This chicken curry with almond milk tastes like it just came from an Indian restaurant. It’s easy to make and healthy too. There is so much flavor from the spices. It’s rich, creamy, and hearty. Finish with naan or basmati rice.
Jump to:
About the Chicken Curry with Almond Milk
Make this chicken curry with almond milk. If you’re staying away from dairy but love cooking Indian food you’ll love this lactose free curry recipe very similar to my Thai Chicken Curry Without Coconut Milk. While it’s dairy free, you won’t taste much of a difference because it’s still rich and creamy the same way that traditional chicken curry is.
There’s a bit of a lengthy list of ingredients to make the curry but the spice blend is the most important part. Building flavor by using whole spices and sautéing them creates a flavor profile that’s needed to give the healthy chicken curry its flavor. If you’re not cooking with whole spices in your home, I recommend that you start! There’s nothing better than whole clove, cinnamon, or cumin seed infusing your dish with incredible flavor.
Make this dairy free chicken curry recipe in 30 minutes or less. Before starting, I recommend that you get all of your ingredients in order so the cooking process goes smoothly and quickly. Chop the veggies and chicken beforehand. Measure the spices before starting. You’ll thank yourself for doing this later because once you get cooking, things will be moving very quickly.
Why Choose Almond Milk?
So the big question is, why choose almond milk? We always have almond milk on hand in our home. I can’t think of the last time we had cow’s milk in our fridge. There are so many reasons for choosing almond milk.
No cholesterol
Fewer calories
Lactose free
Contains unsaturated fat
Rich in vitamin E
When choosing almond milk be sure to read the label before buying. Make sure that you choose a version that’s unsweetened and doesn’t have added flavors like vanilla. For this recipe I used Almond Breeze unsweetened original. The almond milk cream sauce for chicken curry wouldn’t be very good if it was cooked with a sweet almond milk or had flavors of vanilla.
Tips for Making Chicken Curry
- Use a food processor to pulse onion and garlic to chop the vegetables faster, do the same with the fresh tomatoes but pulse separate from the onion and garlic
- Don’t have fresh tomatoes? You can use 1 can of diced tomatoes or 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
- While I have not made this recipe using garam masala, most of the ingredients below are found in a spice blend that’s commonly found in stores called garam masala. While it may not taste exactly the same, if you don’t have many of the individual spices on hand you may opt to use garam masala in its place.
The Ingredients
The spice blend
The spices listed below are used in their whole form instead of ground. You should be able to find most of these at your local grocery store. From my experience, I have found that finding a dried chili pepper, cumin seed, and mustard seed were most difficult to find. Try visiting a specialty food store to find any remaining items you don’t have on hand.
- ground coriander
- whole cumin seed
- turmeric
- mustard seed
- cinnamon stick
- 1 hot chili pepper
- teaspoon ground black pepper
- whole cloves
The remaining ingredients
These are the ingredients that are going to make the base of the almond milk curry. Fresh tomatoes will cook down with chicken broth and almond milk to create a creamy sauce that the chicken finishes cooking in. Since almond milk is lower in fat and doesn’t thicken the same way a heavy cream would, we do use a corn starch slurry to thicken the chicken curry recipe.
- oil
- chicken breast
- onion
- garlic
- ginger
- chicken broth
- fresh tomatoes
- almond milk
- corn starch slurry
- cooked basmati rice
Making the Chicken Curry with Almond Milk
Step 1: In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the spice blend and set aside. Heat a large deep dish skillet over medium heat with oil. Once heated, add the chopped chicken breast and all of the spice blend ingredients. Stir until the chicken is coated with the spices. Cook for 4-6 minutes until the chicken looks cooked on the outside. The chicken will not be completely cooked but that is okay.
Step 2: Add onion, garlic, ginger, and fresh tomatoes. Cook until the onion starts to become translucent and the fresh tomatoes start to cook down and lose their shape. About 3-5 minutes. Add chicken broth and almond milk. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has reduced. About 7-10 minutes.
Step 3: Stir in a corn starch slurry to thicken the curry sauce to your desired thickness. If it gets too thick simply add more chicken broth to smooth out. Once done, remove from heat. Serve over basmati rice or with naan.
Storing the Chicken Curry with Almond Milk
Store in an air tight container and place in the fridge for up to a week. To reheat, simply microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring occasionally until heated through.
If you’re looking for a more long term storage option, the chicken curry with almond milk can be frozen. Place in an air tight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Before reheating, let thaw completely in the refrigerator.
Make The Chicken Curry with Almond Milk in The Slow Cooker
The chicken curry with almond milk can be made in the slow cooker. This can be done easily. Simply add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker except the corn starch slurry and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. Once cooked, stir in the corn starch slurry and let thicken before serving. To avoid an extra mess, I recommend using a crock pot liner. This will help you save on dishes big time.
The Best Chicken Curry with Almond Milk
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
The Spices
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 hot chili pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves
Other Curry Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- cornstarch slurry
- Cooked basmati rice
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine all of the spice blend ingredients and set aside. Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat with the oil. Once heated, add the chopped chicken breast and all of the spice blend ingredients. Stir until the chicken is coated with all of the spices. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until the chicken is mostly cooked.
- Add the onion, ginger, and fresh tomatoes to the skillet. Cook until the onion begins to become translucent and the fresh tomatoes start to cook down. About 3-5 minutes.
- Add chicken broth and almond milk. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has reduced. About 7-10 minutes.
- Stir in a corn starch slurry to thicken the curry sauce to your desired thickness. If it gets too thick, add more chicken broth. Once done, remove from heat and serve over basmati rice or with naan.
Leave a Reply