This Thai chicken curry is creamy, easy to make, and it’s so so good. With only one pan and thirty minutes you will have yourself a delicious and aromatic dinner that everyone will love.
This Thai inspired chicken combines red curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime to make a sauce that is out of this world. It’s slightly sweet, tangy, creamy but savory at the same time from the fish sauce. It’s a comforting curry that’s best served over rice but can also be served over noodles or quinoa.
What is Thai Red Curry Paste?
Something you may or may not be used to cooking with is Thai red curry paste. This paste is packed with flavor. The most common ingredients found in the paste are red chili peppers, garlic, salt, lemongrass, and turmeric. This paste can add a ton of flavor to any meat or vegetables. If you don’t have this in your kitchen, I highly recommend you go get some.
How it’s made
The only thing you need to get started is a cutting board and a skillet. These are my favorite meals because it reduces the amount of dishes you have to do. To make this curry you start by sautéing the vegetables. Doing this will ensure they’re nice and soft by the time your curry is done cooking.
Next you’ll add the chicken, season it with salt and pepper. You will also add the curry paste and garlic. This will infuse your chicken with a lot of flavor as it cooks. You should cook the chicken until it’s almost done but not completely done because there’s still one more step which is making and thickening the curry. If you completely cook your chicken at this step you risk overcooking it.
Making the curry is very simple. At this step you’ll add the coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. Be sure to stir well because at this point the brown sugar and curry paste should mix into the coconut milk and coming together nicely. Bring the curry to a simmer and reduce by half. It will also start to thicken. When it’s done serve over rice and top with thai basil.
Substitutions you shouldn’t make
In a lot of recipes, substitutions can be made easily. This recipe allows a few substitutions but there are a few ingredients you shouldn’t change. The first one is the thai red curry paste. If you look up a common substitute to this paste you may find curry powder. While curry powder would be good, it wouldn’t be the same at all. Curry powder is made up of turmeric, chili powder, coriander, cumin, ginger, and pepper. It’s similar but it’s missing the garlic, chili pepper paste, and lemongrass.
The next ingredient that you should pay attention to is the coconut milk. This should be full fat. If you get a reduced fat, it won’t thicken the way you want it to and could be too watery. Also make sure you get unsweetened, the sweetened would be way too sweet.
The last ingredient I would keep the same is the Thai basil. Thai basil is different than a normal basil typically used in Italian recipes. It has more of an anise or licorice like flavor to it. It’s also widely used across Southeast Asia. It’s so good and you won’t want to miss out!
I can’t wait for you to try this delicious Thai Chicken Curry. It’s so good and completely addicting This is a favorite in our home and I hope it becomes a favorite in yours.
Thai Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 1 red pepper sliced into bite sized strips
- 1 onion sliced into bite sized strips
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped into bite sized pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
- 4 teaspoons fish sauce
- 4 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 lime juiced
- Thai basil for garnish
Instructions
- In a skillet heat the oil over medium heat and add the red pepper and onion, sautee for around 3-4 minutes until the vegetables start to soften and the onions start to become translucent.
- Add the chicken, salt and pepper, garlic, and red curry paste. Stir until well combined and sautee for around 5 minutes until the chicken is almost completely cooked. All the chicken pieces should be white on the outside and starting to firm up
- Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Stir until the curry paste is well mixed into the coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and cook for around 5-7 minutes until the mixture has reduced and thickened. When done, garnish with thai basil and serve over rice