Chicken Apple Curry

This easy Chicken Apple Curry recipe has sweet apples and onions to balance the spiciness of the curry powder for a flavorful, nutritious gluten-free weeknight dinner ready in 45 minutes with easy-to-find ingredients

About Chicken Apple Curry

Chicken and Apple Curry is a fragrant chicken dish that has bites of chicken simmered in a sauce seasoned with onions, celery, apples, and curry powder. It's a warming meal and especially satisfying when served over rice to soak up all the sauce.

There are many types of curry recipes, and this one is very basic with only 10 ingredients that you can find in any grocery store. However, definitely don't let basics bore you into skipping this recipe. This dish is anything but boring!

Adding fruit to main meals is not something I typically do. However, a few years ago my aunt suggested I try her mom's recipe for Curry Chicken with Apples. So I decided to give it a go, and I am so glad that I did!

Chicken Apple Curry is easy, budget-friendly, and incredibly delicious.

The sweet apples balance out the spicy curry powder, but it's not overly sweet. What's nice about this recipe is that you don't need any special ingredients. No coconut milk or curry paste. You simply need curry powder which is likely already in your spice cabinet.

Ingredients

Oil: Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, canola oil, and butter all work really well in this chicken apple curry recipe.

Veggies: The veggies in this dish include onions, celery, and garlic. You'll need two medium to large-sized onions. The recipe was tested using yellow onions, but red or white onions can be used as well.

There is only one stalk of celery in the dish, but I really like the subtle flavor it adds. In a pinch, you could use celery salt in place of the salt if you don't have celery to still give your curry the taste of celery without needing the celery.

Additionally, garlic powder can be used in place of the garlic cloves. Or use garlic salt in place of the salt.

Apples: Fuji apples as well as Honeycrisp apples were used to test the recipe. You could also use Golden Delicious or Braeburn apples. I don't recommend using Red Delicious apples as they do not hold up well when cooking.

Chicken: This chicken apple curry calls for boneless, skinless chicken breast. You can also use tenders or tenderloin. Another more budget-friendly alternative is to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. No matter what you use, cut the chicken into about ½ to 1-inch pieces.

Curry powder: Simply buy curry powder from the grocery store.

Broth: I typically use chicken broth and prefer homemade chicken broth or low sodium or no-salt-added store-bought broth or stock. Other options are vegetable broth or water.

I often use water because I forget to buy broth, but I add extra seasoning like garlic powder, paprika, and/or salt to make up for the lack of flavor.

Be sure to use cold water or broth when whisking it with the cornstarch.

Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce, add cornstarch. Find it on the baking or spice aisle.

Rice: Any type of rice is great with this chicken apple curry.

Toppings: Fresh mint and parsley add a little freshness & brighten the flavor. Other tasty toppings include plain yogurt, shredded unsweetened coconut, chopped peanuts, cashews or almonds, and chopped green onion.

How to Make Chicken Apple Curry

Recipe Tips

*Start the rice after you start sauteing onions and celery.

Even if the rice is done before the curry sauce is, the warm apple curry sauce will reheat the rice if it cools a little after cooking.

Variations

Ingredient Options

Celery: use celery salt in place of the salt and omit the celery if desired. Or skip the celery altogether if needed.

Garlic: replace the garlic cloves with ¾ to 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Add to the dish with the curry powder and salt.

Curry powder: Theoretically, you can make your own with this combo of spices, but it's much easier to have on hand. Plus, you can use curry powder for other tasty recipes like Lentil Curry and Instant Pot Lamb Curry.

Because curry paste is different than curry powder, I don't recommend using them interchangeably here.

Chicken: chicken thighs can be used in place of the chicken breast. Use the same amount and cut them into pieces like you would with the chicken breast.

Cornstarch: you can use arrowroot powder or all-purpose flour in place of the cornstarch if needed. For arrowroot powder, use the same amount as you would cornstarch. For flour, you'll need to use twice the amount of flour as cornstarch.

If you use arrowroot powder, it will still be gluten-free; however, if you use all-purpose flour, it will no longer be gluten-free unless you use a gluten-free all-purpose flour.

How to Make Allergy-Friendly

Curry chicken with apples is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, and nut-free.

Be sure to check the ingredients in the food you are using since the allergies in a food depend on the ingredients and toppings.

How to Fix a Mistake

• If the sauce gets too thick: simply add extra broth or water in ¼ cup increments. Stir the liquid in until it reaches your desired consistency. Let cook for a few more minutes, then enjoy.
• If the sauce is too thin: usually cooking the sauce for a little longer can help the sauce thicken. Another option is to add another 1 tablespoon + ¼ cup water. Pour in and let cook for 5-10 minutes until it thickens.

Make-Ahead Ideas

To help decrease the prep time, you can chop the veggies, apples, and chicken; store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 24 hours until ready to use.

I think the sauce would be ok if you made it ahead of time, but I'd wait to add the cornstarch mixture until just before serving to make sure it doesn't break down after too much cooking and cause your sauce to be too thin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Benefits

Each serving provides 28 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, 24% RDA of potassium, 16% RDA of Vitamin C, and 11% RDA of iron.

Curry powder is full of spices that are anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants. For example, curcumin, a compound in turmeric, has been linked to numerous health benefits including cancer prevention, improvements in brain health, and anti-depressive effects.

Also, you get lots of fruits and veggies in this chicken curry -- about 1 to 1.5 cups per serving.

The protein in the chicken helps rebuild tissues in your body and keeps you satisfied. While the fiber from the veggies and apples aids in digestion.

What to Serve with Chicken Apple Curry

Personally, I like to serve this chicken curry over rice to soak up all the delicious sauce. However, you can serve it with whatever carbohydrate you like best; quinoa, polenta, and bread would all be great.

Final Thoughts

Even if you aren't a fan of adding fruit to savory dishes, you need to try this. The apples lend some sweetness to the curry and add another flavor dimension to the recipe.

This recipe is a definite keeper; plus, it's ready in under 45 minutes.

Meme

This post was originally published on November 13, 2012. Text, recipe, and photos have been updated.

---

Chicken Apple Curry Nutrition Facts

*Nutrition facts do not include rice or optional toppings.

---