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Macanese Style Chicken Curry SERVES : 4 | PREPARATION TIME 40 MINUTES | COOKING TIME 30 MINUTES
Are you craving a steaming bowl of Chinese Chicken Curry?
Want to know how to cook a Chinese Chicken Curry from scratch?
In this blog I’ll show you just how simple it is to cook my delicious Macanese Style Chinese Chicken Curry whilst tailoring the flavours and ingredients to perfectly suit your own tastebuds and dietary requirements!
Macanese style Chicken Curry, or Po Kok Gai, is a Chinese fusion Macanese & Portuguese style chicken dish. Mildly spicy, it is a slightly sweet chicken curry with a creamy coconut sauce.
Ready in just over an hour, this simple dish pretty much cooks itself! Just a bit of prep then it’s into the pot with the lid on to blip away for 30-40 minutes. Served with a large scoop of steamed rice (Link to recipe) or a stack of warm flatbreads (Link once we have a recipe ready) this dish is comfort in a bowl.
So, What’s in a Chinese Chicken Curry Macanese Style?
It might look like a lot of ingredients but whilst the chicken is marinating, there’s only minimal chopping to be done before we get down to cooking.
Chinese Chicken Curry with potatoes, I hear you ask? Yep, potatoes are flavour sponges in a curry dish! Kept nice and chunky, they hold their shape in the pan but absorb loads of that delicious spice and creamy sauce.
Is Chinese Chicken Curry Gluten Free? I would expect any Chinese Chicken Curry from a takeaway ‘anywhere’ to contain gluten from the Soy Sauce, the Stock and the Chinese Rice Wine but don’t despair, Gluten Free Foodies can still enjoy this dish with just a few minor adjustments and without losing any of the taste! Simply swap out the standard chicken stock and light soy sauce for Gluten Free versions which are now readily available in most supermarkets and replace the Chinese Rice Wine with Dry Sherry.
Let’s get cooking!
How to cook Chinese Chicken Curry Macanese Style.
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Place the chicken in a large bowl, add the marinade ingredients, mix well and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
Whilst the chicken is relaxing in its flavour bath, peel and chop the potatoes, carrots and onions.
Heat the oil in a hot wok or deep sided pan and add the marinated chicken to cook for 8 minutes, browning all sides (reserve any left-over marinade).
Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the onions to the wok and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until softened and browned.
Toss through the potatoes and carrot followed by the curry powder and turmeric.
I often get asked ‘is Chinese Chicken Curry Spicy?’. This is where you can really make the dish your own and ramp up or tone down the heat of your curry, simply by using mild, medium or hot curry powder. You could even through in some fresh chillies if you like a really spicy kick. I use a medium curry powder which gives a gentler heat to this light and creamy dish.
Mix thoroughly and cook for a further 2 minutes until the air becomes fragrant.
Add coconut milk, the reserved marinade and top up with enough chicken stock to cover the ingredients.
Return the chicken back to the pan nestling it down amongst the veggies, bring to the boil and then turn down to simmer, cover with a lid and allow to cook for a further 15 minutes.
Remove lid, if the chicken has dried out add a little more water to create a sauce if there is a lot of liquid keep the lid off and allow the sauce to reduce until you have reached the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
And there you have it, my delicious Macanese Style one pot Chinese Chicken Curry, tweaked to your own personal preferences and ready in just over an hour.
Serve it with rice, bread, chips or just in a bowl with a spoon!
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Macanese Style Chicken Curry SERVES : 4 | PREPARATION TIME 40 MINUTES | COOKING TIME 30 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
450g Chicken (thighs, drumsticks, breast, the choice is yours, ideally on the bone)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 potatoes, peeled (cut into 4cm cubes)
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 cup black olives
2 tbsp curry powder (medium heat)
3 tbsp turmeric
1 Can coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
Oil
Marinade
1 ½ tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 tbsp ginger juice (grate ginger and squeeze)
1 ½ tbsp sugar
3 tbsp light soy sauce
METHOD
Add marinade ingredients to a large bowl, add chicken, mix well and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
Add 2 tbsp oil to a hot wok, add chicken and cook for 8 minutes, browning all sides (reserve any left-over marinade). Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside, now add the onions to the wok and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until softened and browned. Add in potatoes, carrot, curry powder and turmeric.
Mix thoroughly and cook for a further 2 minutes until the air becomes fragrant. Add coconut milk, the reserved marinade and top up with enough chicken stock to cover the ingredients and lastly pop in your browned off chicken
Bring to the boil and then turn down to simmer, cover with a lid and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Remove lid, if the chicken has dried out add a little more water to create a sauce if there is a lot of liquid keep the lid off and allow the sauce to reduce until you have reached the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Hi, I'm Kwoklyn
I literally grew up in the kitchens of my parent's Chinese takeaways and restaurants.
I’m pretty sure if you cut me in half it would say “10 minute” (in a broad Chinese accent), which is pretty much what we told every customer who asked how long their order would be.
Never miss a recipe ever again by subscribing to my Newsletter, plus you can download your FREE copy of my Chinese Soul Food Cookbook