Thai Red Curry Chicken
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Craving Thai food? This red chicken curry is a one-pan wonder with tender chicken in a rich coconut curry sauce that’s ready in just 30 minutes—no fuss, just deliciousness!
I love cooking Thai-style food at home because you can make so many flavorful dishes with just a few staples from the Asian aisle at the grocery store. This red curry chicken is a perfect example: a one-pan dinner of tender chicken simmered in a rich, curry-infused coconut milk sauce. Like most Thai curries, it’s cozy, quick to make, and so satisfying—you won’t even think about take-out.
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!
“Fantastic! My whole family loves it – even my picky five-year-old. We usually add veggies like mushrooms and snow peas, but it’s also wonderful as is.”
What You’ll Need To Make Thai Red Chicken Curry
- Oil, Scallions, garlic & jalapeño: Sautéed together at the start to build a savory, slightly spicy base. The scallions add a mellow onion flavor, garlic gives depth, and jalapeño brings just a hint of heat. (For more spice, leave in the seeds of the pepper or add a pinch of red pepper flakes later.)
- Thai red curry paste: This is where all the flavor happens. Made with red chiles, lemongrass, galangal, and spices, it gives the dish its signature warmth and color. Thai Kitchen brand is easy to find and on the mild side—great for families. Want more kick? Add Sriracha, jalapeño seeds, or crushed red pepper.
- Coconut milk: Adds creaminess and a touch of sweetness; use full-fat for the best texture—light versions can be watery.
- Fish sauce & dark brown sugar: A classic Thai combo—the fish sauce adds salty umami, while the brown sugar balances the spice.
- Chicken tenderloins (or breasts): Tender and quick-cooking; just cut into bite-size pieces so they cook evenly and stay juicy.
- Fresh lime juice & cilantro: Lime brightens the dish and balances the richness; cilantro adds color and freshness (totally optional if you’re not a fan).
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add the light scallion parts, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes until softened—don’t let them brown. Keeping the heat moderate allows the aromatics to gently soften and release their flavor without browning (which can make the curry taste bitter).
Step 2: Add the curry sauce ingredients. Stir in the coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes to thicken slightly.
Step 3: Cook the chicken. Add the chicken pieces and simmer, stirring now and then, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Step 4: Finish and serve. Stir in the lime juice, dark scallion greens, and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve with jasmine rice and enjoy!
More Asian Dishes You may Like
Thai Red Curry Chicken
This Thai curry chicken is rich, cozy, and full of bold flavor—perfect over jasmine rice for an easy weeknight dinner.
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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I have probably reviewed this before. Such a wonderful, simple recipe. Made it with turkey tenderloins this time, sliced thin, and some of us had rice noodles instead of rice. Easy to adjust to taste (such as more curry paste, a bit less sugar, etc.) Definitely should try it with shrimp sometime. We always top with sriracha…. A family favorite.
This is one of my favorite dishes to make for guests when I’m short on time. It’s a lot of flavor reward for very little work!
I love the “text ingredients “ feature you’ve included, as I often ask the hubby to stop at the store. Thanks!
This was delicious!! My husband and I loved it, have made thai chicken curry before but this recipe is great!! Thank you
I added shitake mushrooms because we had them and they needed to be used. My family wanted more spicy but are busy adding sriracha sauce. I love it. Will make again.
This is such a great dish as-is, I hesitate to comment that it got me thinking about how to re-create a similar (but different) version of a restaurant dish that is no longer available in my area. It would involve green curry paste, shrimp in lieu of chicken, adding broccoli florets and pieces of grilled pineapple. What I love about your instructions is the sequencing of the ingredients, and the concept of cooking the chicken (or shrimp) in the coconut milk sauce. I think I have prepared every single Thai influenced dish you have published. You really get the amazing and bright flavors of that cuisine!
I’ve made this at least 5 times and follow the recipe exactly, and while the flavor is good, I’ve never been able to make the sauce thicken like it says it should. I guess having a soupy sauce is better than it not tasting good, but the soupy sauce is kind of a disappointment.
Hi Hayley, the sauce in this dish won’t thicken a ton. If you want it to be a bit thicker, I’d mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of cold water together. After the cornstarch is dissolved, add the mixture to the sauce and stir until the sauce has thickened a bit. Hope that helps!
This made for the most cozy Sunday dinner that also had enough for delicious Monday lunch left overs😍 this was so easy! Thank you
We really did not enjoy this recipe as we have most of published recipes…
Followed precisely, but the sauce is where we do not taste authentic good Thai flavors.
It is oddly sweet, alongside the spicy and simply not the best.
On the positive, the chicken was very tender and good cooked gently in this sauce.
Would love good, authentic Thai recipes as we love the cuisine.
Hi JooJoo,
We found the brand “Thai True” curry paste (from Oregon and can purchase on Amazon) to be the closest thing to capturing the authentic Thai flavor. Hope that helps.
Turned out amazing. I fine tuned it by using garlic and added red peppers and asparagus. Usually use green beans as I’ve had in restaurants but had asparagus on hand. It was so delicious!! Definitely making again! Thx!!
Nice
Great flavor! (I’m a wimp with heat so left out the jalapeno).
Didn’t have fish sauce so I used half and half mix of soy sauce and rice vinegar.
Such an easy dish! Added snow peas with the chicken so they wouldn’t cook long and stay crispy. Served this with jasmine rice with the zest from the lime added during cooking, when ‘resting’ 10 min added cashews. Yummm. Entire dish was great, thanks again Jenn for all the great recipes!
Just made tonight! It was absolutely delicious 🤤. As good as our local Thai restaurant if not better lol.
It turned out amazing. I like my stuff Spicy, SPICY so I’ve added 5 thai chilli peppers instead of one jalapeno.