This mango chicken curry features tender chicken and lots of zucchini simmered in a flavorful fresh mango coconut curry sauce.
It’s never too hot outside for a curry in my book. Not when glorious summer veggies like zucchini can be chilling in this goodness.
I almost always share a new summer curry this time of year and this year’s version featuring mango + chicken may just be my absolute favorite. I fully blame the mango, I mean have you even SEEN that sauce??
Totally spoon-worthy, don’t @ me.
My favorite part about this curry is that it’s a blank canvas to use up whatever summer produce you have on hand! I go into detail further down in the blog post about veggie substitutes that I’ve found work well.
Either way you make it, there’s no going wrong with this saucy goodness.
This Curry features…
- Tender chicken strips and zucchini cubes
- A sweet and savory mango coconut curry sauce
- Made in one pot in less than an hour
Making the Curry
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Mango
- Vegetable oil
- Chicken thighs
- Sweet onion
- Zucchini
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Curry powder
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Diced tomatoes
- Coconut milk
Choosing Your Chicken
I recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. This cut of chicken is fast to cook and turns out super tender and juicy simmered in this curry.
If you don’t have thighs on hand, boneless skinless chicken breasts will work, however, they may not cook up quite as juicy as thighs.
Tips for Perfect Curry
- Puree half of mango – leaving half of the mango diced will give you sweet little bursts throughout the curry and pureeing half of it helps contribute a velvety sweetness to the sauce.
- Cut chicken and vegetables in uniform size – aim for thin 1-inch slices for the chicken and 1/2-inch cubes for the zucchini. Uniformity will ensure that everything cooks at the same rate.
- Use fresh garlic and ginger – this is where a lot of the amazing flavor comes from. I highly recommend using these ingredients fresh.
- Simmer curry – simmering is where a lot of the flavor is built in the curry and it also finishes cooking the vegetables. Don’t rush the simmering process.
- Use full-fat coconut milk – this adds an unmatchable richness to the sauce that you can only get from using full-fat.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this curry.
- Add different vegetables – try adding sweet pepper, sweet corn, green beans, sweet potato, butternut squash, or summer squash.
- Make it vegetarian – replace the chicken with another vegetable or a drained 15-oz can of chickpeas.
- Add some heat – add 1 small minced serrano or habanero pepper, a few shakes of cayenne powder, or your favorite hot sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Try serving this curry alongside steamed basmati rice, jasmine rice, brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice. Top individual bowls with a sprinkle of fresh minced cilantro and fresh naan for dipping in all that incredible sauce.
This luscious curry fits the dinner bill EVERY time! The sauce is so velvety smooth from the pureed mango and all that creamy coconut milk, while the vegetables and chicken cook up super tender and soak up all the flavor from the sauce.
Absolute heaven paired alongside a bowl of steamed rice and an entirely too-big slice of naan.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More flavorful curries you’ve got to try next!
Zucchini Mango Chicken Curry
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 2 medium ripe mangos, peeled, pitted and diced into 1/2-inch cubes, divided
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into thin 1-inch long strips
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
- 1 large zucchini, ends trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can (15 oz) petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
- Steamed rice, fresh cilantro and naan for serving
Instructions
- Place 1 diced mango in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and season well with salt and pepper. Sauté over medium-high heat until chicken is no longer pink.
- Transfer chicken to a medium bowl and heat remaining oil in same pan. Add onion and zucchini to pan, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until crisp-tender.
- Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, coriander, and cumin to vegetables and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add pureed mango, diced mango, cooked chicken, diced tomatoes, and coconut milk to pan and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and allow curry to simmer 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, stirring occasionally.
- Season curry with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm over rice with cilantro and naan. Enjoy!
Monica says
Can you make this fabulous dish in a slow cooker? If so, please give me some guidelines!
Thank you so much.
Monica
Sarah says
Hey Monica! For a slow cooker version, I’d recommend following the recipe instructions through step 4, transferring everything to a slow cooker, and cooking on low 3-4 hours. To prevent the zucchini from getting mushy, I’d recommend sautéing it separately from everything else and adding it back to the curry during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Darlene says
Made it today and loved it. Because I am trying to lose weight I substituted carton milk for the canned coconut milk, which is probably a big no no, but it worked.
Sarah says
That’s fantastic to hear, Darlene. Thanks for taking the time to let me know!