Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

Chicken curry is the anchor of Sri Lankan home cooking, and nearly every family keeps its own version, passed down with the spice box. The style traces back to the island’s Tamil and Sinhalese kitchens, where cooks roast and grind whole spices rather than reaching for a jar. It is the curry most often served at Sunday lunch, ladled over rice with a tangle of sides, and it is the first thing mothers teach their children to cook. It is also the curry that travels best, tasting like home in every country Sri Lankans have settled in.

Deep, golden gravy made for rice

The sauce is rich and silky from coconut milk, warmed by cinnamon and cardamom and finished with curry leaves and a squeeze of lime. Bone-in chicken turns meltingly tender as it simmers, soaking up the spices until the meat nearly falls off the bone. Serve it with steamed rice, dhal curry, and pol sambol for the classic spread, and know that leftovers taste even better the next day. A splash of thin coconut milk loosens the gravy if it gets too thick, though most people argue the thicker the better.

Craving more? Explore all Sri Lankan Kitchen recipes.

Curious how this curry compares to others? Our World of Curries guide explains 8 styles.

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