This mango chicken curry recipe is a dairy-free take on the wonderful and delicious Indian curry recipe. Sweetened with fresh or frozen mangos for a sweet and savory meal that takes just 30 minutes to make!
What Makes This Recipe Great
Mango chicken curry is a dish I love to make all year round. While mangos are only in season in the summer, I love that you can swap out the fresh variety with frozen mangos for a yummy, flavorful, and healthy meal. It’s completely Whole30 and Paleo-friendly, which means it’s also gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar free!
An authentically Indian dish, the sweet mangos balance out the curry spices so beautifully, and this combo is just so wonderful, creamy, and hearty. It’s also quite mild compared to other Indian curries, so it’s a great meal to make for the whole family. Even my toddler loves it!
With simple ingredients and just 30 minutes, you will love this quick and easy recipe. Even better, it’s an easy make-ahead recipe for yummy and satisfying meal prep lunches!
If you’re looking for more 30-minute recipes, try this Asian Ground Beef & Cabbage Stir Fry or this Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki!
Watch a Short Video of This Recipe
How to Make Mango Chicken Curry
I’ve found that authentic versions of this mango curry use yogurt to thicken the sauce. However, I decided to make a dairy-free version with coconut milk, and the result is just fantastic. This substitution makes it naturally paleo and Whole30-friendly as well!
Sweetened with pureed mangos, the curry is a delicious combo of sweet and savory. Enjoy it with basmati rice or cauliflower rice for a complete meal!
Ingredients
- ghee: I love using ghee in my cooking for that buttery flavor, but you can easily swap it out for coconut oil instead. Check out this post for homemade ghee or find it in stores.
- onion
- garlic & ginger: I think fresh ginger and garlic cloves give the best flavor but feel free to use a jar of minced garlic and powdered ginger in a pinch.
- curry powder
- cumin
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
- ripe mangos: I used fresh mangos for this recipe, but you can also just buy frozen mango chunks. Thaw them first before pureeing them in the blender.
- coconut milk: Make sure to use full-fat coconut milk that usually comes in a can for that ultra-creamy texture.
- apple cider vinegar
- boneless skinless chicken thighs: I personally prefer chicken thighs, but chicken breasts will also work!
- fresh cilantro: Optional, for garnish.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Before you start cooking, chop up the vegetables and the chicken, and puree the mangos in the blender.
- Heat ghee or coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent.
- Add ginger, garlic, curry powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, and cook stirring until fragrant.
- Pour in mango puree, coconut milk, and apple cider vinegar, and stir. Increase the heat to boil, then reduce to simmer for 2 minutes uncovered.
- Add the chicken and bring it back to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice, sprinkled with cilantro.
Serving Tips
- Serve warm over basmati rice or cauliflower rice. Curry keeps really well, so if you want to make this ahead of time to serve later, that works too!
Storage Tips
- Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, leftover mango curry will keep for 3-4 days.
- To freeze, store leftovers in an airtight zip-top bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Expert Tips & Recipe FAQs
This mango curry combines pureed mango, coconut milk, curry powder, and other spices, fresh garlic and ginger, onion, and boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
You can definitely use vegan protein substitutions to make a meatless mango curry using tofu or chickpeas. I would reduce the cooking time for these because they don’t take as long as chicken to simmer in the sauce.
This is a relatively mild curry that even my toddler loves. To amp up the spice level, you can add some cayenne pepper to the curry to taste.
It originates from southern India. The traditional recipe includes yogurt, but I substituted coconut milk instead to make this recipe dairy-free.
As mangoes ripen, they get softer, similar to the way avocados ripen. The softer the mango, the riper it is. The firmer the mango, the less ripe. If you want to make this recipe right away, choose a softer, riper mango. If you have a few days, choose one that is firmer, and it will ripen over time at room temperature.
If you make this recipe, please leave me a star rating and comment below! I love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Follow me on social media Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for even more delicious recipes!
Easy Mango Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger grated
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 2 ripe mangos pureed (or use 2 cups frozen)
- 1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk full fat
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Before cooking, chop up the vegetables and chicken and puree the mangos in the blender.
- Heat ghee in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
- Add ginger, garlic, curry powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, and cook stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in mango puree, coconut milk, and apple cider vinegar, and stir. Increase the heat to boil, then reduce to simmer for 2 minutes uncovered.
- Add the chicken and bring back to simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice, spinkled with cilantro.
Video
Notes
Serving Tips
- Serve warm over basmati rice or cauliflower rice. Curry keeps really well, so if you want to make this ahead of time to serve later, that works too!
Storage Tips
- Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, leftover mango curry will keep for 3-4 days.
- To freeze, store leftovers in an airtight zip-top bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
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This was really good – very balanced and super easy to put together.
Yay! Thank you so much!
SO good! I used pureed Alphonse Mangos that you can pureindianfoods.com, as I don’t think it is mango season right now, and that worked great.
I love the fruity flavor in the curry. The taste is excellent and it’s super easy to make, especially on a busy weeknight.
Delicious! I def added cayenne because I love spicy curry. The puréed mango really makes the dish. I used riced broccoli to put it over.
Love that! Thank you so much for leaving a review.