When you're craving a meal that's wholesome, flavour-packed, and comes together in under 30 minutes, Chicken and Chickpea Curry is your answer. This dish brings together tender chicken, protein-rich chickpeas, and aromatic spices in a rich, comforting curry that works for both weeknight dinners and weekend gatherings. In this post I'll show you my version but as you will see below, there are many ways to tweak this delicious curry.
About this recipe.
Chicken and Chickpea Curry is so adaptable, nutritious, and pairs beautifully with rice, naans, or even a simple salad. The sauce is smooth, similar to a curry house sauce but cooked in a more traditional way.
Follow the recipe but feel free to get adventurous with this one. Add other ingredients, let it cook longer for more depth of flavour, spice it up! Have fun as this curry is so easy and you really can make it your own.
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Ingredients
Following is a list of the ingredients I use to make Chicken and Chickpea curry. Most can be purchased at your local supermarket. If not, you can always omit special ingredients like curry leaves.
- Coconut oil
- Chicken thighs or breasts
- Onions, roughly chopped
- Black mustard seeds
- Fennel seeds
- Cinnamon stick
- Curry leaves (optional)
- Green finger chillies
- Garlic and ginger paste
- Ground coriander
- Ground Cumin
- Ground turmeric
- Kashmiri chilli powder
- Chopped tomatoes
- Chickpeas
- Coconut milk
- Spinach leaves (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
See recipe card for quantities.
Step by step photographs.
Check out my step by step photographs below. You will find the full written recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Step 1: Blend the onions to a smooth paste and set aside.
- Step 2: Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a pan and fry the chicken on one side for 4 minutes. Then flip it over to cook for another 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Step 3: Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan over a medium-high heat. Stir in the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, stir in the fennel seeds and cinnamon. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Step 4: Stir in the curry leaves, if using and sauté for another 30 seconds while stirring everything around in the pan.
- Step 3: Pour in the blended onions and fry for about 5 minutes or until they are starting to turn golden.
- Step 6: Add the garlic and ginger paste along with the chopped chillies and fry, stirring for another 30 seconds.
- Step 7: Stir in the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli powder along with the passata and bring to a simmer.
- Step 8: Pour in the stock and then add the chicken and chickpeas. Cover the pan to simmer for about 8 minutes.
- Step 9: Lift the lid and continue simmering for a couple of minutes to thicken the sauce. If it becomes to thick, you can always add a drop of stock.
- Step 10: Pour in the coconut milk and continue simmering for a couple of minutes.
- Step 11: At this point, you can add the spinach, if using. Let it simmer into the sauce for a couple of minutes.
- Step 12: Continue cooking the sauce down until you are happy with the consistency. Then season with salt to taste and a good squeeze of lime juice..
- Step 9: Enjoy! This chicken and chickpeas curry is delicious served on its own with rice, chapattis and/or naans.
Why You'll Love This Chicken and Chickpea Curry
- Protein-packed: Combining chicken and chickpeas gives a satisfying, high-protein meal.
- Customisable: Easily adapt it to your spice level, ingredients, or cooking method.
- Meal prep-friendly: Tastes even better the next day and freezes well.
- Balanced and filling: With fibre from chickpeas and richness from the sauce, it’s a complete one-pot meal.
What do you serve with Chicken and Chickpea Curry?
This one pan curry is delicious on its own but you might like to try it over steamed Basmati rice or cumin rice. Chapatis and these stove top naans are also a good side.
Variations
There are way to many variations of Chicken and Chickpea Curry to mention them all. Here are a few good ones though:
- Vegetarian/Vegan: Leave out the chicken and add more chickpeas or try adding tofu, cauliflower or sweet potato.
- Tangy Tomato Style: Leave out the coconut milk and add more tomatoes. Also add a little lime juice just before serving.
- Spicy: Add about 2 tsp Madras curry powder and more chilli powder.
Equipment You’ll Need
Ladle – for serving, especially if you're making a larger batch
A large high sided frying pan – The whole curry is cooked in just one pan
Sharp knife and chopping board – for prepping chicken and vegetables
Wooden spoon or spatula – for stirring and sautéing
A Blender – for blending the onions
Storage and Reheating Tips
Fridge:
- Let the curry cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. You will find that the curry is even better the next day so feel free to work ahead.
Freezer:
- Freeze in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. If you're planning on freezing the curry, be sure to label and date the containers.
Reheating:
Defrost in the fridge overnight if frozen. Reheat gently on the stove over medium heat or microwave in short bursts, stirring in between. Add a splash of water or coconut milk if it’s too thick.
Top Tip
Work ahead! Although this is a quick and easy curry to prepare, you could slow down a bit and let it stew for a while longer. Make it the day before you plan on serving it and the flavours will develop. It will be even better!
Final Thoughts.
Chicken and Chickpea Curry is more than just a one-pot wonder... it’s a comforting dish full of warmth, spice, and nourishment. It’s the kind of recipe you can rely on when you’re short on time but still want big flavour. With endless variations and freezer-friendly qualities, it’s the perfect dish to add to your weekly rotation.
Whether you're feeding a family, meal prepping for the week, or cooking for guests, this curry delivers every time. Give it a try, and don’t forget to make extra—you’ll be glad you did!
FAQ
Yes! Stir in shredded rotisserie or leftover chicken during the final 5 minutes of cooking to heat through. This is a great shortcut for a fast meal.
Absolutely, but you’ll need to soak and cook them first. Use about 100g (1/2 cup) dried chickpeas to equal one can once cooked. Make sure they’re tender before adding to the curry. Cooking instructions are usually on the packaging.
Yes. Sauté the onions, chicken and other ingredients just as explained in my recipe. Do this in a frying pan or in your multi-cooker on sauté mode. Then pour everything into your slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
Opinions my vary but in my opinion, chicken thighs are the way to go because they have more flavour than breasts. You could also cook this curry with chicken thighs on the bone for more flavour.
Related
I have a lot of Chicken Curries for you to try. That's why I wrote the book The Curry Guy Chicken. Give some of thee a try!
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Chicken and Chickpea Curry:
Chicken and Chickpea Curry
This is a quick and easy curry to make. Chicken and Chickpea Curry is delicious and perfect for a quick weekday meal or as part of your weekend curry feast.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 700g chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 10 curry leaves (optional)
- 3 green finger chillies, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 225ml (1 /2 cup) chopped tomatoes
- 250ml (1 cup) vegetable stock or water
- 400g (150z) canned (tinned) chickpeas
- 225ml (1/2 cup) thick coconut milk
- 2 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Blend the onions until you have a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. This can be done a couple hours ahead of cooking if more convenient.
- When ready to cook, melt one tablespoon of the coconut oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. When your pan is visibly hot, add the chicken pieces in one layer and fry for 4 minutes on one side. Then flip the pieces over to fry the other side for another 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. The chicken may not be completely cooked through at this stage.
- Heat the remaining coconut oil in a large pan or wok over medium high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer from the heat, stir in the mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle, stir in the fennel seeds and cinnamon stick and let their flavours infuse into the hot oil for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the curry leaves, if using, and move them around in the pan for about 30 seconds. Then pour in the blended onions.
- Sauté the onion paste for about 5 minutes or until it is just beginning to turn a light brown. Then add the garlic and ginger paste and the chopped chillies and fry for a further 30 seconds.
- Stir in the cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric and chilli powder. Let it all sizzle for about 20 seconds and then add the chopped tomatoes and bring it all to a simmer.
- Add the par-cooked chicken and chickpeas along with the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes. Then lift the lid and pour in the coconut milk.
- Again, bring it all to a simmer, stirring continuously to thicken the sauce some.
- If you are adding the spinach, add it now and stir it right into the sauce. Continue simmering until you are happy with the consistency of the sauce. If you find it too dry, you can always add more coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, stock or water.
- Season with salt to taste and serve and squeeze in some lime juice also to taste.
- This curry is great over rice but it does have carbs in in from the chickpeas so it really could be eaten on its own.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 695Total Fat: 53gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 249mgSodium: 582mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 46g
Charles says
Sounds good, but I can't see either cocoanut milk or chickpeas in the ingredients list. (or am I visually challenged this morn?)
Dan Toombs says
Thanks for that Charles. All fixed now. 🙂
Del says
Hi Dan , it says add the stock. But that's not in the list of ingredients or amount.
I boild my onions whole for ten minutes as find they blend well , then used the onion water as the stock , kinda winged it on the quantity. The curry was spectacular 👌 thank you for the recipe.
Dan Toombs says
Glad you enjoyed it! In the ingredient list I state 250ml vegetable stock or water.
Thanks very much
Dan
Charles says
Excellent! I may just try this recipe, now. I probably could've figured it out but I like to know what is supposed to be in a recipe before I go changing it 😉
Richard says
I just took the time carefully prepare the curry base (stated as required at the top of the page), however, when I returned to this page I find that my effort was wasted as the recipe does NOT include the curry base.
Yours frustrated,
Richard
Dan Toombs says
Hi Richard
Sorry about that but not all of my recipes require the base sauce. That said, it wouldn't be wasted. Just use about 500ml instead of cooking the onions in the recipe. It will taste fantastic.
Emma savage says
Hi it says add tomatos with coconut milk and chick peas but can't see any in recipe list. Do you mean can of tomatoes please?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Emma
Thanks for noticing that. All fixed now. I used two large diced tomatoes. You could also use about 200ml or tinned tomatoes.
Cheers
Dan