Coconut Curry Chicken
by Chungah
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
This Thai coconut curry chicken is 10x better than takeout! With tender chicken and veggies in a dreamy, creamy curry sauce. Serve over rice!
Featured Comment
Why you’ll love this 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 take this Thai curry to the next level.
- Leftovers are even better. The curry becomes even more flavorful as it sits since the flavors really get a chance to marry overnight!
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
- Cook the rice. Start cooking the rice first so it finishes just before the curry.
- Brown the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper before browning in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Stir in the aromatics. Add the tomato paste, red curry paste, garlic, and ginger.
- Simmer. Stir in the coconut milk and chicken stock, simmering until slightly reduced. The longer it simmers, the more it will reduce and thicken.
- Add the bell peppers. Stir in the bell peppers until tender.
- Add the finishing touches. Stir in the cilantro, basil, and freshly squeezed lime juice, seasoning one last time with salt and pepper.
- Serve. Serve warm over rice for sopping.
variations and substitutions
- Chicken: substitute with shrimp or tofu
- Vegetables: add carrots, broccoli, eggplant, sweet potatoes, bamboo shoots, baby corn, or sugar snap peas
- For serving: serve over rice noodles or cauliflower rice (low-carb alternative)
what to serve with coconut curry chicken
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Coconut Curry Chicken: Frequently Asked Questions
I personally love Mae Ploy (contains shrimp paste). Thai Kitchen is also great, and more readily available at most grocery stores.
Full fat coconut milk is best, yielding a richer, creamier consistency. “Lite” or low fat coconut milk will be diluted with water, resulting in a thin, watery curry sauce. Always shake the can well before opening.
If you cannot find Thai basil, a combination of sweet basil and mint leaves gets very close!
Let it continue to simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the desired consistency is reached.
Store leftovers in an airtight container separate from the rice (if possible) in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop until warmed through.
No, I do not recommend freezing this as coconut milk tends to separate when frozen.
Coconut Curry Chicken
Video
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
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.
Equipment
Notes
- Use long grain rice. Long grain rice, such as jasmine rice or basmati rice, will stay light and fluffy, soaking up the rich coconut curry sauce without becoming mushy or clumping together.
- Use your favorite protein. This recipe will work well with chicken thighs, chicken breasts, shrimp or tofu.
- Full fat coconut milk will be creamier. Although lite coconut milk can certainly be used, full fat coconut milk will yield a much more rich and creamy sauce.
- Make it thicker. Simmer for longer, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, for a thicker curry sauce.
- 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.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Chungah, I am making your coconut curry chicken (for the 50th time), and it only occurred to me this time to scroll down and read your bio. I have probably a dozen damn delicious recipes that are my go-to dishes…but this one is my favorite. Just wanted to say thanks…and wondering if you have any great ideas for cooking duck breast…
Wow this was supper yummy
This dish was amazing. I used chicken breast instead of chicken thighs. So tasty and damn delicious. Agreed, no need to get take out anymore for red curry chicken. Thank you for this simple recipe!
Love Damn Delicious recipes!!!
SO TASTY!!
Great recipe
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!