Name: Air Fryer Chicken Curry (UK) - Printable Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: Air Fryer; Metal Cake Tin (optional)*; Wooden Spoon; 1 tbsp Sunflower Oil; 3 x Chicken Thighs (skinless and boneless), chopped; Salt & Pepper; 1 x Onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges; 1 x Pepper (any colour), deseeded and roughly chopped; 4 heaped tbsp Curry Paste; 2 x Garlic Cloves, finely chopped; 1 tbsp Fresh Ginger, finely chopped; 1 x Vegetable Stock Pot or Cube; 3 tbsp Tomato Puree; 1 x 400g (14oz) Tin of Chopped Tomatoes, strained #; 300ml (1 + 1/4 Cups) Coconut Milk #

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Does the thought of making air fryer curry fill you with unease? Not sure whether you can air fry liquids, or worried you’ll make a costly mistake? Fear not! This air fryer chicken curry recipe is everything you hoped for and more! Complete with a printable recipe and an easy step by step picture recipe, you can’t go wrong with this delicious and easy to follow family dinner staple. Keep reading to learn more…

Close up of air fryer chicken thigh curry on a plate

Don’t know what you CAN and CAN’T air fry?

Worried you’ll make costly mistakes, because you’re not confident you know what can and can’t be air fried? You need this FREE super helpful printable! Simply fill out the form below, and it’ll be in your inbox before you can say “I’m going to become an air frying PRO!”.

Can you air fry chicken curry?

Yes, you absolutely can air fry chicken curry! When you’re buying an air fryer, typical research will show you that they’re renowned for making foods crispy. So making sauce based dishes in an air fryer isn’t something that a lot of people think about!

But yes, you can make chicken curry in an air fryer. There are a couple of things you need to consider beforehand though…

Chicken curry and rice on a plate with a fork

Can you put sauce in an air fryer?

So, is cooking liquids in an air fryer ok? It depends. I’m personally more comfortable cooking liquids in my Ninja Dual air fryer, as the drawers are quite tall, and the heating elements are a good distance away from most of the potential splattering.

However, my Tower T17067 air fryer has a much shallower drawer. Which means the heating elements are closer to the food. So I would be more cautious about cooking sauce based dishes in that, as it could splatter onto the heating elements. Which can, not only be a pain to clean, but damage your air fryer over time if not cleaned properly.

Of course, all this also depends on how much you’re cooking. If you’re only making 1 or 2 portions, then it should be absolutely fine. If you’re going to fully load up the drawer with 4 or 5 portions? Then I wouldn’t recommend it.

Someone taking a forkful of air fryer chicken curry

Do you need special equipment to make air fryer chicken curry?

I have had success cooking air fryer chicken curry both directly in the drawer (without the basket/crisper tray), and in a metal tin placed within the drawer.

I did notice after a few times of cooking sauce based recipes directly in the drawer, that it started to take on the smells and stains of the food. Just as any other pan or metal tray would. There are also the screws inside the drawer that hold the handle in place to bear in mind. If you would rather avoid these two things, then I recommend cooking it in a cake tin (or similar) that fits comfortably within your air fryer drawer, with a little room around the edge for air flow.

I found these solid bottomed cake tins fit perfectly in my 9.5 litre Ninja dual drawer air fryer.

An air fryer drawer filled with curry on a wooden board

Can I put raw chicken in the air fryer?

Absolutely! Air frying raw chicken is totally fine. As is true with any method you cook chicken – you just need to check it’s cooked through before you eat it.

Air fried chicken curry on a plate next to a blue napkin

What chicken is best for air fryer chicken curry?

Personally, for me it HAS to be chicken thighs. A lot of people will stick with chicken breasts (which is absolutely fine), but I find it dries out a little too easily. Unless you brine it, like in this juicy air fryer chicken breast recipe.

Chicken thighs however, have a higher fat content. More fat means more flavour, juicier chicken and a cheaper price tag. Which is a win win WIN!

How to cook chicken curry in ninja dual air fryer

If you want to cook chicken curry in a ninja air fryer, look no further than this recipe… exactly as it is. I actually developed it in a 9.5 litre Ninja Foodi dual zone air fryer. So you can just make it as per the recipe later on in this post, and not worry about having to make any adjustments.

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Air fryer chicken curry and rice on a blue plate with coriander

Ingredients and substitutions

Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Here’s what you need to know…

Oil – I used sunflower oil, but you could also use vegetable oil or rice bran oil instead.
Chicken – Thighs generally give the best results in both flavour and texture. You could use breasts, but they are more likely to dry out if not cooked carefully.
Onion – A standard medium sized yellow/white onion is what I always use. You could use red if that’s all you have in the cupboard. Waste not want not!
Pepper – My personal preference is red or orange, but if your taste buds prefer a green pepper, that will work just as well.
Curry Paste – Tikka masala always goes down well. If you’re cooking for people who prefer mild or hot curries, simply choose your paste to suit their preferences. i.e. korma is a great mild curry, and rogan josh would be good for those who prefer heat.
Garlic – Use fresh garlic for the best flavour. I try and avoid using pre-made pastes etc where possible.
Ginger – Again, use fresh ginger if you can get it. I try to avoid pre-made pastes here too.
Stock – You can use any stock you like. A cube, a stock pot, vegetable, chicken… whatever you have or prefer the flavour of.
Tomato puree – This needs to be the concentrated tomato puree that you often find in tubes.
Chopped tomatoes – My favourite are Mutti chopped tomatoes, but these can be expensive if they’re not on offer. Most other brands will work just as well though.
Coconut Milk – Full fat coconut milk will give the best flavour. But if you are watching your calories, light coconut milk will work great too.

Air fryer chicken curry recipe tips and troubleshooting

Here are tips you’ll find helpful when making this recipe.

Always read the recipe through and prepare your ingredients before you start cooking. This is the most effective way to prevent unnecessary mistakes.
Whether you’re cooking directly in the drawer, or in a metal tin – I highly recommend using a wooden spoon to stir your air fryer chicken curry. Metal utensils may scratch and damage the non stick coatings.
If you’re not sure about the consistency of your sauce, add 200ml of coconut milk at first. Then, if it’s too thick, add more as necessary.
Want to take your air fryer chicken curry to the next level? Marinade the chopped chicken thighs in 2-3 tbsp of curry paste for a few hours (or overnight) before you begin cooking. If you do this, you will only need 2-3 tbsp of the curry paste for the sauce, not the 4 tbsp listed in the recipe.
To strain your tin of chopped tomatoes ready for use in this recipe, simply pour it out into a fine mesh sieve and let any excess liquid drain off.

Air fryer chicken curry ready to be plated up

Time management

Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some time managing info to make your life easier.

Allow 10-15 minutes to prepare all your ingredients.
Preheating your air fryer will only take 2-3 minutes.
Air frying your chicken curry will take about 30 minutes, and is ready to serve straight away.

Someone forking a plate of chicken curry

If you like this recipe…

…you might also like:

Air Fryer Chicken Curry – Step by Step Picture Recipe

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to serve 4.

1 tbsp Sunflower Oil
3 x Chicken Thighs (skinless and boneless), chopped
Salt & Pepper
1 x Onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 x Pepper (any colour), deseeded and roughly chopped
4 heaped tbsp Curry Paste
2 x Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Fresh Ginger, finely chopped
1 x Vegetable Stock Pot or Cube
3 tbsp Tomato Puree
1 x 400g (14oz) Tin of Chopped Tomatoes, strained
300ml (1 + 1/4 Cups) Coconut Milk

Essential equipment

Air Fryer
Metal Cake Tin (optional – see Do you need special equipment?)
Wooden Spoon

Instructions

Firstly, remove your air fryer basket/crisper tray. If you are using a metal tin, place this into your air fryer now. Then preheat your air fryer to 190ºC for 2-3 minutes.

When hot, add in the oil (1 tbsp), chopped chicken thighs (x 3), a good helping of salt and pepper, the onion (x 1, peeled and cut into wedges) and pepper (x 1, deseeded and chopped). Then give everything a really thorough stir with a wooden spoon.

Chicken, onion and peppers in an air fryer drawer

Air fryer for 5 minutes, stir well, then air fryer for a further 5 minutes. Until the chicken is starting to brown, and the vegetables are starting to get tender.

Part cooked chicken, onion and peppers in an air fryer drawer

Next, add in the garlic (2 x cloves finely chopped), ginger (1 tbsp finely chopped) and curry paste of your choice (4 heaped tbsp). Season once again with a little salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

Chicken curry base ingredients in an air fryer

Then air fryer again for 5 minutes, stir thoroughly, and air fryer for a further 5 minutes.

Part cooked chicken curry base ingredients in an air fryer

Now add in the vegetable stock (cube or pot), tomato puree (3 tbsp), chopped tomatoes (1 x 400g | 14oz tin, strained of any liquid), and coconut milk (300ml | 1 + 1/4 Cups). Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Air fryer chicken curry in a Ninja dual drawer

Now, air fry for 5 minutes. Open it up and stir everything thoroughly. Then air fry for a final 5 minutes.

Fully cooked air fryer chicken curry in the drawer of a Ninja Dual

Your air fryer chicken curry is now ready to eat! Woohoo!

If the sauce is thicker than you’d like, add a little more coconut milk to thin it out. If you prefer your sauce a little thicker, see the recipe tips section on how to get it right next time. You can also continue to cook it until it’s reduced a little more. But due to the lack of places for air to escape, reducing liquids in an air fryer isn’t very effective.

Chicken curry in an air fryer drawer with a wooden spoon

How to freeze air fryer chicken curry

Allow the air fryer chicken curry to cool completely to room temperature, then decant into freezer safe tubs or bags, and place into the freezer.

Defrost thoroughly before reheating. Use within 3 months of freezing.

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Close up of air fryer chicken thigh curry on a plate. A text overlay says 'Air Fryer Chicken Curry'