour, I would do a combination of flour and 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs. That should help get some crispiness like you would get if you were frying it.
”

- Deseree

“
Sounds delicious. Are you using sweet coconut milk or the plain kind that is generally used in cooking without added sugar? Thank you
”

- Barbara

“
I plan to try this. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thank you for sharing.
”

- Rekaya

“
Barbara- Unsweetened coconut milk.
”

- Deseree

“
What a great little spin on a classic! I too crave fried chicken a lot, although I very rarely make it at home. I will be changing that for sure.. can’t wait to try this one!
”

- Jenn's Food Journey

“
This chicken looks so crunchy and amazing and I love the addition of curry. I’ll be making this next time I make fried chicken for sure!
”

- Kristen @ The Endless Meal

“
I’m running to the store immediately so I can make this chicken!!! OMG! this looks so yummy. I love coconut milk and curry and cook with it often but haven’t tried it this way. Can’t wait to taste it! :)
”

- Cathy @ She Loves Simple

“
I hope you enjoy it Cathy!
”

- Deseree

“
This sounds very tasty. What did you serve with it? What sort of side dishes would you recommend?
”

- Dee Miller

“
Thanks Dee! I would serve some rice and broccoli. Or maybe some jazzed up mashed potatoes spiced with a little garam masala and sauteed green beans. Hope you enjoy this!
”

- Deseree

“
Move over Buttermilk fried chicken, there’s a new king in town.
Great simple chicken, I marinated mine for two days. Added some shiro miso to the coconut marinade.
”

- Ernest