Chicken Curry

Michael Eisenwasser

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An Indian-inspired chicken curry with coconut milk and warm spices, made without onion or garlic.

Prep 15 min

Cook 30 min

Serves 4

Gluten-freeDairy-free

Ingredients

Protein

• 1 1/4 lb (570 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Aromatics and Spices

• 2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced (about a 1-inch knob)
• 1/2 cup scallion greens (~40 g), thinly sliced, plus more to finish
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (check the label; avoid blends with onion or garlic powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)

Sauce and Vegetables

• 1 cup canned tomatoes, crushed or chopped (about 200 g, ~1/2 cup per serve)
• 1 medium red bell pepper (about 300 g), sliced (~75 g per serve)
• 2 medium carrots, sliced into thin coins
• 2 cups canned light coconut milk (about 480 ml, ~1/2 cup per serve)
• 1/2 cup water or low-FODMAP chicken broth
• 4 cups baby spinach (about 120 g), loosely packed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Salt to taste

To Serve

• 4 cups cooked basmati rice (1 cup per serving)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Plain lactose-free Greek yogurt (optional, for drizzling)
• Lime wedges

Instructions

Bloom the Spices

1. Heat the garlic-infused oil in a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add the ginger and scallion greens. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, stirring, until the ginger smells fragrant.
3. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, cinnamon, and cardamom. Stir for 30 seconds until the spices darken slightly and smell toasty. Keep the heat moderate so they don't scorch.

Sear the Chicken

1. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
2. Push the aromatics to the edges of the pan and add the chicken in a single layer. Let it sit for about 2 minutes to pick up color, then stir and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until the outside is no longer pink.

Simmer

1. Add the canned tomatoes, bell pepper, and carrots. Stir to coat everything in the spices.
2. Pour in the coconut milk and water. Bring to a low simmer.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through (165°F / 74°C) and the carrots are tender. The sauce should thicken slightly and turn a deep golden color.
4. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until wilted.
5. Turn off the heat. Stir in the lime juice and taste for salt.

Serve

1. Spoon the curry over basmati rice.
2. Top with fresh cilantro, extra scallion greens, and a drizzle of lactose-free yogurt if using. Serve with lime wedges.

Tips & Substitutions

• Use light coconut milk for bigger serves. Monash lists regular canned coconut milk as low-FODMAP at 1/4 cup per serve and the light version at 1/2 cup per serve. This recipe uses 2 cups of light coconut milk across 4 servings to land right at the Monash threshold. If you only have regular coconut milk, cut the amount to 1 cup and make up the rest with water or low-FODMAP chicken broth.
• Read the curry powder and garam masala labels. Most supermarket curry and garam masala blends are fine, but some include onion powder, garlic powder, or hing (asafoetida). Hing is concentrated fructans and not low-FODMAP unless the product is labeled "compounded" and specifically certified. Plain blends of coriander, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and chili are all low-FODMAP.
• Make it vegetarian with firm tofu or canned lentils. Swap the chicken for 14 oz firm or extra-firm tofu, pressed and cubed. For a bean option, use 1 cup drained, rinsed canned lentils (1/4 cup per serve, ~46 g, is the Monash limit). Chickpeas are limited to 1/4 cup drained per serve, which is too little to carry a curry on its own.
• Thicken or thin the sauce. For a thicker curry, simmer uncovered for the last 5 minutes. For a looser, soupier sauce, add an extra 1/4 cup water at the end.
• Use bone-in thighs for deeper flavor. Brown 4 to 6 bone-in skin-on thighs in the oil, remove, build the sauce, then return them to braise for 25 to 30 minutes until the meat pulls from the bone.
• Skip jarred curry sauces and pastes. Most contain onion, garlic, or both. If you want a shortcut paste, look for one with no onion, garlic, or hing on the label.

Why This Works

Light coconut milk at the Monash serve. Regular canned coconut milk is low-FODMAP at 1/4 cup per serve; the light version is low at 1/2 cup per serve. Light coconut milk lets the sauce feel rich without stacking sorbitol above the threshold.

Bloomed spices carry the flavor. A curry usually gets its depth from onion and garlic cooked down for 10 minutes. Blooming ground spices in hot oil for 30 seconds pulls their flavor into the fat and gives the sauce a savory base in less time.

Ginger and scallion greens replace the onion flavor. Ginger has no FODMAP serve limit and brings warmth. Scallion greens give a mild onion note without the fructans stored in the white bulb. Together with the garlic-infused oil, they stand in for the usual onion-and-garlic base.

Canned tomato within serve. Canned tomato is low-FODMAP at 1/2 cup per serve (about 100 g). One cup across four bowls comes out to 1/4 cup per bowl, well under the Monash serve, so the sauce gets body without pushing fructose high.

Strained infused oil only. Garlic's fructans aren't oil-soluble, but any garlic solids left in the oil will carry fructans directly into the dish. Use store-bought certified-low-FODMAP infused oil, or strain your homemade oil cleanly before cooking.

Storage

Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much. The curry freezes well for up to 2 months; freeze the sauce without the spinach and add fresh spinach during reheating for better texture.

Not sure about an ingredient? FODMAP Tracker includes a database of 1,000+ foods with FODMAP ratings to help you cook with confidence.