Kuku paka, an East African-Indian dish that’s traditionally made with charcoal-grilled chicken in a spiced coconut milk sauce and served over rice, is comforting, sweet, creamy, and well-balanced. This version, which is adapted from my cookbook, Let’s Eat, approximates the traditional curry base, but features broiled chicken so that you don’t have to grill when it’s raining or freezing or you just don’t want to. Any cut of chicken can be used: I like boneless thighs here for the sake of ease and flavor, but any mix of breasts, tenders, or drumsticks can be used, provided they’ve been cut into similar sizes. Because the chicken is cooked separately from the curry base, you also can substitute it with any hearty vegetable to make this dish suitable for a vegetarian diet. For a plant-based diet, skip the addition of heavy cream or substitute it with a creamy barista-style nondairy milk or additional coconut milk. Jalapeños will work in place of the Thai chiles, though you’ll want to adjust the amount depending on your spice tolerance—my rule of thumb is one medium jalapeño for every two Thai chiles. And a pinch of cayenne pepper will work in place of the Kashmiri chile powder. —Zaynab Issa
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
8-Inch Chef's Knife
$47 At Amazon
Microplane
$18 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$26 At Amazon
Large Bowl
$18 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Blender
$40 At Amazon
Large Straight-Sided Skillet
$200 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil
$12 At Target
Ingredients
4–6 servings
3
2
2½
¼
2–3
1
1
1–2
¼
2
¼
¼
⅛
1
¼
Preparation
Step 1
Finely grate 3 garlic cloves into a large bowl with a Microplane. Cut 1 lemon in half and squeeze juice through your hand or a fine-mesh sieve into bowl; discard seeds. Mix in 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and ¼ tsp. Kashmiri chile powder. Add 2–3 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 8 large) and toss to evenly coat. Cover bowl and let sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, make the curry base. Coarsely chop 1 medium onion, 1 plum tomato, 1–2 green Thai chiles (depending on how spicy your chiles are and your heat tolerance), and ¼ cup cilantro leaves with tender stems. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend or process until smooth.
Step 3
Heat broiler. Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a high-sided skillet or large pot over medium. Add ¼ tsp. ground coriander, ¼ tsp. ground cumin, and ⅛ tsp. ground turmeric. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in purée and add 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until raw onion smell subsides and curry is paste-like in consistency, 15–20 minutes.
Step 4
Arrange chicken on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and broil until cooked through, charred in spots, and a thermometer inserted into the thickest parts registers 165°, 17–20 minutes.
Step 5
While the chicken is cooking, shake one 13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk to ensure coconut cream is incorporated, then add coconut milk to curry and stir well to combine. Curry should be pale yellow. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until warm and slightly thickened, 5–10 minutes.
Step 6
Once chicken is finished, add chicken and any juices accumulated on baking sheet to curry and reduce heat to low; mix well to combine. Stirring constantly to prevent curry from breaking, dribble in ¼ cup heavy cream. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Step 7
Cut remaining 1 lemon into wedges. Serve kuku paka with basmati rice and/or some crusty bread and lemon wedges for squeezing over. Top with additional cilantro to taste.
Leave a Review
Reviews (84)
Back to TopI make it frequently! It fits nicely alongside Indian dishes, and it's easier than many curries.
Rod
Tacoma
1/12/2024
This is my favorite BA recipe, I make this at least once a month.
Ben L.
Baltimore, MD
12/12/2022
Delicious!!! I did use the substitutions she suggests (jalapeño & cayenne) but with the lemon juice marinade this dish was fresher and lighter than my usual curry paste recipe. I have not had traditional Kuku Paka but I loved this & will absolutely make it again.
GV
Chicago
9/13/2022
Authentic Kuku Paka has boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half so the yolk can absorb the sauce. This was good but still not as good as mom's.
Naz
Vancouver Island, BC
9/4/2022
Nice
Anonymous
5/16/2022
so easy and delicious! doubled the spices. i added 6 cloves of garlic and a 2 inch piece of ginger, all chopped, to the curry base. also used 4 chilies.
Roni
NY
12/13/2021
This is delicious as is, and sometimes I add Yukon gold potatoes and carrots to the sheet pan with the chicken. They cook just enough in the same amount of time and give some different flavors and textures to the dish.
Anonymous
11/14/2021
Delicious! The spicing is perfect for me.I can’t tolerate too much chili. Made some flatbreads to go with it. This recipe is also very easy and quick to make. What’s not to like.
Alana
Killarney, Ireland
10/15/2021
This was delicious! I made 3 adjustments that I thought I'd share: 1) I have the cilantro-problem gene but my husband loves the stuff. I met him halfway and put in half what was called for. It worked - gave it the same freshness that he loves without the soap for me. 2) My local store didn't have Thai chiles and I didn't have time to go anywhere else. I grabbed a couple jalapeños from my garden and went that route. I could imagine that a little more heat would have been welcome, but my heat-averse kiddos were happy with the way things were. 3) I thought I had 2 cans of coconut milk (I was doubling), but found I didn't mid-recipe. I used one and filled in with heavy cream. I thought it was lovely. Heavy coconut isn't always my favorite anyway and so I might do that again (because there WILL be an again!). Finally, to those who want to put in more spices, I think you're missing the loveliness of the light spice. It's more comfort dish and less in-your-face flavor. My husband said the same thing. He wanted to call it a "weak" flavor, but said that it felt like it was meant to be and that it was delicious.
Sarah
Cleveland, OH
9/25/2021
This is really tasty. I made it following the directions and it tastes great. I do understand why people are mentioning adding mores spices. I think it would benefit from more heat (if you like heat) and some more spice, but honestly it was *great* as is. I was concerned after cooking the curry mix that I did something wrong, but once all the liquid evaporated and it became a paste, it ended up great! I will definitely be eating this again. Next time I'll add a bit more heat, just as it's my preference.
Rachel
Pittsburgh
9/18/2021
So delicious and so simple! Took a little over an hour from start to finish. I let the chicken marinade for about 40ish minutes. I used two Thai green chili’s but probably could have handled another one. Seriously so good, thank you!!
Bella
Denver CO
9/12/2021
Very tasty, extremely easy and quick to prepare and cook. Thanks.
Alana
Killarney, Kerry, Ireland
8/21/2021
This is delicious. I was tempted to add more spices based on instinct and some of the comments, but I’m glad I made it as written. It has a lovely balance. Perhaps next time I might add a bit more heat, but I really enjoyed it as it is.
Anonymous
New Hampshire
6/15/2021
How to make it without chicken?
Nina
San Francisco
6/12/2021
Perfect as written. Easy and delicious. I will make this again and often! Thank you.
erilee
California
5/18/2021