Coconut Curry Chicken
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1000x better than takeout! Tender chicken + veggies in a heavenly curry sauce. Serve over rice to sop up everything!
We savored every single drop of this curry. EVERY DROP. On a bed of white rice (or any rice/grain of your liking), you can let this heavenly coconut curry sauce get completely sopped up with zero leftovers.
reasons to make coconut curry chicken
- Take-out favorite. Restaurant-quality coconut curry chicken can be made right at home using better quality ingredients.
- Flexible, lightning fast recipe. With boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts) and some hearty veggies (feel free to throw in all the lingering fridge veggies as needed – mushrooms, snap peas, broccoli, green beans, etc.), this comes together so so fast. Serve over rice, over noodles, over all the things.
- So much flavor. The finishing touches of the freshly squeezed lime juice, cilantro, and Thai basil leaves simply takes this Thai curry to the next level.
what is red curry paste and where can i find it
Commonly used in Thai dishes, red curry paste is made from a blend of red chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, Thai ginger and various spices.
Red curry paste is typically used for stir-fry, soups or mixed with coconut milk for curry. It is readily available in most grocery store chains, particularly the Thai Kitchen brand, and online, with some brands containing shellfish (shrimp paste).
how to make coconut curry chicken
- Start cooking the rice (or your favorite grains)
- Brown the chicken
- Stir in curry paste + spices + coconut milk + chicken stock
- Simmer to keep things happy, saucy and creamy
- Stir in veggies until softened
- Add your finishing touches (cilantro, basil, lime juice, s+p)
- Serve over rice
tips and tricks for success
- Use your favorite protein. This recipe will work well with chicken thighs, chicken breasts, shrimp or tofu.
- Use full fat coconut milk. Although lite coconut milk can certainly be used, full fat coconut milk will yield a much more rich and creamy broth.
- Mix it up. Swap the red curry paste for green, add in more veggies (potatoes, cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms or bok choy) or serve over rice noodles or naan bread instead of rice.
what to serve with coconut curry chicken
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Coconut Curry Chicken: Frequently Asked Questions
We personally love Mae Ploy (contains shrimp paste). Thai Kitchen is also great, and more readily available at most grocery stores.
If you cannot find Thai basil, a combination of sweet basil and mint leaves gets very close!
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
We do not recommend freezing this as coconut milk tends to separate when frozen.
Coconut Curry Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 (12-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Thai basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 1 1 /2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken and shallot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is evenly browned, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, red curry paste, garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in coconut milk and chicken stock; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 7-10 minutes.
- Stir in bell peppers until softened, about 5-8 minutes.
- Stir in cilantro, basil and lime juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve warm over rice.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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Absolutely delicious! I did do some modifications. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs, used a 13.5 ounce can of light coconut milk (omitted the chicken stock due to added water content in light coconut milk), and omitted the Thai basil due to availability without using any subs. It came out perfect! Will definitely make again and again.
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I added carrots and mushrooms to mine. Thanks so much!
Absolutely delicious (as always)
Added chunks of pineapple like our local Thai restaurant does in this dish. So perfectly balanced sweet and spice. They also add snap peas, which I’ll do when in season.
This was the perfect comfort food with just the right amount of heat for a cold winter afternoon. The lime juice was just the right amount of brightness to finish the dish. The best part was the leftovers were as good the next day as it was the first! I will definitely be making again.
I just made it and I’m really pleased! I spent a lot of time chopping my ingredients though. Prep time always takes me longer. But it was so satisfying to cook a curry f my own from scratch! Delicious! I tried the basil mint combination to replace the Thai basil I couldn’t find. That really works! I added zucchini and spinach. No vegetable left behind! Thank you!
This was a great recipe! My whole family ate it including my kids. I used chicken breast vs thigh and they didn’t come out dry like I had expected. I will for sure add this recipe to our rotation.
I made this with Blue Dragon brand curry paste in the recommended amount and it was bland and oily. I was so dissapointed that I made a do-over meal the very next night with the Thai Kitchen brand curry paste, and I used the ENTIRE 4oz jar. It was tasty and had just a little spice to it. My brother in law, who jokes that he enjoys ethnic food like Swiss Chalet, would have liked that one. I still wasn’t satisfied with the heat, so I bought the Mae Ploy brand on Amazon and used 4Tbsp and the flavour was amazing, and the heat was just right (for me).
All that to say, the brand of curry paste you use is going to determine the heat level as much or more than the amount of curry paste you use.
I also modified this recipe by using coconut cream instead of coconut milk. It’s actually not a ton thicker than the coconut milk but it adds a richness to the sauce and really helps it cling to the rice and naan bread.
Was great! We used thai kitchen brand curry paste and did the recommended amount and came out great and not very spicy. My family ended up adding cyanne pepper to make it spicier. It must be the other brand that is causing the heat.
Can this be made with green curry paste, rathere than red?
This was a solid recipe. I’ve made several Indian dishes and this was by far the easiest and quickest to make. I’d probably add a small amount of pineapple the next time to add to the flavor profile. But overall it was delicious.
Absolutely delicious. I used chicken breast instead of thigh and still turned out great.
This was loved by the whole family. I will definitely be making this again.
Soo good! So delicious! And I love it that its a quick recipe.. being pregnant that’s very helpful..
I will definitely be saving this recipe for the next cold, rainy day we have! I love a good chicken curry when it’s cold outside!
Made this recipe last night and it was Damn Delicious. I used a store bought red curry paste and canned lite coconut milk. Also had it with a good quality Pinot Grigio which I thought paired well. It was so good! I will be making it again soon. Thank you for the recipe.
Excellent recipe. I’m a weakling with hot spice so I used a Thai roasted red pepper pasted instead and turned out excellent. I also used a little extra tomato sauce. The recipe has a lot of wiggle room. So good.
Made this dish this past week. My husband and I could not get enough of this. I’ve enjoy curry and don’t get to eat it a lot, I also have never attempted it because I thought it was a harder process. This recipe is so delicious and an easy week night meal.
WAY TO SPICY! I bought the recommended Mae Ploy curry paste and added 3 tbsp. Next time I’ll try 1.5 tbsp instead.
I agree, was a bit spicy. I ended up adding a little bit of sweet (Splenda, but sugar could also be used), to tone it down a little. The overall taste was good. I didn’t have the fresh spices but still turned out fine.
This is excellent! Can it be frozen?
This was delicious and we will make again!!! One comment — should the curry paste be 3 teaspoons instead of 3 tablespoons? Even on the curry paste jar, the ratio was 3 tsp to the same amount of coconut milk. We LOVE spicy but the 3 tablespoons was a lot of heat!
The amount of heat, I have learned, is a direct result of the BRAND of curry paste you use, not the amount. I made this recipe with Blue Dragon brand paste first with the recommended amount and it was oily and flavorless. It was so disappointing I needed a do-over I made it again the next night with Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste. I used the entire 4oz jar and it was nice and flavourful but still lacked any real heat. My brother in law, who jokes that his enjoyment of foreign foods stops at Swiss Chalet, would have enjoyed that one. I then bought Mae Ploy brand off of Amazon and used the recommended 3Tbsp and it was perfect for me, great flavour and good heat.
I also found coconut cream next to the coconut milk and it made the recipe just that much more appealing. The coconut cream adds a bit of thickness, but not too much, to the sauce and really helps the sauce stick to the rice and naan!