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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The only modifications I made were to add yams and less sugar. It was a super easy and delicious dinner. Thanks Jen
Too much fish sauce for our taste
So good! I was looking for a last-minute dinner and had fresh cod on hand. I substituted the cod for the chicken. I love love loved the sauce. This site has become my go-to site for recipes and inspiration. I have both cookbooks and can’t wait for more. Thank you Jenn!
Another delicious recipe Jenn – we regularly add Thai Red Curry Chicken into into our dinner rotation. For variety, we often use scallops instead of the chicken and it turns out beautifully. Just need to reduce the cooking time slightly, as scallops take less time to cook. But it makes a lovely variation. Thanks again!
Tasted bland in my opinion – added more paste, but it still lacked taste 🙁
Store bought red curry paste varies from brand to brand with some lacking any punch Try Mae Ploy it has great flavor and a nice kick with out being to hot.Also adding the curry to taste may be helpful to really kick it up.
This is one of my favorite dinners of all time!!! Every time I make it, I think, this isn’t quite hitting all of the right notes…..but, then you add the lime juice and cilantro!!! It’s over the top delicious.
I have a question about it. I made this last night and I have a big batch of leftovers. Will it freeze with good results?
Hi Melissa, So glad you like this! I’ve never frozen it, but if you have leftovers, I think you could. I’d love to hear how it is when you thaw and reheat.
This is so delicious and so easy. I made some adjustments for my preference but would give the base recipe 5 stars before my changes. I added chopped fresh ginger with the garlic. Also, added red bell pepper and mushrooms with the scallions. Next time I’ll add Japanese eggplant as well. Based on some comments, I was worried that it may be too sweet so I added the brown sugar a little at a time. Ultimately, I ended up using almost 2 tbls. which was a perfect flavor for us. Definitely will be my go-to red curry recipe. Thanks!!
Hi, my husband is allergic to ginger. I’d the a substitute you would recommend for the red curry paste?
Hi Jami, Unfortunately most of the flavor comes from the curry paste, so I’m not sure there’s a good substitute for it. Sorry!
I made this over the weekend for the second time. I thought something was missing when I made it the first time. I used sweetened coconut milk instead of unsweetened and omitted the brown suger, added 2 Thai green chilies instead of jalapenos – added the red pepper and asparagus and loved it!! My 2 aunts were also over to try and they both wanted the receipe!
I did not have lime or jalapeño. I used a local lemon, red chilies and added dried kaffir lime leaves. This recipe is easy and good. I’ll definitely be making this again.