This chicken curry with rice is seriously one of the best recipes for a weeknight dinner. It is a simplified version of a typical Southeast Asian curry, and is really cheap and easy. It requires hardly any time to prep and most of the cooking is done passively so you can do other things while you wait. The total price for this dish is $9.90 (AUD) which is just under our $10 budget and should easily feed a family of 4.
Today’s chicken curry recipe is based off my mum’s Vietnamese version that she has been making since I was kid. Mum’s curry always had sweet potato, white potato and carrots as the vegetables and a paste made from scratch. I never knew how expensive it was to make her curry until the other day. There are few pricey ingredients that go into making the paste such as lemongrass which are selling for $3 a stalk!
So, for the past week I have been trying to sub in cheaper ingredients to replicate the taste but to no avail. I have made so many curries that I am literally curried out! I’ve come to the conclusion that nothing beats the flavour and price tag of store bought curry paste. I hate to admit it but I don’t see how it can be done from scratch for under $10. So this curry recipe is a little bit of a cheat but it tastes good and most importantly it’s within our budget!
What Goes Into Chicken Curry With Rice
- Thai curry paste – yellow or red.
- Chicken drumsticks – can substitute for other cuts of chicken.
- Potatoes and carrots
- Coconut cream – can substitute for coconut milk.
How to Make Chicken Curry With Rice (Summary)
- Fry the curry paste.
- Add the chicken and stir.
- Add salt, sugar and water.
- Fry the potatoes in a separate pan.
- Add potatoes and carrots. Simmer until everything is cooked.
- Add coconut cream and fish sauce.
Our Top Tips for Chicken Curry With Rice
Frying the curry paste – keep the pot on low heat when frying the curry paste. If the pot is too hot the curry paste will explode.
Shallow fry the potatoes separately – shallow fry the potatoes in a separate pan to the point where they form a bit of a skin. They are then less likely to fall apart once added to the curry.
Coconut cream vs coconut milk – use coconut cream for a creamier, richer curry. If you prefer a lighter curry use coconut milk instead.
How to Serve Chicken Curry With Rice
This curry pairs well with white jasmine rice or toasted bread.
Recipe Costings
This table shows how much this recipe will cost if you had to go out and buy everything on the ingredients list (“Shop Price”), as well as the value of ingredients actually used in the recipe (“Recipe Cost”).
With the “Shop Price”, we’re assuming you’re buying the smallest possible quantity to make this recipe. Obviously if you’re buying things in larger quantities the price will be higher, but you’re also more likely to be paying less per unit. We haven’t bothered with things like salt and pepper as the cost would be negligible.
All prices are in Australian dollars and are based off what was published on Coles Online or Woolworths Online as at time of writing.
| Ingredient | Quantity Bought | Shop Price | Recipe Needs | Recipe Cost |
| Chicken drumsticks | 2 kg at $3.75/kg | $7.50 | 1.2 kg | $4.50 |
| White potato | 2 kg at $2.75/kg | $5.50 | 3 (600 gm) | $1.65 |
| Carrots | 1 kg packet | $1.50 | 3 (400 gm) | $0.60 |
| Thai yellow curry paste | 1 bottle (200 gm) | $3.30 | 100 gm | $1.65 |
| Coconut cream | 1 can (400 ml) | $1.00 | 400 ml | $1.00 |
| Fish sauce | 1 bottle (300 ml) | $2.00 | 30 ml | $0.20 |
| Coriander | 1 sleeve | $3.00 | 3 stalks | $0.30 |
| Total | $23.80 | $9.90 |
Optional Extras
If you have the budget and don’t mind adding a few more ingredients to elevate the recipe, then I suggest the following additions:
- 500 gm sweet potato cut into chunks.
- 1/2 a cup of frozen peas.
- Ground chilli or cayenne pepper for added spice.
- Shredded kaffir lime leaves to garnish.
- Lime segments to serve.
Other Recipes You May Like
- Pad Prik Khing (Thai Dry Red Chicken Curry)
- Quick Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Ca Ri Ga)
- Cheap Pasta Stir Fry
- Budget Pork Rice Paper Rolls with Hoisin Sauce
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– Scruff
Chicken Curry With Rice
Equipment
- 4 L pot
Ingredients
- 100 gm yellow or red Thai curry paste
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1.2 kg chicken drumsticks, cleaned and not frozen
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 white potatoes (600 gm), peeled and cubed
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 400 ml coconut cream
Garnish
- 3 stalks coriander, finely chopped
To Serve
- cooked jasmine rice
- crusty bread
Instructions
- Prepare all your ingredients.
- In a medium sized pot on low heat, add 2 tbsp of oil and fry the curry paste for roughly a minute. Then add the chicken drumsticks and cover them in the curry paste.
- Add the salt, sugar and 3 cups of boiling water. Turn the heat up to medium and the once the pot is boiling, cook for 15 minutes.
- Optional step. In a pan, shallow fry the potatoes in oil for 10 – 15 minutes on medium high. Allow the potato to form a skin to prevent them breaking up in the curry.
- After 15 minutes add the potatoes and carrots to the curry and cook for another 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, check if the drumsticks and potatoes are done. Skim as much fat off the surface as you want and then add the coconut cream and the fish sauce. Combine well.
- Check the seasoning and sweetness of your curry. Add more fish sauce to improve flavour and salt content or boiling water to dilute.
- Serve with white jasmine rice or crusty bread.
Love your recipe. Looks so good! Can you recommend a particular curry brand.
Hi Caro! I live in Australia and I usually use the Ayam or Mae Ploy brand if I am at a mainstream grocery store. Other than that I do like Maesri brand as well. Thanks for dropping by Caro!!!
Thanks ! I can get these brands here in Germany.
I live in WA which provides perfect conditions to grow Lemon Grass, Coriander, Thai Basil and a Kaffir Lime tree in a pot. This saves $$ but also provides really fresh ingredients. I’ve made Kylie Kwong’s Cambodian Fish Curry many times. Using some of our own ingredients the price seems reasonable and it’s very tasty. I must admit when curry paste came on special recently I did buy three jars, it’s so convenient. Thanks very much for sharing your recipes, they’re good inspiration and help me to focus on keeping our food costs reasonable.
You’re very lucky to be able to grow your own produce! We have a balcony garden that isn’t doing so well, I love the idea of just being able to wander into my backyard and pick out my ingredients. I’m sure you would save a lot of money that way. All the best with your cooking and thank you for dropping by! Steph
Hi Astrid! We live in Canberra and well… anything that grows here has to be pretty resilient to the cold weather! I would normally try to make things from scratch but it can be very pricey and time consuming. I am slowly being converted to buying pre-made products that will save a lot of time and are not too unhealthy. It is just making more sense to me now since having a child! And thank you Astrid for your kind words. It really makes a difference to Steph and I!