Thai-Style Red Chicken Curry
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This fragrant Thai chicken curry is a one-pan dish that comes together in just 30 minutes.
I love cooking Thai-style food at home because there are so many recipes that you can create with just a few staples from the Asian food aisle of your neighborhood supermarket. This red chicken curry is case in point: a one-pan dish of tender chicken simmered in a rich, red curry-infused coconut milk sauce, it comes together in just 30 minutes with minimal prep work.
In developing the recipe, the biggest challenge was determining the best way to cook the chicken. Most recipes call for sautéing the chicken first and then warming it in the finished sauce. But the problem with that method, if you’re using white meat, is that the chicken tends to dry out quickly. I found that gently poaching the chicken in the coconut sauce is not only easier but also foolproof. You’ll be so pleased with how tender the chicken turns out when cooked this way!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Thai-Style Red Chicken Curry
Before we get to the step-by-step instructions, a few words about the ingredients:
- Red curry paste is a blend of lemongrass, galangal (Thai ginger), fresh red chilis, and fragrant spices. The spice level will vary depending on the brand of curry paste you use. The brand I use above (Thai Kitchen) makes for a mild, family-friendly dish. For more heat, you can always add a drizzle of Sriracha, some of the seeds of the jalapeño, or some crushed red pepper flakes.
- Be sure to use full-fat coconut milk. The sauce won’t have the same smooth, thick consistency with the reduced-fat variety.
- Fish sauce is a salty, savory condiment often used in East Asian cuisine. It adds a rich umami flavor to sauces, marinades, and salad dressings.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large nonstick pan. Add the light scallions, garlic, and jalapeño. (The dark green scallions are used as a garnish at the end, as they are mild in flavor and pretty, too.)
Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not brown.
Add the coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until thickened, a few minutes.
Add the chicken pieces.
Simmer, stirring occasionally to promote even cooking, until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes.
Stir in the lime juice, dark scallion greens, and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning with more lime, if necessary.
Serve with jasmine rice.
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Thai Red Curry Chicken
This fragrant Thai chicken curry is a one-pan dish that comes together in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small bunch scallions, thinly sliced, light and dark green parts divided
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (see note)
- 1 (14-oz) can coconut milk (unsweetened)
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2½ tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1½ pounds chicken tenderloins, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, from 1 lime
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large nonstick pan. Add the light scallions, garlic, and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not brown.
- Add the coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar and whisk together. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened, a few minutes. Add the chicken and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally to promote even cooking, until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. (Do not let the sauce boil; the idea is to cook the chicken gently so that it's tender.) Stir in the lime juice, dark scallion greens, and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning with more lime, if necessary. Serve with jasmine rice.
- Note: As always, take care when working with jalapeño peppers. If you touch the seeds or ribs, be sure to wash your hands well and avoid touching your eyes.
- Note: It's important to wait until you're ready to eat to cook the chicken. If you want to get a head start, prepare the sauce up until the point when the chicken is added. Take it off the heat and then poach the chicken right before serving. If the chicken sits in the hot curry sauce for too long before serving, it will overcook.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 649
- Fat: 51 g
- Saturated fat: 26 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Sodium: 886 mg
- Cholesterol: 128 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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My son went to Thailand two years ago as a new high school grad who enjoyed cooking and stayed with relatives who are definite foodies. He traveled with them and sampled all kinds of Thai food as well as had cooking lessons from professional chefs in their gourmet kitchen. I made this tonight and he looked up from his bowl to ask if it was difficult to make (to which I responded no) and said it was his new favorite, that I should make it a lot. I had made it with shrimp so I commented that I would likely make it with chicken next time as it would be more cost effective, ‘I’ll pay you $10 to not do that’ he said. That speaks volumes coming from a broke college student.
🙂
Glad he enjoyed it!
Loved this. Wonderful sauce. Has anyone substituted shrimp for the chicken? Anne
Hi Anne, I have a shrimp version here if you want to check it out. 🙂
We really enjoyed this, so easy, however I have to give this recipe 4 stars because there was no salt nor pepper. The chicken should have been seasoned. I also sprinkled some red chili flakes on my serving.
Thanks Jenn.
I loved it! I added some sweet/ white potatoes and added the whole small jar of curry paste. Delicious!!
We loved it! I added chopped peanuts and some steamed veggies and it was perfect!
This is addictive. Probably my favorite dinner at the moment!
LOVE! This Thai red curry sauce is so delicious. This recipe is now a family favorite. I have this one memorized.
I’m a pretty good cook, so we eat some tasty meals. But still, my husband raved about this! He gave it a 10 and told me to make sure not to lose the recipe! I followed the recipe pretty closely, but I did cook the chili paste a minute with the oil before adding the jalapeño, onion and garlic. And I added one sliced green pepper along with the chicken because I love it in a curry sauce. The chicken was super tender, and in fact I’m going to stop trying to brown the chicken pieces in all my recipes that use boneless white meat. Great tip!
Super delicious and easy curry! We both loved it. Thanks again, Jenn, for another keeper!
I have made your recipe many times to family accolades (my adult son just made it last week and sent mouth watering pictures as well). I recently came across another curry chicken recipe from another major blogger and decided to try that as well as it had ingredients I happened to have on hand that differs from yours. And the results are in – your recipe was the clear winner! The aromatics blend in, the coconut milk adds smoothness and sweetness, and the fish sauce adds tang – wonderful!
I made this with chicken, red pepper, and zucchini, and it is delicious! Comes together pretty quickly too. I use mae anong red curry paste off of amazon because I don’t mind a little spice and find it to be amazingly flavorful compared to thai kitchen. I followed most of the instructions, except I do put the raw vegetables in with the chicken because I don’t want to precook them. I haven’t found it to have a noticeably bad effect, but the paste I use is stronger so that may help. I also typically add extra cilantro just to use it all up. One of my go-to dishes for college cooking. 🙂
Outstanding!! First time I made this I followed the recipe exactly. This time I made tiny, minor changes: Used a combo of red and panang curry paste, but same amount. Added a few mushrooms, red bell pepper and frozen carrots & peas (our favorite Thai restaurant’ s red curry always had mushrooms, peas & carrots – not many, just a few). None of the vegs affected the flavor. As far as the flavor profile goes, I wouldn’t change a thing!!