Norwich’s eighth successive defeat at home, which extends their winless run to 11 matches in the Championship, leaves them second from bottom in the table heading into the international break
They had almost snatched the lead in the 13th minute when a Kenny McLean cross pinballed off Ben Nelson and James before goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and Caleb Okoli combined to keep out what would have been an own goal.
Jordan Ayew slammed a volley into the ground and over the bar, while Patson Daka sent a header wide for the visitors before Jovon Makama tested Begovic again.
Abdul Fatawu called Canaries keeper Vladan Kovacevic into action just before the break for the out-of-sorts Foxes, who lost Nelson to injury in the scrappy first half in Norfolk.
It only got worse for Leicester early in the second half, as their efforts to play the ball out from the back was disrupted and then punished by Kvistgaarden, who showed skill and poise to chest the ball down and finish after the rebound from his initial shot came straight back to him.
De Cordova-Reid, though, made an immediate impact off the bench to get the visitors back into the game with 15 minutes remaining.
A lengthy delay after Okoli suffered an injury added to the tense finish, in which James delivered victory from an Fatawu cross to leave Norwich supporters berating Manning with boos at full-time.
