This easy pumpkin chicken curry is made of juicy, tender chicken morsels simmered in a deliciously aromatic sauce that is full of warm spiced flavor. It's well- spiced but not spicy and can be bulked up with healthy veggies, all in one pot. Plus it's super flexible: it can be made with coconut cream, regular cream, pumpkin puree or none of the above!
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⭐ Why This Recipe is a Star
- Pumpkin chicken curry is simply scrumptious: the flavorful curry sauce with its juicy, tender chicken morsels is warming and delicious- the cubed pumpkin pretty much melts in your mouth! Perfect for cold fall and winter nights!
- It's great for busy weeknights: No need to marinade ingredients plus the last 15 minutes are more or less passive cooking where the chicken simmers in the sauce.
- Complete meal: The curry can be made heartier and healthier by adding veggies such as carrots and peppers. Goes beautifully with steamed rice!
Note: extra pumpkin can be used to make Asian pumpkin soup, Chinese pumpkin cake (Nan Gua Bing), pumpkin porridge or 1 of these Asian savory pumpkin recipes.
Pumpkin curry is the perfect non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner idea- click through for other alternative meals!
🥘 Ingredients
You will need some simple ingredients for this pumpkin chicken curry recipe, such as:
- boneless, skinless chicken: I recommend dark meat (chicken thighs) as it won't dry out unlike chicken breast
- aromatics such as minced onion and garlic cloves: I like red onions as they're sweeter but you can also use yellow or shallots. Feel free to add grated fresh ginger if you want but the curry is delicious even without!
- spices such as ground turmeric or turmeric powder, Ground Cumin and ground coriander seeds: if you can't get these spices, you could try substituting with yellow curry powder or red curry paste (skip the sambal, if so.) I believe it would turn out well but have not personally tried yet!
- sambal oelek: You can get it from the Asian supermarket, make your own from chillies, vinegar and salt or use 1 of these sambal oelek substitutes. I use 1 Tablespoon but if you have less, you can decrease the amount. Sambal oelek already has salt in it, so you may not need to season- taste and judge for yourself!
- pumpkin: substitute with butternut squash if out
- chicken broth: you can use vegetable stock as a vegan alternative
- optional, coconut cream or heavy cream: these make the sauce more creamy. In my opinion, coconut cream is the tastiest, followed by heavy cream then no cream at all. (If not using any cream and want a thicker sauce, add some pumpkin puree- don't substitute with pie filling!) However, all 3 are delicious! (If you only have full-fat coconut milk, you can leave it in the fridge and skim off the thicker part on top to use in place of cream.)
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat up vegetable oil in a pan.
- Place half the chicken pieces in a large skillet and lightly brown them on medium heat (gas stove) or medium-high heat (induction stove.) (About 2-3 minutes.)
- Plate and repeat with the rest of the meat.
Tip: use a bit more oil if the chicken looks like it's sticking. You'll need to give it a stir.
4. In the same pan, sauté onion, garlic and ginger (if using.)
5. You should be able to smell the fragrance of the aromatics and the onion should become translucent. (About 1-2 minutes.)
6. Reduce the heat, add the ground spices and stir 2-3 times i.e. the turmeric, cumin and coriander seeds (The heat is low so as not to burn the spices.)
7. Add the sambal oelek red chili sauce, stir for 20 seconds (or till aromatic), then add the chicken pieces, pumpkin cubes and stock.
Note: if your chicken stock is pre-seasoned, you may not need to add salt later as sambal oelek is already salty.
8. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes or till the pumpkin is fork tender. Taste and season if necessary.
Note: make sure the fire is not too hot or the chicken will dry out! If the pan looks too dry, top up with a bit more chicken stock or water.
Optional: for a creamier curry, add the coconut or heavy cream now and stir.
9. Switch off the fire, stir in the fresh cilantro. Serve with white rice on the side and enjoy your Asian feast!
Optional: you can add some freshly ground black pepper if you want.
🥡 How to Store
Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Curries actually taste better when reheated!
Tip: Make sure you reheat the pumpkin curry using gentle heat so that the chicken doesn't become overcooked and dry out! (But do make sure the chicken is thoroughly heated to avoid food poisoning.)
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
Tip #1: Sambal oelek and storebought chicken broth (if not using homemade) already contain salt, so don't add salt at the beginning. Taste and see if it's necessary before seasoning after the chicken and pumpkin have cooked.
Tip #2: If you don't like white rice, you can pair this easy pumpkin chicken curry recipe with various breads too. For example, mantou buns are so delicious dipped in the spiced sauce!
Tip #3: For a healthier meal, add some fresh veggies such as carrots and green or red bell pepper (for more fibre) and serve with brown or cauliflower rice.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Yes you can although you'll need to be careful with the heat and cooking time as chicken breast doesn't have much fat and dries out quickly. Chicken thigh is much more forgiving! Once, I accidentally added twice the amount of chicken stock so I had to simmer for over 30 minutes and the chicken was still juicy!
Judging from all the other coconut curry chicken recipes out there, I'm sure you can! However, I've not personally tried either. I will update this when I do!
Yes, replace the chicken tofu or make it a pumpkin chickpea curry. Substitute the chicken stock with veggie stock. (I hope it's obvious that if you want a thicker savory gravy, use coconut cream and not heavy cream!)
🥗 Suggested Accompanying Recipes
Enjoyed this easy Pumpkin Curry with Chicken Recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below! If you REALLY liked this Asian pumpkin dish, please consider supporting it by buying me a coffee! 🙂 (No obligation though!) Thank you and have a great day!
Easy Pumpkin Chicken Curry from Scratch
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon vegetable oil If your chicken looks like it's sticking to the pan when browning it, you may need more oil,
- 21 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs (595g but feel free to round up to 600g) cut into 1 inch pieces: I prefer dark meat (chicken thighs) as it won't dry out unlike chicken breast
- 1 red onion peeled and minced. Substitute: shallots or yellow onions.
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 1 Tablespoon Ground fresh turmeric Substitute: turmeric powder
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin If your spices are old, lightly toast them in a dry pan to awaken the fragrance before grinding.
- 2 teaspoon Ground coriander seeds As above.
- 1 Tablespoon Sambal oelek There may be no need to use salt as it's a salted chili sauce. (You can get this from the Asian supermarket, make your own from chillies, vinegar and salt or use 1 of these sambal oelek substitutes)
- 14.1 oz pumpkin (400g) Cut into ¾ inch cubes. Substitute: butternut squash
- 1⅗ Cups chicken stock (About 375 ml) If substituting with a bouillon cube, use 1 chicken bouillon cube mixed into 1⅗ Cups of hot water.
- 1 bunch fresh coriander leaves coarsely chopped. Don't throw away the roots and stems- you can pound that with pepper and garlic to make a Thai sauce!
- ¼ Cup coconut cream or regular heavy cream Optional, for a creamier sauce. You can also use pumpkin puree as a substitute or leave out entirely.
Instructions
- Heat up vegetable oil in a pan. Place half the chicken pieces in a large skillet and lightly brown them on medium heat (gas stove) or medium-high heat (induction stove.) (About 2-3 minutes.) Tip: use a bit more oil if the chicken looks like it's sticking. You'll need to give it a stir.
- Plate and repeat with the rest of the meat.
- In the same pan, sauté onion, garlic and ginger (if using.) (About 1-2 minutes.)
- Once you can smell the aromatics and the onion is translucent, reduce the heat to low.
- Add the ground spices and stir 2-3 times i.e. the turmeric, cumin and coriander seeds (The heat is low so as not to burn the spices.)
- Add the sambal oelek red chili sauce, stir for 20 seconds (or till aromatic), then add the chicken pieces, pumpkin cubes and stock.
- Turn the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes or till the pumpkin is fork tender. Taste and season (only if necessary.)Note: make sure the fire is not too hot or the chicken will dry out! If the pan looks too dry, top up with a bit more chicken stock or water.
- Switch off the fire, stir in the fresh cilantro. Optional: for a creamier curry, add the coconut or heavy cream and stir through before switching off the fire.
- Serve with white rice on the side and enjoy your Asian feast!Optional: you can add some freshly ground black pepper if you want.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ramona says
This dish was divine! I will be making it again. A great combination of flavors and ingredients. Thanks so much for this recipe, I am now saving it!
Zen says
So glad you enjoyed the chicken pumpkin curry Ramona! I've made it quite a few times this fall myself!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Such an easy dinner that can be made any night of the week. Great marriage of flavors and always packed with flavor!
Zen says
Thanks Lori! I love bold flavors! 🙂
Leslie says
I think that this is wonderful that it can be made a complete meal! I lke your idea of adding veggies!
Sharon says
Whenever I see pumpkin added to a recipe, I know immediately I have to try it! this chicken curry with pumpkin was a hit.
Veronika says
Nothing beats a comforting chili on a cold winter evening! We loved this one. So flavorful and super easy to make.
Amy Liu Dong says
I have never tried to put pumpkin in my curry, but this one looks flavorful and tasty!
Jamie says
Wow! This pumpkin chicken curry looks absolutely delicious and yummy! The creamy sauce makes this so enticing and tempting! Loved it!
megane says
Such an awesome combo. Simple and delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Colleen says
This pumpkin curry is super flavorful and also easy to make. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you.
Dorene chew says
Pumpkin chicken curry - good for rainy weather . My mother loves curry and have it very very often!!