This warm, comforting Filipino Chicken Curry recipe is a one pot dinner the whole family will love! With lots of hearty vegetables, tender chicken, and a cozy curry sauce, this is the ultimate comfort food perfect for busy weeknights and special occasions alike.
Growing up in a Filipino household, I find most Filipino foods to be comfort foods. From classic Instant Pot Chicken Adobo served over Garlic Rice to Lumpia and Filipino Mac Salad, the sweet, salty, sour flavors of the Philippines is always soothing and satisfying.
And sometimes I like to make Filipino-American food that is a fusion of different cuisines (as the wonderful flavors of Filipino cuisine are often a blend of Spanish, Chinese, and other Asian influences). I love traditional Filipino Kare Kare, which is an oxtail curry. And, I'm a huge fan of both Thai curry and Indian curry. So I created this Filipino Chicken Curry to celebrate the best of a Filipino flavor profile along with comforting curry.
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🌟 Why this recipe works
You will fall in love with this Filipino style chicken curry recipe!
- One pan - Everything cooks up in one large cooking pot. Less mess to clean, and flavors are fully infused together.
- Hearty - With juicy chicken and tender vegetables, this is a hearty and satisfying meal. Perfect for cozying up with a bowl on chilly nights.
- Versatile - You can use almost any cut of chicken, and you can switch out the vegetables to either substitute or add on your favorites.
- Family-friendly - The versatility of this Filipino recipe also makes this a great family-friendly recipe. As written, the curry spice is very mild and not at all spicy. You can bump up the heat if you have family members who like more of a kick, or you can keep it mild.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Chicken - You'll need two pounds of chicken pieces. Use a mix of cuts of chicken. I like to use skinless boneless chicken thighs and chicken drumsticks. You can also use chicken breasts and skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs if you want.
- Vegetable oil - I prefer vegetable oil to brown the veggies, chicken, and garlic and onions, but you can also use olive oil or canola oil instead if you prefer.
- Chicken stock - Use homemade chicken stock or storebought chicken stock or chicken broth. You can also use water instead. But if you do, I would increase the spices a bit to help add more flavor that you lose by not using chicken stock.
- Aromatics - You'll need minced fresh garlic and finely diced onions. You can substitute shallots for the onions if you prefer a milder flavor.
- Vegetables - Chopped carrots, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and baking potato help make this a hearty, healthy dish.
- Coconut milk - This adds the creaminess to the curry sauce and the flavor marries well with the spices and fish sauce.
- Fish sauce - This adds umami and gives it an Asian-flavored curry twist.
- Seasonings - You'll need curry powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
A full list of ingredients with measurements, and detailed cooking instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are some step-by-step photos so you can see how to make this delicious pinoy chicken curry.
- Start by lightly sautéing the carrots, bell peppers, and potatoes in the pan over medium-high heat with vegetable oil.
- Once the veggies are slightly browned (about 2-3 minutes), remove them from the pan and transfer them to a large bowl. Set the bowl aside.
3. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and sauté for 1 minute.
4. Add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides, about 5-6 minutes.
5. Remove the chicken and transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
NOTE: At this point, if there are brown bits at the bottom of the pan, pour in a little chicken stock or water and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits. If there are burnt dark brown bits, you can remove them with a spoon and discard; you don't want burnt bits of garlic and onion in the curry.
6. Lower the heat to medium heat. Pour in the chicken stock, fish sauce, and coconut milk.
7. Add the curry powder, ground paprika, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
8. Stir together gently until all spices and liquids are combined.
9. Return the chicken to the pot. Lower the heat to simmer on medium-low.
10. Cover the pot and cook for about 20 minutes.
11. Check on the chicken halfway through and use tongs to turn the pieces over to the other side; return the cover and continue cooking.
12. Return the vegetables to the pot and stir in.
13. Cook the chicken and vegetables, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
💡TIP: Chicken is considered cooked fully when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat, without touching bone, reads an internal temperature of 165°F.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
The difference between curries is a subtle shift in seasonings and spices. Filipino curry may include soy sauce, fish sauce, coconut milk, and/or vinegar. Thai curry often includes coconut milk, but not vinegar, and comes in a wide array of yellow, green, and red curries. The Indian curry flavor profle often includes fresh chillies and spices. Most curries begin with garlic, ginger and/or onions as the base.
No, this chicken curry is different, but is a similar comforting Filipino curry. Kare kare is usually made with oxtail, beef tripe, and pig parts, and has a thick savory peanut sauce. This Filipino Chicken Curry is a lighter coconut milk based curry with chicken pieces and lots of vegetables.
Allow the food to cool down, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
🍽 Serving ideas
I love to serve this one pot wonder Filipino chicken curry over rice. Serve it over our Instant Pot Garlic Rice, Instant Pot Basmati Rice, or even Adobo Fried Rice.
For a full Filipino meal experience, serve this curry with Pancit Bihon, Lumpia, and Turon for dessert.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
The sweet, sour, salty, umami flavors of Filipino food tend to pair well with light-bodied red wines. A Pinot Noir or a Gamay wine would pair deliciously with this Filipino chicken curry recipe!
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:
- Large skillet - You'll need a large skillet. I use my Lodge enameled cast iron casserole with lid.
- Measuring cups - You'll need a measuring cup for the liquids.
- Wooden spoon - Use a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients as they cook.
- Tongs - Use kitchen tongs to flip the chicken during cooking.
- Thermometer - You'll need a meat thermometer to check on the doneness of the chicken meat.
More Filipino recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Filipino Chicken Curry
Equipment
- 1 large pan or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped
- 2 medium baking potatoes (or 1 large), peeled and cut into cubes or small wedges
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
- 2 pounds chicken (mix of thighs and drumsticks)
- 1 can (15-ounces) coconut milk
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 Tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan, skillet, or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, both bell peppers, potatoes and sauté just until the edges are browned, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
- Add the onions, garlic, and ginger to the pan and sauté just for 1 minute, to soften.
- Add the chicken and brown on all sides.
- Once the chicken has browned, remove from the pan and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
- If there are browned bits of charred garlic, onions, and ginger on the bottom of the pan, pour a little chicken stock into the pan and scrape up with a wooden spoon. If there are a LOT of browned bits, go ahead and carefully use the wooden spoon to remove them from the pan. If there are a few browned bits, it's okay to leave them in for now.
- Add the remaining chicken stock, fish sauce, and coconut milk. Stir to combine.
- Add the curry powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir.
- If you see a lot of browned bits still in the curry sauce at this point, feel free to strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve or strainer into a large heatproof bowl. Discard the brown bits and return the curry sauce into the pan.
- Add the chicken back to the pan/pot, lower the heat to medium, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes. Check on the chicken halfway through and use tongs to turn the pieces over to the other side; return the cover and continue cooking.
- At 20 minutes, uncover and add the carrots, bell peppers, and potato back to the pan. Cook uncovered for about 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken is all fully cooked through (see Notes).
- Serve immediately over rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
For more, you can buy my Filipino cookbook: Modern Filipino Cooking, my 55-page e-Book with authentic Filipino recipes that I've adapted for today's modern kitchen!
🛒 Looking for Filipino ingredients? Find them in my online shop!
Anonymous says
Delicious and easy to make!
Charmaine says
Easy to follow recipe. perfect taste!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
So glad you loved it, Charmaine! Thank you for sharing!