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Mango Chicken Curry Recipe

Filed under Chicken, Main Course, Wheat-free

Mango Chicken Curry

There's something about the combination of mango and chicken that just works. We eat mango chutney with roast chicken so often that I even started making my own chutney just so we wouldn't run out. Here is a mango chicken curry I whipped up the other day. I love it, but my father thinks it's a little on the sweet side, so feel free to reduce the amount of mango the recipe calls for if you want a little less sweet. Or add a little more vinegar. The amounts are approximate, feel free to experiment. Just don't let the mixture boil after adding the cream or it may end up a curdled mess.

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Mango Chicken Curry Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp (or more) of vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
  • 2 Tbsp yellow curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 mangos, peeled and diced
  • 2 Tbsp cider vinegar or white vinegar
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/3 cup golden raisins
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper
  • Cilantro for garnish

Method

1 Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and another tablespoon of oil, cook for a couple more minutes. Add the curry powder and cumin, cook for a few more minutes. The spices will absorb some of the oil, so if anything begins to stick too much to the bottom of the pan, add a little more oil to the pan. Add the ginger and garlic, cook for one minute more.

2 Add the vinegar, water, and a 1/2 of the chopped mango to the pan. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a low simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat. Scoop the sauce into a blender. Purée the sauce, pulsing until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan.

3 Add chicken pieces and raisins to the pan. Return to a low simmer. Cover the pan and let cook for 8-10 minutes. Chicken should be just cooked through. Use a knife to cut open the largest piece to check.

4 Add remaining mango pieces to the pan. Stir in the cream. Let cook at a very low temperature for another minute or two, uncovered. Do not let boil! Or the cream may curdle. Adjust seasonings. If a little too sweet, add a little more vinegar. If not sweet enough, you can add a dash of sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro. Serves 4.

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Posted by Elise on May 8, 2008 and indexed Chicken, Chicken Breasts, Chicken Thighs, Curry, Mango

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Comments

That looks so delicious! I've never made a non-tomato curry before, but it's good to know that you can get awesome color even without them. I bet this would be great finished with coconut milk instead of heavy cream too -- although i'm sure it's delicious as is.

Hi Katy, I think your suggestion of using coconut milk in place of the cream is excellent, thank you. ~Elise

Posted by: katy on May 8, 2008 6:30 PM

I love curry and mangos! Seems like a wonderful dinner to me!!! :)

Posted by: Ginny on May 8, 2008 6:36 PM

Excellent, I love it Elise! I'm putting it on my "to make" list, or better yet...make me some, please!

Posted by: Nick on May 8, 2008 6:59 PM

Wow, mango is in season and this looks like the perfect weeknight dinner. Yum I can't wait to try it. Thanks for the recipe.

Posted by: Liza on May 8, 2008 7:09 PM

Oh wow, homemade curry from scratch has been on my list of seemingly tough dishes that are not so tough... along with soufflés. I will have to give this a try next week. Your photos definitely provide enough motivation.

Posted by: Luke on May 8, 2008 7:10 PM

Oooo yum this looks so good. I love curry and I love mango chutney, so this is the perfect combo for me.

Posted by: Marc @ NoRecipes on May 8, 2008 8:19 PM

Funny, I've never had mango and curry together! Does the mango cut the spicyness of the curry a bit? I'm wondering if I can get my 6 year old to enjoy this one.

Posted by: Lori the RecipeGirl on May 8, 2008 8:43 PM

My mom loves to make this curry with the coconut milk mentioned above and I think it is ten times better! Gotta love the combo of mango and cococnut!

Posted by: Amanda on May 8, 2008 9:29 PM

Another suggestion about sweetness -- if you use slightly less ripe Mangoes, they are not as sweet. Here in Uganda, we use green mangoes in place of apples (they are cheaper) and I have found a lot of recipes nicer if the mangoes are not completely ripe because then they are not too sweet.

Great idea, thanks JoEllyn! ~Elise

Posted by: JoEllyn on May 9, 2008 12:14 AM

This looks great! The color is beautiful and I bet it tastes delicious--plus, with mangoes in season, you could pair this with a nice mango-centric dessert for a full mango experience. And I am entirely with you on chicken thighs instead of breast meat--so much more flavor for so much less money!

I've had a lot of trial and error with curries and Indian-styled food (with a lot leaning towards the "error" side of things, lol), and I just wanted to share a few things I've learned in the process:

* marinate the chicken in a tikka-styled marinade (yogurt, oil, chili powder, salt) overnight and then briefly (~10ish minutes or until cooked) broil before adding to the curry. This adds a great extra layer of flavor to the chicken underneath the gravy, and if using thighs, it renders out a lot of the excess fat.

* I've come to avoid curry powder. A technique that seemed strange to me but is apparently common in Indian cooking is to instead briefly toast whole spices (e.g. cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, etc) in the hot oil (not a dry pan, like I was accustomed to) before sauteing the veggies, fishing them out just prior to pureeing the gravy.

* Two spices that add those unidentifiable "missing" flavors that had eluded me for years: curry leaves (like the Indian equivalent of Bay leaves, but if unavailable, a combination of Bay leaves and cilantro will work) and methi/fenugreek. If you can find these, they are very worth trying and usually available for cheap at an Indian grocery.

Anyways, this comment became a whole lot longer than I meant for it to! I hope this is helpful! :-)

Great advice, thanks Mike! ~Elise

Posted by: Mike on May 9, 2008 4:35 AM

I love curries as well as "fruity" chicken dishes. Mango + chicken + curry is a match made in heaven! This looks really wonderful and I'm looking forward to trying it.

Posted by: Susan at StickyGooeyCreamyChewy on May 9, 2008 6:05 AM

I just tried your chicken curry salad and it was sooo good, can't wait to try this curry. I've often tried Martha Stewart recipes and recipes off of epicurious.com, but I see the most constant success when I use your recipes. So far they've been fantastic each time! Thanks for your postings.

Posted by: Jen on May 9, 2008 6:25 AM

Thanks so much for all the wonderful recipes. i have been lurking for awhile, but this recipe brings out a question. Do you use a specific brand of curry powder? I have tried several - from the regular grocery store, not specialty spice stores because there is not one available where I live. For lack of a better way to put it, the dishes have always ended up tasting somewhat vinegary and lack the robust complexity and sweetness that curry should have. So if you have any recommendations, please share. Thanks!

Posted by: Jacque on May 9, 2008 6:36 AM

I just adore your blog for the beautiful pics and recipes. And am so happy to see one of my recipes linked here :) Thank you.
Mango chicken curry looks so tempting with rice. Love the color of it. I have not used mango in chicken curry. Got to try this recipe :)

Posted by: Pravs on May 9, 2008 7:06 AM

Holy cow this looks good. Again--mangoes in season (super cheap at our Kroger!)...I might try with a bit of coconut milk for added flavor.

For those who are a little afraid of curries--they're not all hot. THere's a huge difference between hot and spicy. Curries are spicy (read: flavorful) but not always hot.
If you are looking for good curries, see if your grocer carries Sauer's brand (may be only a mid-atlantic regional thing, as they're a Richmond, VA brand). Their curry is quite nice. The others to try, especially if you have never tried good curries are Penzey's. THey have a whole range, including a sweet curry that's very tasty. www.penzeys.com

Posted by: kinsey on May 9, 2008 7:27 AM

Try using sour, unripened mangoes instead of sweet ripe ones. This adds a tart flavour to the dish...yummm yummm

Posted by: Crystal on May 9, 2008 7:38 AM

I love fruity curries. Yours sounds and looks great. I agree that chicken and mango go great together. I love grilled chicken with a fresh Mango Salsa.

Posted by: Sylvie on May 9, 2008 8:38 AM

Curry and mango- sounds absolutely delicious! I'm tagging this recipe for my gluten-free round-up for Celiac Awareness Month! Thanks, Elise.

Posted by: karina on May 9, 2008 8:45 AM

Elise,
Gonna try this one, but I'm thinkig I might sub coconut milk for the cream.

Hi Kevin, if you do, let me know how much coconut milk you end up using, and I'll include that substitution as an option for the recipe. I'm thinking you may need to use a whole cup, and simmer it down a bit for the same creamy consistency. ~Elise

Posted by: Kevin on May 9, 2008 9:05 AM

Mango and curry; a match made in heaven; throw
chicken into the mix is absolutely sinful! Yum!

Posted by: Angela Pitt on May 9, 2008 9:21 AM

This looks sooo good! I just bought sweet curry powder from Penzey's and I've been looking for a way to try it, and this sounds great. I'll probably sub out coconut milk for the cream as well, and add it in between steps 2 and 3 (ie after the sauce is pureed, just before the chicken is added). Will report back when I try it!

Posted by: Joanna on May 9, 2008 9:39 AM

Can't wait to try this. Now if I make this for company, will this amount feed four healthy appetites or just exactly four average eaters? In other words, is there any left over for seconds? I am sure with this fabulous sounding dish, seconds will be called for.

I would say, 4 healthy appetites. We are all big eaters here. ;-) We served 3 and I've been eating the leftovers for days. ~Elise

Posted by: Sunny on May 9, 2008 12:02 PM

Ok, I just ordered a couple of varieties of the Penzey's Curry spices. I love, love, love curry, but not when I make it at home. I'm hoping one of these will satisfly my picky tastes, lol. Thanks for the suggestion Pravs.

Posted by: Jacque on May 9, 2008 2:48 PM

This is very much like the American-style curry so many of us grew up with. Love it to this day despite my relatively recent thrills w/ the very complicated native recipes.

Maybe you can withhold the raisins for your dad, but I agree that a little extra vinegar would cut the sweetness. If you use unripe mango, sweetness is not an issue at all. Quite sharp and sour, yet fruity.

Thanks for the mention, Elise.

Posted by: Susan on May 9, 2008 5:19 PM

I'm making this right now!! I substituted coconut milk for the heavy cream. I used about 1/2 can of light coconut milk and so far it look like it's going to be thick enough without reducing or adding anything else. YUM! Thanks for the great Friday night inspiration, Elise!!!

Posted by: Mina on May 9, 2008 6:04 PM

This recipe looked so good, I decided to pick up some mangos on my way home so that I could prepare this for dinner. I wanted to make the recipe a little lighter, so I used less oil (3 tsp) and substituted 1% milk for the cream. I didn't have any raisins on hand, but otherwise followed your recipe exactly... and it turned out great!! The mangos I bought were both just shy of being fully ripe, and I think this helped keep the dish from being too sweet. We both loved it, and I'll definitely be making this again. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

Posted by: Erin on May 9, 2008 8:30 PM

Hey Elise,

I'm always using your recipes for inspiration for technique, or following them to the T. You have a simplistic approach to the craft of cooking that really jives with my style, and I thank you for being committed to giving this information out.

I made this last night and my girlfriend and I loved it. I did substitute coconut milk, but started reducing it in a sauce pan when I started to cook up the curry. By the time it was ready to add, it was reduced by a little les than half, becoming thick and rich; I used 1/2 cup. I also kicked up the spice & flavor by adding some cayenne pepper and 1/2 tblsp of lemon juice. It was awesome. I just might have it for breakfast...(/runs to fridge, jumps over cats..has yellow stains on corners of mouth.)

Posted by: Brendan on May 10, 2008 8:14 AM

Instead of using coconut milk in place of the cream, use coconut cream, I get mine from the health food store, but I am sure it is availabe in most grocery stores!!! It is awesome!!! Also make a curried chicken salad, experimenting with other tropical fruits and nuts (I use either cashew or brazil nuts) teamed with pineapple and celery, and dressed with a mango chutney coconut cream dressing. Serve in a hollowed out pineapple shell. Yum!!!

Posted by: Val on May 10, 2008 5:52 PM

This was delicious. I used chicken broth in place of the water and upped the curry and cumin a bit. Served it with rice with currants and toasted almonds and cucumber raita. Thank you! I will be making it again and again. Tonight I'm going to use leftovers to make a salad.

Posted by: Millie on May 12, 2008 6:33 AM

Made this for my wife and mother in law on Mother's Day. They loved it. My mother in law asked for a copy of the recipe which is a very high compliment. My daughter, who doesn't eat much had seconds. An all around hit.

Posted by: Tim on May 12, 2008 8:10 AM

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed with this recipe. It didn't seem to have the depth of flavor I was really hoping for. I'm not a fan of hot, but I do like spicy. Is there anything that might be added/changed that would make it a little more deep? We did follow the recipe--as opposed to using half cream/half coconut milk...Any thoughts?

Posted by: kinsey on May 12, 2008 12:16 PM

Great easy recipe! I made it last night and it turned out really well. The only thing I changed was in order to make it a little healthier, substitute yogurt for the cream/coconut milk. It actually thickens it a lot and adds a rich creamy taste.

Posted by: Dave-O on May 12, 2008 1:55 PM

I tried this last night, and made the recipe as directed. I have to agree, it didn't have the depth of flavor I was expecting. My mangoes were underripe, so I added a tiny bit of sugar and later added salt and cayenne pepper on my plate.

If I make this again, I'd up the curry powder & add cayenne while cooking and season chicken before adding to pan. What was the purpose of the vinegar? It smelled so strong while simmering, it made my SO nervous, luckily it (mostly) cooked out before serving. I used cider vinegar.

The purpose of the vinegar is for the acidity to balance the sweetness of the mangos. You can accomplish the same thing with yogurt, but if you use yogurt, add it at the end and don't let it boil, or it may curdle. Acidity + milk protein = curdling. ~Elise

Posted by: Vikki on May 13, 2008 11:57 AM

I have tasted similar dish at the japanese restaurant. It was so delicious.
I will try this recipe. Thanks

Posted by: Inna on May 14, 2008 4:19 AM

Are you pureeing 1/2 the mango with the sauce in step 3 or just the liquid?

Half the mango. ~Elise

Posted by: Aaron on May 14, 2008 8:42 AM

Mango is such a versatile fruit. Can be paired beautifully for savoury delicacies or desserts. I recently made grilled paneer tikka with mango dressing..it was great. Loved your rich chicken gravy too Elise!:)

Posted by: Mansi on May 14, 2008 4:52 PM

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