One of the yummiest days, National Curried Chicken Day or National Chicken Curry Day, is on January 12. This fantastic dish has been filling our bellies in the Western world since the 1800s and has been in existence long before then. We have India to thank for providing us with this delicious recipe, which has since spread all over the world, reaching the United Kingdom, America, and the Caribbean.
History of National Curried Chicken Day
Chicken curry is one of the most popular chicken dishes we know today. With its long, adventurous history, it remains one of the go-to poultry dishes to date. Curry is any dish with a sauce, seasoned with spices, and it dates back to the B.C. era.
Chicken curry remains one of the most prominent curry dishes, and the most sought after. Originating in India, this dish has since taken different aliases across the Western world: in the U.S. it is popularly known as the ‘country captain chicken,’ while in the U.K. it goes by the name ‘coronation chicken.’
History states that soldiers stationed in India during the British rule were craving for this delicacy and started including it on their menus. In the early 1800s, a British sea captain stationed in Bengal, India, shared the recipe for this dish with some friends at the major shipping port in Savannah, Georgia. The earliest statement of that record dates to 1825, and by 1858, the dish gained wide popularity across the U.K.
In 1940, a woman from Warm Springs, Georgia, served this dish under the name ‘country captain’ to Franklin D. Roosevelt and General George S. Patton, but the recipe gained its popularity in the U.S. only after the 1950s. Chefs Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume cooked the curried chicken recipe for the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and it was called ‘coronation chicken.’ Since then it has become a much-loved sandwich filling as well.
A typical curry from India consists of chicken stewed in an onion and tomato-based sauce, flavored with ginger, garlic, chili peppers, and a variety of spices, often including turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cardamom. Outside of India, chicken curry is often made with a pre-made spice mixture known as curry powder.
National Curried Chicken Day timeline
Curry is introduced to English cuisine, from Anglo-Indian cooking.
A British sea captain stationed in Bengal, India, shares the recipe for this dish with some friends at the major shipping port, under the name 'country captain.'
A woman from Warm Springs, Georgia, serves the 'country captain' to Franklin D. Roosevelt and General George S. Patton.
It is called 'coronation chicken' and is cooked by chefs for the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II.
National Curried Chicken Day FAQs
Is curry healthy to eat?
The spice blend, rich in anti-inflammatory compounds, could help boost heart health and improve blood sugar levels.
Can one eat curry every day?
It’s OK and healthy to eat it every day, research says: the curcumin common in curry spices helps supply protein that builds the immune system.
What gives curry its yellow color?
Turmeric spice creates the yellow color in any curry dish and has been known to reduce the possibility of Alzheimer’s disease.
How To Celebrate National Curried Chicken Day
Cook a chicken curry recipe
With different flavors and recipes to choose from, it’s only right to spend the day trying your hand at a few. Look up chicken curry recipes, and choose any one of your choice to cook today. It’s best served with Indian flatbread or rice.
Visit an Indian restaurant
Who better to serve you chicken curry today than the originators? Make your way over to your local Indian restaurant, with friends and family, and enjoy a delicious meal of chicken curry.
Order some chicken curry take-out
Not in the mood to go out? That’s OK because you can enjoy chicken curry from the comfort of your home. Look up a nice restaurant serving the recipe near you, and order yourself a meal. Don’t forget to get your friends and family in on it too.
5 Fun Facts About Curry
It comes from a Tamil word
The term 'curry' comes from the Tamil word for a spiced dish, 'Kari,' which was later anglicized.
There are a lot of houses for it in Britain
Great Britain is home to nearly 10,000 curry houses!
Chicken Naga is the spiciest one
The spiciest curry is the chicken naga, from Nagaland, India, with the Naga peppers being a hundred times hotter than Jalapeno peppers.
The powder is just a blend of spices
Curry powder is nothing but a blend of spices also called 'garam masala' in India.
If it’s too spicy, you can add coconut milk
To bring down the spicy level of your curry, you could add some coconut milk while it’s still cooking.
Why We Love National Curried Chicken Day
Chicken curry is delicious
Chicken curry is a healthy delicious meal that has been adding flavor to our lives for hundreds of years. It is loved by everyone, so why not celebrate it?
It has different recipes
Chicken curry is so popular that everyone has a special way of making it. With a variety of recipes and flavors, there's nothing to not love about this special dish.
It’s the perfect reason to add some flavor
Forget the bland food on this tasty day, and spice it up. The spicy chicken curry gives us the perfect opportunity to add some flavor to our menus.
National Curried Chicken Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | January 12 | Sunday |
| 2026 | January 12 | Monday |
| 2027 | January 12 | Tuesday |
| 2028 | January 12 | Wednesday |
| 2029 | January 12 | Friday |
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