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Coconut Curry Chicken Thighs with Spinach

Tender cubes of boneless chicken thigh simmered in a golden coconut-milk curry warm with cumin, turmeric, paprika, garlic, and ginger, finished with wilted fresh spinach and a scatter of cilantro.

By Camille McLaughlin, RDN, LD, registered dietitian nutritionist

Built forKetoDinner
Also fits Paleo High-Protein Low-Carb Whole30
Turmeric, cumin, and paprika hit the hot oil first and turn the coconut milk a deep gold. Chicken thighs go tender enough to fall apart against the side of a spoon in that sauce, ginger and garlic keep it sharp underneath, and spinach wilts in at the last second with cilantro over the top.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe

It tastes slow-cooked, and yet the whole thing comes together in one skillet in well under an hour. Boneless thighs stay juicy and forgiving even if they simmer a minute too long, which makes this a good dish for cooks who worry about drying out chicken breast. It suits anyone keeping carbohydrates low without giving up richness or bold flavor, and it reheats beautifully for lunch the next day.

Tomato paste and dry spices toast in the hot oil before any liquid goes in. Blooming ground cumin, turmeric and paprika in fat wakes up their aromatic oils and rounds off the raw, dusty edge they have straight from the jar, while cooking the tomato paste concentrates it into a deeper, slightly sweet base. Full-fat coconut milk then loosens all of that into a glossy sauce that clings to the chicken rather than sitting thin around it.

Chicken thighs and the fat in coconut milk and the two oils stay with you and keep hunger quiet for hours, well past the point where a thinner bowl would have worn off. The spinach folds in a dose of greens and a fresh, earthy note that keeps the richness from feeling heavy, and the fresh ginger and cilantro lift the whole bowl so each bite tastes bright rather than one-dimensional.

A shallow bowl of saucy golden curry over dark chicken thighs, flecked with green cilantro. Save
Prep: 15 minsCook: 30 minsTotal: 45 minsMakes: 4 servingsServing: 2 thighs with about 1 1/2 cups curry

Ingredients

Serves4Amounts change with the number. The nutrition panel is per serving, so it stays the same.
  • 8 boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 2/3 cups full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup diced onion
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Prep the aromatics and chicken: Peel and dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the fresh ginger. Cut the boneless chicken thighs into bite-size cubes and pat them dry, since wet meat dropped into a curry base thins the sauce before it has a chance to thicken. Roughly chop the cilantro and set it aside for finishing.
  2. Bloom the aromatics: Warm the olive oil and coconut oil together in a deep skillet over medium heat until the coconut oil melts and the surface shimmers. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent and the mixture smells fragrant, about 4 minutes. Lower the heat if the garlic starts to brown.
  3. Build the curry base: Stir in the tomato paste along with the ground cumin, turmeric and paprika. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute so the spices toast and the tomato paste darkens slightly. Pour in the full-fat coconut milk, stir to dissolve the paste and spices evenly, and let it come to a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes until it deepens to a golden color.
  4. Simmer the chicken: Fold the cubed chicken into the sauce, making sure the pieces are mostly submerged, so they cook evenly rather than drying at the top. Simmer gently, stirring now and then, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through with no pink at the center (165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer) and the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon.
  5. Wilt the spinach and finish: Add the fresh spinach in handfuls, stirring each addition until it collapses before the next goes in, because a whole bag dropped in at once cools the pan and steams rather than wilts. Stir in the chopped cilantro and the salt, then taste. Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per recipe
Serving size2 thighs with about 1 1/2 cups curry
Calories667
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 50g64%
Saturated Fat 28g139%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 208mg69%
Sodium 187mg8%
Total Carbohydrate 12g4%
Dietary Fiber 4g14%
Total Sugars 5g
Includes 0g Added Sugars 0%
Protein 46g
Vitamin D 0.2mcg1%
Calcium 87mg7%
Iron 5.7mg32%
Potassium 955mg20%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are computed from USDA FoodData Central and are estimates. Per serving (2 thighs with about 1 1/2 cups curry).

Variations

  • Extra heat: Add a minced fresh chile or a pinch of cayenne along with the dry spices for a curry with a real kick. Adjust the amount to your tolerance.
  • Bone-in thighs: Swap the cubed boneless thighs for bone-in, skin-on thighs, browning them first and then simmering longer until the meat is very tender and pulls from the bone. This lengthens the cook time considerably.
  • Green curry note: Stir a spoonful of green curry paste in with the tomato paste for a brighter, more herbal profile. Check the label, as some pastes include a little added sugar.
  • Coconut-lime finish: Brighten the finished curry with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a little grated lime zest stirred in off the heat, which sharpens the richness of the coconut milk.
  • Swap the greens: Use chopped kale or Swiss chard in place of the spinach. These hardier greens need a few extra minutes of simmering to turn tender before you finish the dish.

Storage & Leftovers

Cool any leftovers and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. The flavor actually settles and improves after a day as the spices continue to meld into the coconut sauce.

Reheat gently in a covered skillet or saucepan over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, and add a splash of water or extra coconut milk to loosen the sauce, which thickens as it chills. Avoid a hard boil, which can make the chicken tighten; warm it just until steaming.

To get ahead, make the full curry through the point of simmering the chicken, cool it, and refrigerate. When you are ready to eat, reheat and stir in fresh spinach and cilantro at the last minute so the greens stay bright and the herbs taste fresh.

Notes & Tips

A handful of small things that make this curry come out better every time.
  • Buy the right coconut milk: Reach for full-fat coconut milk in a can, not the thin drinking coconut milk in a carton. The canned version gives the sauce its body and richness; the carton kind will leave it watery.
  • Shake the can first: Canned coconut milk often separates into thick cream and thin liquid. Shake it well or whisk it smooth before pouring so your sauce emulsifies evenly instead of breaking.
  • Grate ginger from frozen: Fresh ginger grates far more easily when frozen, and it keeps for months in the freezer. Grate what you need straight from frozen with a fine grater, peel and all.
  • Use a thermometer for doneness: Chicken thighs are done at 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part of a cube. Thighs stay juicy even a few degrees past that, so this cut is very forgiving if you are not sure.
  • Adjust the seasoning at the end: Coconut milk mutes salt, so the curry can taste flat until properly seasoned. Add salt gradually at the finish and taste as you go until the spices come forward.
  • Serve it with something to catch the sauce: The golden coconut sauce is the best part, so serve the curry over cauliflower rice or with a wedge of roasted cabbage to soak it up without adding much in the way of carbohydrate.

Nutrition & Mindful Eating

Thighs are the right cut for a curry because they stay juicy through a long simmer, and the tomato paste cooked down with the onions gives this sauce a darker, deeper base than coconut milk alone would.
  • Dark chicken meat, coconut milk and a spoonful of tomato paste are the three things that make this sauce what it is. The thighs give up fat and flavor as they cook, the coconut milk smooths it, and the tomato paste sharpens the whole thing so it never goes flat and sweet.
  • Chicken thighs hold their juiciness through a simmer that would dry out a quicker cut, because the fat and connective tissue in dark meat melt down over that time. They also carry more iron and zinc than the paler cut does.
  • Full-fat coconut milk turns the pan sauce glossy and gives it a sweetness that stands up to the spices, and the fat in it carries the turmeric and paprika into every spoonful in a way water never could.
  • Spinach goes in at the very end and wilts in the residual heat, which keeps its green bright against the orange sauce and folds folate and plant iron into the bowl.
  • Ginger and garlic grated rather than chopped melt into the sauce so nobody bites into a piece of either, and the cilantro torn over the finished pan is what makes the first spoonful smell fresh.
  • As you eat, notice how much sauce clings to each piece of chicken and how the ginger comes up behind the warm spices, and let the bowl be something you sit with rather than finish standing at the stove.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?

Yes, though breast dries out faster. Cut it into cubes as directed, and check it early, pulling it off the heat as soon as it reaches 165°F (74°C) so it stays tender in the sauce.

My sauce looks thin. How do I thicken it?

Let it simmer uncovered a few extra minutes so some of the liquid evaporates and it reduces. Using full-fat canned coconut milk rather than the light version also makes a noticeably thicker sauce.

Can I use frozen spinach?

Yes. Thaw it fully and squeeze out as much water as you can first, or it will thin and water down your curry. Stir it in at the same point as fresh spinach, just until heated through.

Is this dish very spicy?

As written it is warm and aromatic rather than hot, since paprika, cumin and turmeric add flavor without much heat. Add a fresh chile or a pinch of cayenne with the spices if you want it spicier.