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 was so delicious!! I used unsweetened coconut cream instead of milk.
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Followed the recipe exactly and my husband loved it!
I used a package of already cooked rotisserie chicken from Shaw’s and it turned out to be great.
Thanks Jenn for another excellent dish!
After you throw that fish sauce in the mix and it starts to warm, your house is going to smell like the fish counter!
This is a really good curry recipe. My only criticism is that it is very sweet. I suggest cutting the sugar in half, at least.
Super delic 😋 !! As is almost everything on this site.Thank you for helping me to be a better cook!
Hi Jenn,
I’m having a hard time finding fish sauce. Is there a replacement?
Thank you,
Theresa
Hi Theresa, you can use soy sauce in place of the fish sauce. The dish won’t have that authentic Thai flavor, but will still be delicious.
Thank you, Jenn! The dish was delicious and I look forward to making it again when I can find the fish sauce.
This dish is absolutely delicious! And so easy to make! I sliced up asparagus, very thin, and added it at the last minute, along with peas! So delicious and yummy
could this recipe be made with dark meat?
Hi Irene, if you’d to go with dark meat, I’d suggest thighs. Since thighs take longer to cook, you’d go about it a bit differently: Sauté the chicken pieces in 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat first for 6 to 8 minutes (they will be almost cooked but not fully), then transfer them to a plate while you make the sauce. Add the chicken pieces to the sauce once it’s thickened, and then simmer until cooked through, a few minutes more. Please LMK how they turn out!
Love it! I added lots of veggies to make it a one dish complete meal: sliced zucchini, mushrooms, and red bell peppers, plus a tsp. of chopped fresh ginger root. I’ll add more next time, perhaps carrots, bamboo shoots, asparagus. Thank you!
My husband and toddlers LOVE this meal. Great over white rice, also great over udon noodles. Quick and easy meal that is so delicious on a weeknight! Easy to add vegetables into the recipe too. Thank you!
I made this and it was WONDERFUL! I served it with jasmine rice and steamed green beans. Next time I make it, I would rather not have to dirty my steamer. Is there a way that I could incorporate the green beans directly into the recipe?
Glad you liked it! Yes, I’d add the green beans along with the scallions, garlic, and jalapeño.
Thanks for this recipe, Jenn. I love red curry, but my wife and daughter are kind of chicken-adverse and skeptical of curry. They both cleaned their plates and said they’d eat this again. That’s quite a home run!
Wow!! I wish I had taken a picture… but this amazing dish did not last long enough to queue up a photo! Seriously. I found you accidentally on Pintrest and am so very glad I did. This dish was super easy and the flavor was FANTASTIC! The chicken breast was so tender just as was described. I have shared this recipe with my family and friends. You rock, Jenn!
Jenn,
This was Soo delicious!
So easy and an outstanding flavor.
Hubby loved it!
I didn’t have a jalapeno so I used 1/2 tsp of Sriracha sauce. Just the right amount of kick
This is the best red curry chicken we’ve ever made. I loved the taste of lime juice. I’m looking forward to trying more of Jenn Segal’s “once upon a chef” recipes.
Omg. So delicious and so easy! I could have put a straw in that sauce and drank the whole thing.
This is the first recipe I tried from Once Upon a Chef and this curry dish was very good. Looking forward to trying more recipes. Thank you, Jenn.
I made this recipe but I added sliced carrots and red pepper. It came out delicious. I will definitely make this again. Thank you Jenn
Jenn,
Both my daughter and I love the recipes. We tell each other what we are making and then give each other results. Thank you for sharing, you are a great chef.
“Delicious”; “Really delicious” “So good”…The first words from my husband after I served this! We both really loved this. I did substitute green curry paste for the red because I didn’t have the red but it didn’t matter.
I made this for dinner last night and it was amazing. My husband loved it and wants me make it again soon! Thank you for sharing your recipes.
I have boneless skinless chicken breasts in the freezer. Can I use this chicken instead of chicken tenders?
Sure – hope you enjoy!