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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This recipe has been in regular rotation at our house for several months now. This tastes exactly how you want Thai chicken curry to taste, and it’s so easy! I do cut down on the lime just a tad, otherwise I find it slightly too tart. Otherwise, though–fantastic!
Thank you for another quick and easy weeknight meal! We can’t believe how tender the chicken turns out and how flavourful the curry is. We really love curry and it so wonderful to be able to cook delicious curries at home thanks to you!! I have used both lite and regular coconut milk and we enjoyed them the same although with lite it is less thick/creamy. Love the flavour dimension the jalapeño adds!! Can’t wait for your new cookbook 🙂
My daughter is in college and anytime she comes home, her first request is your Thai Chicken Curry! This dish is so fresh and delicious!
My family loved this! No leftovers and found myself making it the following day again because is was so good! I added some water chestnuts for crunch and baby corn too.
This sounded so good! But there were things in it that I don’t like, fish sauce, cilantro! I went ahead and did the recipe exactly like written. I did, however, not add as much cilantro as called for. The smell of it cooking was not to my liking. Figured if it didn’t turn out, we were going to get take away. Was very surprised! The more we ate it, the more we liked it. Had enough leftovers to send home with my sons family. I knew he would love it. I think he was the one who sent me the link to the recipe.
We no longer have to go out for curry because of this recipe! It’s that good! The curry is nice and silky and the chicken stays moist when poached in the broth. I like to add some veggies to this as well including, sliced carrots, zucchini, yellow squash and red bell pepper. I add sliced carrots when I add in the chicken and then toss in the rest of the veggies once the chicken is almost cooked through so the veggies stay crisp-tender. It makes for a colorful, tasty meal on a cold winter night.
My husband does not like curry, but this recipe is perfect and super tasty. I am sure he will be on board once I cook it. Thank you!
Yum! This recipe is definitely on the rotating must make cycle. Super tasty and it’s a good reminder for me to not overcook chicken. I usually add more red curry paste than the recipe calls for but we like a little extra spice. And I double the recipe because this dish goes quickly!
My husband says this is better than the curry he learned to make in Thailand! The whole family loves it and it’s so easy to make on a weeknight (plus it travels well in the car on our way to our kid’s nightly sport activities) We usually sous vide the chicken beforehand so we never need to poach the chicken fully. Great combination of flavours especially if you pair over jasmine rice. We make this dish regularly and there are never any complaints and the leftovers ALWAYS get eaten!
I love a good curry and keep Thai spices in the pantry to be ready for any preparation that piques interest. Your lovely board of chopped fresh green ingredients inspired me. I’ve used jarred jalapenos and roasted red peppers in other curries but the freshness in this curry can’t be topped (so much for pantry ingredients!). I like chicken thighs in my curry b/c I think they add a deeper note of juicy chicken flavor, a personal preference for anyone of course. Great suggestion to cook additional veggies separately preventing ‘sauce soak’ – this dish was spot on. Thanks again for a great dinner Jenn!