Enjoy this creamy, rich, and aromatic Thai Chicken Curry recipe at home with just one pan, simple ingredients, and in under 30 minutes.
Other simple, flavorful weeknight meals we love are this yellow chicken curry and Instant Pot butter chicken.
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I’m here to tell you, there’s absolutely no need to rely on restaurants or takeout to achieve a delicious Thai chicken curry worthy of praise by all who try it.
I love making Thai food at home like Instant Pot Thai chicken soup and Thai chicken butternut squash soup because it’s so easy!
For this Thai red curry chicken recipe, I decided to make it with coconut milk and Thai red curry paste.
It is ever so slightly sweet and wonderfully rich without weighing you down. It is savory, highly aromatic and moderately spicy.
This Thai coconut curry chicken is also one of those healthy dinners that taste indulgent while remaining light and easy.
Ingredients for Thai Chicken Curry
One of the best things about this Thai chicken curry recipe is that it contains mostly kitchen and pantry staples.
- Chicken: Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs diced into 1.5-inch pieces.
- Canned coconut milk: Use full-fat coconut milk for rich and creamy results. Also, refer to my FAQs on choosing the best brands.
- Curry paste: I use Thai Kitchen red curry paste. Depending on whether you want your Thai chicken curry recipe mild or spicy, you can even increase the amount of the curry paste used. So, everyone can enjoy it. You can even swap out the red paste with yellow curry paste or green curry paste and follow the same recipe.
- Tomato paste: I use low sodium tomato paste. If yours is not, add less salt.
- Ginger and garlic: Classic aromatic additions to Thai recipes. You can use 1-2 teaspoons of dried ginger if that’s all you have.
- Kaffir lime leaves: Used for authentic Thai chicken curry flavor and are sweet, savory, and citrusy. They may be hard to find in some grocery stores but are available in most Asian supermarkets. Substitute with fresh basil leaves or omit.
- Oil: I use avocado oil for its healthful fats, mild flavor, and high smoke point. Swap with another cooking oil if preferred.
- Maple syrup or honey: To balance the savory and spice.
- Salt and pepper: To season the dish.
- To garnish: You can use fresh cilantro or Thai basil, and lime as a garnish.
Recipe Tip
I skipped lemongrass on purpose to see if this Thai chicken curry recipe would still be amazing. And it is! However, if you can buy lemongrass, then feel free to bruise and chop it and add to the curry.
How to Make Thai Chicken Curry
Here is a quick overview how to make Thai chicken curry recipe. Full recipe card is located below.
- Sauté garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, continually stirring, in a large skillet.
- Add the cubed chicken breast and cook for 5 minutes. It doesn’t have to be cooked through at this point.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Coconut milk, red curry paste, tomato paste, maple syrup, kaffir lime leaves, salt and pepper. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Garnish Thai chicken curry with fresh basil or cilantro, and possibly sliced chilies, then squeeze fresh lime juice on top. Ready to serve!
Tips for Best Results
Here are my top tips for the best Thai coconut curry chicken in the world!
- Canned coconut milk naturally separates into cream on top and liquid at the bottom. Don’t worry, this is normal. Just add it to the pan, and it will eventually melt.
- Don’t skip the aromatics: You might think you can get away with just using the red curry paste, but the extra ginger, garlic, and kaffir lime leaves really boost the flavor.
- For yellow or green Thai chicken curry: Simply swap out the curry paste and omit the tomato paste. Note that yellow curry paste is usually the most mild and rich option, and green curry paste is the most spicy.
- Vegetables: If you want to add even more nutrients, then feel free to add in veggies like bell peppers, mushrooms, mini corn, sugar snap peas and zucchini. Make sure to choose vegetables that take similar time to cook.
- For a lighter meal: You can swap out some of the coconut milk for low sodium vegetable broth instead. It will affect the flavor but is enjoyable.
What Do I Serve Thai Chicken Curry with?
Traditionally, Thai chicken curry is served with steamed white rice or jasmine rice. I like to make my jasmine rice in Instant Pot or Instant Pot coconut rice. However, you can also enjoy it with Instant Pot quinoa, Instant Pot long grain white rice or Instant Pot brown rice.
Serve with Indian flat bread like Naan or with egg noodles in a deep bowl.
For a low carb option, serve with spaghetti squash noodles, zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice or alone.
How to Store and Reheat
Store: Transfer any Thai chicken curry leftovers to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freeze: Freeze in freezer-safe containers for 2-3 months. Allow Thai red curry chicken to thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat: To enjoy this chicken curry warm again, reheat by simmering on the stove or in the microwave until heated through. You may need an extra splash of coconut milk or chicken broth.
FAQs
Whether you want a mild, medium, or spicy Thai chicken curry, here is a helpful guide on how much spice to add. For very mild curry, add 1 tablespoon. For mild-medium curry (aka kid-friendly but with a kick) add 2 tablespoons. I usually add this much. For spicy curry add 4 tablespoons.
Use full fat coconut milk for truly creamy results. My favorite brands include 365, Thai Kitchen, Trader Joe’s, and Compliments. It has smooth, creamy consistency without small lumps. Also try to buy coconut milk without guar gum and preservatives, in BPA-free cans.
No. Curry powder is an Indian dry spice mix made with ground turmeric, ground coriander, cumin, and other spices. It is very different from Thai curry paste.
Transfer it to a glass jar in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can add it to borscht and many other recipes.
More Thai and Curry Recipes
- Thai chicken salad
- Thai crock pot chicken thighs with crazy good homemade Thai sweet chili sauce.
- Crockpot butter chicken
- Green lentil curry
- Pad Thai zucchini noodles
- Chicken curry salad
You may also love to browse these 65 healthy chicken recipes!
Thai Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts or chicken thighs cut into 1.5″ cubes
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 inch ginger knob minced
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 14 oz can coconut milk full fat
- 2 tbsp red curry paste
- 3 oz tomato paste low sodium
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 5 kaffir lime leaves or basil leaves
- 1/2 tsp salt + more
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Cilantro and lime for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat large deep skillet or wok on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add garlic and ginger and saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. It burns fast.
- Add chicken sprinkled with a pinch of salt, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Doesn't have to be cooked through.
- Add coconut milk, curry paste, tomato paste, maple syrup, kaffir lime leaves (if using), salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Garnish Thai chicken curry with fresh basil or cilantro, and a bit of lime juice. Traditionally, Thai chicken curry is served with steamed rice. However, you can also enjoy it with Instant Pot quinoa or Instant Pot brown rice. For a low carb option, serve with cauliflower rice or alone.
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate chicken curry in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
- Freeze: For up to 3 months.
- Reheat: To enjoy chicken curry warm again, reheat by simmering it on the stove or in the microwave until heated through. You may need a splash of extra coconut milk or chicken broth.
- Canned coconut milk: Use full-fat coconut milk for rich and creamy results like Thai kitchen brand.
- Kaffir lime leaves: Used for authentic Thai chicken curry flavor and are sweet, savory, and citrusy. They may be hard to find in some grocery stores but are available in most Asian supermarkets. Substitute them with basil leaves, if that’s all you have.
- (Optional) Lemongrass: I skipped this on purpose to see if this recipe would still be amazing – it is! However, if you can source it, then feel free to bruise and chop it and add it to the curry.
Oh my gosh. This is so yummy! And easy! It is one of our new favorites. We double the sauce and serve it with noodles. Delicious!
Yum!! Thanks for the review Martha!
Hello, I love your recipes! I’ve been using your instant pot recipes a lot after I have a baby. 🙂 They are super easy and our family loves it! I want to try this recipe. Just curious, what kind of frying pan are you using?
Congrats on the new babe and so glad you are finding the Instant Pot recipes helpful! For most recipes that need a large skillet, I use a ceramic non stick skillet – GreenPan Paris Pro which you can find on Amazon.
I’ve made this dish so many times and each time it gets better and better! I’m serving it over Udon noodles!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Emily!
It was so delicious thank you for sharing!
You are very welcome!
Can you make this as a one pot ( insta pot) dish?
One pot as is? It is one pan already. If you mean one pot dish with smth else like rice then it would be different recipe that needs testing.
This is delicious. I didn’t have fresh ginger so I sprinkled powered ginger on the chicken. Both my husband and I loved it. It’s easy and tasty. Will definitely make this again..
So happy to hear this Cathy 🙂
Holy Chicken Curry! This recipe is a hit. So flavorful and creamy. The best part is that it’s easy to make. Peeling the ginger root is the hardest part, lol. I will be making this again and again.
Yay! What a great review, Melanie!
I just wanted to let you know that I tried your red Thai curry recipe. It was delicious! Thank you for your wonderful recipes and healthy dinner ideas. Please keep sending!
So happy to hear this Melissa!
As usual another brilliant recipe. I used fresh basil leaves the first time but will make it again tomorrow using fresh lemon leaves as I have a lot of lemon trees and from other comments these seem to work well. Thanks again Olena.
Thanks for the great feedback Nick. Fresh lemon leaves…my mouth is watering!
I could not find kaffir leaves at the grocery store this time.
I used lemon leaves. This recipe is delicious. Thank you, Olena.
Thanks for sharing that you added lemon leaves and it turned out well, Laly!