This quick and easy leftover chicken curry is an old-fashioned British style curry – a comforting weekday supper that can be ready in half an hour.
Leftover Chicken Curry
The British love affair with curry dates back to the 18th century. While the ‘White Mughals’ of the East India Company fell for the rich complexity of Indian cuisine, a simplified version slowly found its way into the repertoire of the British home cook and eventually into the pub grub menus of the late 20th century.
This dish is that sort of hybrid curry. Simple, warming, and comforting, with a rich spiced thick gravy but little or no chilli heat. Using leftovers from a roast saves time and money, and avoids waste.
You only need 150g of leftover roast chicken to feed two. Making good use of the leftovers also means that you can allow yourself a classic Sunday roast for just two people.
If you need to feed more, it is easy to scale up the recipe. Alternatively, if you don’t have enough meat, you could extra vegetables or tinned pulses, such as chick peas.
This recipe is also suitable for a Keto diet if you serve with a simple salad, or cauliflower rice.
See also
- Leftover roast chicken biryani is a quick & easy one pot ideal for mid week meals that’s ready in 40 minutes.
- Keep the whole family happy by making leftover roast chicken fajitas; they’re packed with flavour and look great, with bright colours.
- Here are all my favourite leftover roast chicken recipes for fuss-free, quick and easy delicious mid week meals and more.
How To Make Leftover Chicken Curry
Step one – Find all your ingredients!
Step two – Heat a flame-proof casserole dish on the stove over a medium-low heat. Chop the onion and fry it. Crush and add the garlic, cooking it for about two minutes. Add the turmeric, curry powder, and flour along with the chicken, and then stir to coat the meat.
Step three – Cook for a further two minutes, to get rid of the flavour of the flour and bring out the aroma of the spices.
Step four – Add a little stock, and stir until you have a smooth paste. Add the rest of the stock slowly. This two-stage process is important, because it helps to avoid lumps in the sauce. You can also use leftover gravy here – if needed make it up to volume with some stock.
Step five – Add the tomato puree and stir well.
Step six – Cover the dish and turn the heat right down. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Serve with simple flatbread or with my pilau rice or Instant Pot pilau rice.
Can I Make a Gluten Free Version of This Chicken Curry?
To make this dish gluten free, omit the regular flour. Put a teaspoon of cornflour (cornstarch) into a small bowl. Stir in a tablespoon of the stock to make a smooth paste. Add this paste along with the rest of the stock.
Don’t worry about the appearance of the white milky cornflour paste it will go clear as it cooks. You don’t need to add the stock slowly when using cornflour, but you do need to fry the spices as normal. Once the spices have cooked, simply make the paste then add it and the rest of the stock all at once.
Hints and Variations
- When adding the flour, it doesn’t matter if you’re using plain or self raising flour. To avoid lumps, add a little of the stock and stir well to make a paste before adding the rest of the stock.
- You can use up any leftover gravy by adding it at the same time as the stock. Add stock to give a total of 240ml of liquid
- Try adding some chopped fresh tomatoes with the stock. (Tinned tomatoes work too.)
- Add some cream or coconut cream to the sauce.
- For a fruity curry, add a little mango chutney to taste and/or a scant handful of sultanas.
- Freeze any open tomato puree in a silicon ice cube tray before packing into a bag or box in the freezer. Alternatively a tube of puree will keep for several weeks in the fridge.
- Make your leftover chicken go further by adding some vegetables, such as roasted butternut squash, or some pulses such as tinned chick peas. This is a good chance to use up any leftover veg from the night before.
- Slice some green and red peppers. Fry them and add just before the end of cooking.
More ideas for leftover chicken
- Leftover chicken frittata
- Healthy Coronation chicken
- Leftover chicken biryani
- Leftover chicken tagine
If you overdo the heat then a cooling lemon posset makes a great dessert to have after a curry.
Leftover Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- ½ onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp plain flour
- 1-1.5 cups leftover roast chicken (diced into 1 cm cubes – 150g)
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock / broth (240ml)
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Chop the onion and fry for a few minutes. Crush and add the garlic, and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the turmeric, curry powder, and flour along with the chicken, and then stir until the meat is well coated. Cook for a further two minutes or so, to cook out the taste of the flour and bring out the aroma of the spices.
- Add a little stock, and stir until you have a smooth paste. Add the rest of the stock slowly. Then add the tomato puree and stir again until well mixed.
- Turn the heat down low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with flatbread or rice.
Notes
- To avoid lumps in the sauce, add a little of the stock to make a paste before you add the rest of the liquid.
- Use up leftover gravy by adding it at the same time as the stock. Reduce the amount of stock in proportion
- You can vary the flavours by adding some chopped tomatoes with the stock. (Fresh and tinned both work well.)
- For a fruity curry, add a little mango chutney to taste and/or a scant handful of sultanas.
- To make a richer sauce, add some cream or coconut cream.
- You could add some vegetables such as roast butternut squash. (This is another chance to use up any leftovers from the night before!)
- Make your leftover chicken go further by adding some tinned chick peas or other beans.
- Slice some green and red peppers. Fry them and add just before the end of cooking.
- This recipe is 10 Weight Watchers Smart Points
Graeme
I do love an easy to make chicken curry. Something rather comforting about it. Book marking this.
Helen
Can’t beat an old-fashioned British style curry for a comforting meal.
Caroline Jessop
This is my husband’s favourite kind of supper. And something I can make a leave for him to have when he gets in. Super easy.
Helen
Ideal for making in advance.
Chris Collins
I buy a rotisserie chicken every week and am always looking for ways to use up leftovers. This looks absolutely perfect!!
Helen
I am a great believer in using leftovers to their best advantage.
Alexanda
I had never thought of using leftover chicken in this way before, so I am so pleased to have come across this recipe. It works a TREAT!
Helen
This easy kind of curry is ideal for leftover chicken.
Jess
I love leftovers and I love curry! What a delicious looking bowl!
Helen
Something very tasty about a simple old-fashioned British style curry.
Andrea
What a great way to use leftover chicken! I have to try using turmeric as a spice…I take it as a supplement but haven’t incorporated it into my recipes. You’ve inspired me!
Helen
Turmeric is often used in curry dishes.
Heidy L. McCallum
This recipe for Curry sounds wonderful. I usually make a Japenese Golden Curry and love it, this is different and that’s a good thing! I love how you have broken down the steps too! Easy! Saving to make later.
Helen
Japanese Golden curry sounds delicious. This recipe is very simple, but so tasty.
Mary
I made this chicken curry for dinner tonight and it was easy, quick, and delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Helen
I am so pleased. We love this simple retro style curry.
John Nichols
Recipe didn’t say how to use veg. Oil..
Helen
For frying, John.
David H Currier
We doubled this recipe. and it was dinner for two. We used chicken from a Costco rotisserie chicken. They are delicious but they are already too cooked for this recipe. We used some green and red bell peppers at the end for color. I’d add more curry powder and some red pepper flakes. Also, I thought it needed more salt, but that’s me. I think green peas, garbanzo beans, and coconut milk would work, too.
Bettina Huber
This was very easy and gave me a chance to use up leftover cooked chicken. Next time I will have to double the recipe as I didn’t realize it only served two. Not too spicy, just flavorful, and the entire family, including teen boys, loved it.
Dana Alexander
Really like this easy curry dish as a great way to deal with leftover rotiserie chicken. So simple and delicious.
Ron McC
Love this recipe. The simplicity of the ingredients allowed the distinctive flavors of turmeric and curry power to shine. I added coconut milk per one of the suggestions; I also added a moderate amount of heat (red chili pepper) to create my own vision of Indian dishes.
Celebryson
Excellent! I didn’t have enough chicken, so added chickpeas to the dish. I’m bookmarking this recipe. Thank you!
Helen Best-Shaw
Perfect! I love a can of beans or chickpeas to make a curry go further.
Esther
Tasty & simple!
Helen Best-Shaw
so pleased you like it Esther,