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    Bless This Mess > Recipes > Easy Dinners > Chicken

    Curried Coconut Chicken with Squash and Dried Cherries

    Published: Jan 30, 2013 · Modified: Sep 19, 2019 by Melissa · 18 Comments

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    Rich and thick curried coconut chicken with squash and dried cherries in one hearty flavorful meal that's full of healthy ingredients.

    Curried Chicken over rice served on a white plate with a fork. A bowl of rice sits to the side.

    Curried Coconut Chicken with Squash and Dried Cherries

    Are you ready for a nontraditional knock-your-socks-off dinner? Ok, good. I present to you - Curried Coconut Chicken with Squash and Dried Cherries. The name is a mouthful and so are the flavors. The sweet and creamy coconut pairs perfectly with all those spices. The sweet squash cooks up nice and soft and then you bite into little tart yet sweet pops of dried cherries that have started to come back to life from simmering in the dish. Mmmmm. I have half of this recipe hiding in my freezer for an easy meal later and I may just have to get it out tonight. If you are a curry lover this is sure to become a favorite fast.

    Honestly, I never even tried curry until after I was married and our friends introduced us to it. Now I love all types from Thai to Indian. I think part of why I love food so much is because there is always something new to discover. If you are new to or shy of curry, have no fear and give it a try. A huge portion of the earth's population eats it daily, and there's no way all those people are wrong! Try it... you'll love it.

    Keep Calm and Curry On.

    Curried Chicken over rice served on a white plate with a fork. A bowl of rice sits to the side.

    What can I serve the curry over instead of rice?

    If you don't want to use rice, there are tons of other options: Cauliflower rice, steamed vegetables of all kinds, noodles, naan, couscous, etc.

    Can I use something besides coconut milk?

    Coconut milk can easily be substituted with heavy cream instead if you don't have coconut milk or are allergic to coconut. You can also use half-and-half with a dollop of sour cream.

    How can I store curry?

    If you don't gobble down all your curry, leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, and you can also keep it in the freezer for 2-3 months.

    Print
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    A white plate of rice topped with curried chicken with butternut squash and dried cherries

    Curried Coconut Chicken with Squash and Dried Cherries


    • Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
    • Total Time: 1 hour
    • Yield: Serves 8
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Rich and thick curried coconut chicken with squash and dried cherries in one hearty flavorful meal that's full of healthy ingredients.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 3 T. oil (peanut, olive, coconut)
    • 2 T. curry powder
    • 1 T. plus 1 tsp. garam masala, divided
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 pounds chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
    • 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
    • 1  can diced tomatoes, with the juice (14.5-ounce)
    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • 3 Tablespoon sugar
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • 1 tsp. pepper
    • 4 cups cubed winter squash (banana, butternut, pumpkin)
    • ½ cup dried cherries
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • Hot cooked rice for serving

    Instructions

    1. In a large stock pot or dutch oven heat the oil, curry powder, and 1 tablespoon of garam masala over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes. If it starts to stick add more oil, you don't want it to burn.
    2. Add the onion and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Again, add more oil if it starts to stick too much.
    3. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes.
    4. Add the coconut milk, undrained tomatoes, chicken broth, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
    5. Add the squash and dried cherries. Cook the curry at a low simmer until the squash is very soft and the mixture thickens, 45 minutes to an hour.
    6. 5 minutes before serving, stir in the last 1 teaspoon of garam masala.
    7. Serve over hot, cooked rice.

    Notes

    • Curry is one of those dishes that only improve with time. If you have more time, let it cook! The leftovers are better the second day too.
    • No cherries? Traditional or golden raisins are a great sub (but the cherries were SO good...).
    • The garam masala is added twice because some of its flavor is heightened while cooking and some of it is lost. Adding it in the beginning and again at the end helps to not miss out on any of its goodness.
    • You can substitute sweet potatoes for the squash if you'd like.
    • Prep Time: 15 min.
    • Cook Time: 45 min.
    • Category: Dinner
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: Indian

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @blessthismessblog on Instagram and hashtag it #blessthismess

    More Curry Recipes:

    • Easy Pumpkin Cauliflower Curry
    • Easy Lentil Curry with Butternut Squash
    • Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Curry (meatless)
    • Green Thai Chicken Coconut Curry
    • Green Chicken Curry

    Other Dinner Ideas:

    • What to Make for Dinner: Stop the 5 O'clock Dinner Planning!
    • Cornbread Waffles with Chili: 15 Minute Dinner
    • Barbecue Ranch Grilled Chicken Salad
    • 16 Easy One Pot Dinner Recipes
    • Grilled Chicken Tacos
    • Grilled Salmon Foil Packs with Veggies
    • The Best Baked Chicken Legs

    This post was originally published in 2013 and has been updated in July 2019.

    Try out curried coconut chicken with squash and dried cherries for a filling dinner that is a wonderful combination of flavors and textures. It will knock your socks off!

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      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Deborah

      May 28, 2015 at 6:16 pm

      I have to say THANK YOU - I have been working my way through your 14 day plan and still have a few items left to try. I was awesome to jump start us into clean eating. Tomorrow is the curry and I am looking forward to it. I have to admit the BEST part was the shopping list.

      Reply
    2. Tiffany

      March 28, 2015 at 5:42 am

      Any way to get nutritional values added to your recipes? They all look so yummy but need to watch calories, sugar and carbs. Thanks

      Reply
    3. Jessica K. Higgs

      January 19, 2015 at 7:46 am

      This is delicious! I have it cooking on my stove RIGHT now. Edits for me: I can't find Garam Masala in Beijing (I live in China at the moment) so I omitted this and I used Sweet Potatoes instead of squash because I just like them better. Had a taste during the simmer stage and I am fighting the urge to hover over the stove till its done - thats how badly I want to eat it right now! Thanks for this recipe!

      Reply
    4. Amanda

      January 13, 2015 at 3:23 pm

      made this tonight and it was delicious. Didn't change a thing. I also tried your Chicken Tettrazini the other night and that was a big hit as well.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        January 13, 2015 at 8:12 pm

        Awesome! I love a happy well-fed reader! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. I recommend my steak carnitas next 😉

      • Ocene

        October 31, 2016 at 11:44 am

        I'm assuming the squash is peeled although it does not say anything about it in the recipe or ingredients or directions. It helps to be specifi

    5. Angela

      September 28, 2014 at 5:52 pm

      Made this tonight for dinner. It was delicious. In the future,I will half the chicken stock and use additional coconut milk in its place. Also, I will add the cherries way later in the simmering process. I wanted them to be a big tart pop in the mouth, but the tartness was cooked out of them. Regardless, it was delicious as is! FYI.. found the garam masala at my local Publix. McCormick makes it.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        October 01, 2014 at 10:33 am

        Such great tips! So glad you liked it Angela... thank you for taking the time to comment!

    6. Sarah

      December 16, 2013 at 11:08 am

      I made this last night and it turned out much better than I was expecting (I'm still new to this whole cooking thing). THANKS for this recipe! I have so much left over!

      Reply
      • Melissa

        December 16, 2013 at 11:11 am

        Wohoo! The curry without the rice freezes great just FYI.

    7. jess

      October 09, 2013 at 5:08 pm

      I just made this for dinner and it was delicious! I bought a butternut squash at the farmers market and wasn't sure what to do with it until I saw your recipe. I think I might add some fresh ginger and a jalapeño next time for a little extra kick.

      Reply
    8. Kristin

      October 07, 2013 at 7:27 pm

      WOW, super easy and super delicious! I didn't have garam masala but looked it up on line and used what I had to make my own: cumin, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, and it worked great. I substituted the rice for some steamed broccoli, and sprinkled some roasted almonds on top for some crunch. I recommend to anyone who is going to try to make this to not skip the dried cherries (or raisins) the sweetness from the fruit really hits this dish home. This dish will become one of my weekly staples. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        October 07, 2013 at 8:30 pm

        Thank you SO much for the great comment!! Now I want to make it again 🙂

    9. jesusan

      October 01, 2013 at 4:34 pm

      Just found this recipe thanks to Texanerin Baking. It looks absolutely wonderful, and I hope I can get a chance to try it soon. (I have to make sure my husband is willing to try it.) 🙂

      Reply
    10. Allison

      September 12, 2013 at 7:20 pm

      I've been making my way through your 2 week plan, and this is my favorite dish yet. My only edit- I used red curry powder instead of garam masala- loved it! Thank you for the recipe and easy-to-follow plan!

      Reply
      • Melissa

        September 12, 2013 at 7:26 pm

        Thanks so much for the comment! It's SO rewarding to know that people are using something I spent time on and LOVING IT. This recipe is a keeper... I was thinking of making it just the other day. It's been a long time and it's sounding good. Great job on eating clean and keep up the good work. I'd love to hear how it you liked it as a whole in the end.

    11. Amber

      February 14, 2013 at 7:46 pm

      Loved this dish! I love curry, coconut milk and butternut squash so I had to make it....and am so glad I did! Definitely will be making this curry again. Thanks for the recipe Melissa!

      Reply
    12. Becky

      January 31, 2013 at 5:27 pm

      This just looks so darn good! Maybe next time we see each other... ??

      Reply

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