Chicken Curry with Potatoes

Chicken Curry Recipe

There are many variations of chicken curry in Malaysia: Chinese, Malay, Nyonya and Indian style.

Curry chicken with potatoes is the most common chicken curry recipe in Malaysia. Everywhere you go where curries are served, you will find this type of chicken curry.

For the Nyonya in Penang, chicken curry is especially popular and often served with nasi kunyit which is Malaysian coconut milk and turmeric-infused sticky rice.

In fact, there is a Nyonya ritual that celebrates the first month of a new born baby. Called “mua guet” or 满月 in local dialect, this celebration comes complete with a nice food package.

In the old days, the food package was packed in a delicate and beautiful Nyonya sia na (wood basket) that contains chicken curry, nasi kunyit, and a few other goodies.

I often make chicken curry here in the US and I love serving the it with roti canai. I buy the frozen ones from Asian food stores but you can check out my link and make at home.

How to Cook Curry Chicken?

To make the curry, I use my favorite instant curry paste which is made in my hometown, Penang.

If you like to make chicken curry from scratch, check out this chicken curry recipe.

How Many Calories per Serving?

This recipe is only 246 calories per serving.

What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?

This meal is best served with naan or rice. For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

Naan

Garlic Naan

Chapati (Indian Flat Bread)

Fried Rice

Yield: 6 people

Chicken Curry with Potatoes Recipe

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Chicken curry with potatoes is a common chicken curry in Malaysia. This easy chicken curry recipe takes 30 minutes from start to finish.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pack instant curry paste (8 oz. or 250 g)
• 8 oz. (226 g) peeled potatoes
• 2 lbs. (1 kg) chicken (4 drumsticks and 4 thighs or 4 leg quarters)
• 3 shallots, peeled and sliced thinly
• 2 lemongrass, use the white parts only, pounded
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 cups (500 ml) water
• 1/2 cup (100 ml) coconut milk
• 1 sprig curry leaves, optional

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into pieces. Leave the chicken bone-in. If you prefer boneless chicken meat, then debone the chicken.
2. Heat up a deep pot and add the oil. Saute the sliced shallots until aromatic or light brown in color. Add the curry paste into the pot and stir until aromatic. Add the chicken meat and lemongrass. Stir for 1 minute before adding the water.
3. Cover the pot and lower the heat to medium. Bring the curry chicken to boil and then lower the heat, add the potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes or so or until the chicken become tender. Add the coconut milk and bring it to boil. Serve hot.
4. Alternatively, you can leave the chicken overnight before adding the coconut milk the next day. This cooking method ensures that the chicken meat is really tender and aromatic as the flavor develops overnight. Serve the chicken curry the next day if you use this method.

Notes

Malaysian curries taste different compared to Thai curries. First of all, we don't use fish sauce and sugar in Malaysian curries. Also, Malaysian curries are not as rich and milky as we use much less coconut milk, so the tastes of the various spices really shine through.

Hence, Malaysian curries are more spice-laden and aromatic in my opinion. According to my Indian friends, Malaysian curry is closest in taste to Indian curry.

Buying Guide:

You can buy Instant curry paste on Amazon. This is the brand I use. 

Nutrition Information

Serving Size

6 people
Amount Per Serving Calories 246Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 54mgSodium 63mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 15g