This healthy curried chicken rice casserole, which has elements of biryani and korma, is a delicious, low fat weeknight dinner idea the whole family will enjoy!
This healthy curried chicken rice casserole was inspired by a delicious chicken biryani I enjoyed on a recent visit to London where I stumbled upon what looked like a street food festival. Lucky me! I think food cooked and eaten outdoors always tastes better than indoors. That chicken biryani, served in a styrofoam container, handed to me in a paper bag with a plastic fork in it, was the best I ever had!
So now I NEED a curry dish everyday! This easy chicken and rice casserole has elements of biryani as well as korma. The chicken is marinated in a creamy mixture of spices and yogurt though it is not cooked together with the rice. Chicken cooks very quickly and for me the most reliable way of ensuring it doesn’t become tough and stringy is by cooking it separately.
How to prep the chicken and save time
This dish is definitely easy and quick to make. The chicken does need to be marinated for a few hours, but you can either marinate it overnight or place it in the marinade in the morning, then cook it for dinner later on. The chicken will need only about 6 minutes to cook so do this step while your rice has been cooking for about 5 minutes. That way both the rice and the chicken will be ready at the same time and all you’ll have to do is combine them and serve.
The dish itself is not very labour intensive and the only ingredient that needs chopping is the chicken. With a little bit of preparation this chicken casserole can be on the table in about 15 minutes! How marvellous is that?
How much fat does this chicken rice casserole contain
The curried chicken and rice recipe is quite low in fat. It contains only a couple of spoonfuls of oil and the marinade itself is made with a combination of coconut milk (only 200 ml) and fat free Skyr. So the calorie content is not significant.
This dish is moderately spicy so add more heat if you prefer!
Enjoy!
More easy curry recipes
Butternut Squash Coconut Curry with Chicken and Apple
Quick Vegetarian Curry with Paneer
Curried Beluga Lentils Recipe with Vegetables
Check out also this collection of 13 healthy, easy one pot chicken recipes!
Healthy Curried Chicken Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken breast approx. 3 large chicken breasts, diced
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 2/3 cup uncooked basmati rice approx. 130g, a little more than half a cup
- 1 cup frozen petits pois
- 4 heaped tablespoons Skyr or other thick yogurt
- 1 tablespoon each: garam masala and chilli flakes
- 1.5 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon each: turmeric ginger powder, coriander powder, onion granules, garlic granules, fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil for frying
- Freshly chopped coriander cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In a large non-metal bowl combine the coconut milk, Skyr and all the spices. Stir, add the chicken pieces and mix thoroughly. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
- Cook the rice according to packet instructions.
- When the rice has been cooking for 5 minutes start frying the chicken. In a large pan heat up the oil, pour in the chicken together with the marinade, stir and fry over a high/medium heat for approximately 6 minutes (± 1 minute, depending on the size of your chicken pieces), stirring often.
- Remove from the heat, combine with the cooked rice (while still hot), add the petits pois and stir through. Garnish with the cilantro and serve.
Notes
Pin Healthy Curried Chicken Rice Casserole!
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RECIPE LINK PARTIES
I am bringing my easy curried chicken casserole with rice recipe to Recipe of the Week, and #CookBlogShare. This week’s host is Eb@Easy Peasy Foodie.
Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
It looks so tasty! I’m with you on cooking chicken separately! Perfect midweek meal, and who wouldn’t like to eat curry everyday 🙂 x
Thank you Joe:)
Love this quick and easy chicken curry – right up my street! Thanks for sharing it with #CookBlogShare 😀 Eb x
Thank you Eb! It really is super easy and quick:)
Oooh Monika, this looks delicious! This meal would go down a treat in our house, we all love a good chicken curry dish x #CookBlogShare
Thank you, Kirsty:)
This sounds right up my street. Have pinned to try later. so quick it will make a great mid week meal.
Thank you Jacqui:)