Thai-Style Red Chicken Curry
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This was my first time making Thai, this was so good. I followed the recipe exactly as written. I like the cooking tips in the recipes, it really is so helpful. My favorite is the Peruvian chicken with green sauce but this is a close second.
Excellent! “Perfectly Tasty” was how one of my social distancing walking friends described it as we sat outside enjoying a nice warm bowl of it after an outing. Well balanced and hits all the flavor notes. People loved the sauce and kept commenting on it. Fresh and delicious. I used low fat coconut milk and boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/4 strips on the diagonal per your Chicken Curry recipe. Another hit which always shines. Thank you, Jenn!
Delicious!! I had to make it about an hour ahead so I just cooked the chicken for a minute or two on the stove top and then put in the oven at 180 and it didn’t get overcooked! I added the green onions and basil (instead of cilantro) to the serving dish when I took it out of the oven.
My whole family loved it! It’s such a nice change of flavours from our usual fare.
We loved it. Toddler was licking his spoon. We couldn’t find tenderloin so had to use chicken breast but it still turned out great.
Trader Joes has beautiful organic chicken tenders
Best red curry recipe out there. Delicious
This is restaurant quality thai chicken curry! Flavorful and delicious, I will be making this again!
I accidentally bought canned coconut cream, but I made it into coconut milk with water and a blender after searching for the ratios on line. It always takes me longer to prep, but when I love all the ingredients, it usually works in the end. It was delicious! The instructions were spot on, and the flavors amazing! I was afraid it might be too spicy for me, but it was perfect. Everyone including my finicky 14 year old daughter actually went for seconds. I served with peas and jasmine rice. It was full of flavor, healthy, and satisfying. This one is a keeper! Thank you Jenn for all the quality dishes! You are making my life easier! I am so glad I found your site!
This curry recipe sounds great, but please – never, ever use vegetable oil! It’s a very toxic oil. Use a good oil, such as avocado.
I would like to make this for my family, but with shrimp (one is a vegetarian, but sometimes eats fish). Would I basically do the same thing… add the shrimp to the sauce and be careful to not overcook them? Thanks!
Exactly – I’d love to hear how it turns out!
This recipe made the best red curry chicken I’ve ever had! I reduced the fish sauce by half and added 1 C of diced carrots (pre-cooked). So delicious! Thanks!