Easy Thai chicken curry
This Thai Green Chicken Curry recipe is from my bestselling cookbook, Everyday Delicious. You’ll impress the pants off yourself (and your diners) with this knockout – and I’ve created the recipe using ingredients that are easy to find. The main thing with Thai food is getting a nice balance of hot (chillies), salty (fish sauce), sweet (sugar) and sour (lime juice). I’ve put measurements in there for those things to use as a guide, but it’s up to you how much of each you put in; have a play until you’re happy with the way it tastes because there are no hard and fast rules. Also, I never use lite coconut cream, it makes the curry thin and sad – I use Kara or Ayam coconut cream.
Serves 4
Prep time – 20 minutes
Cooking time – 30 minutes
Ingredients
Curry paste
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots (or ½ a large onion), roughly chopped
1 bunch fresh coriander (including stalks and roots), washed
1 tbsp lemongrass paste (optional)
3 tsp ground cumin
3 big green chillies*
Curry
1 tbsp peanut oil (or grape seed)
800g boneless chicken thighs (free-range is good)
400ml coconut cream (not light)
500ml chicken stock (reduced salt – choose a gluten-free brand if necessary)
1 kaffir lime leaf (or use the zest of 2 limes)
Vegetables of your choice – green beans, cherry tomatoes, snow peas, baby corn, tinned bamboo, spinach, mushrooms
1 tbsp palm or brown sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
Big handful basil leaves (Thai or regular)
Cooked rice, to serve
Coriander leaves, chopped peanuts, chopped red or green chillies, to garnish
Method
In a processor, mortar & pestle or stick wand blender, mix the curry paste, coriander, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, cumin and chillies with ½ cup of the coconut cream to make smooth thick paste. If you don’t have a mortar & pestle or food processor, just to chop/mince the ingredients until as ‘mushy’ as possible.
Heat the oil a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the curry paste mixture and cook for 4-5 minutes to release the aromas, stirring continuously (you should see little beads of oil come to the top by the end). Add stock, kaffir lime leaf or zest, the remaining coconut cream and simmer gently for around 10 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer for another 15 minutes until just cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Add the vegetables and simmer for a few more minutes until just tender. Add the brown sugar, lime juice and fish sauce. Stir to combine and taste it – then, add more sour, sweet or salty to taste. If you like it hot, you can throw in some chilli flakes or chopped red chillies. Lastly stir through the basil leaves.
Serve with rice and pile up with loads of coriander, peanuts and chillies.
Tips
- Big green chillies are usually milder than red chillies. Watch out for small red chillies – they can really pack a wallop and may blow your head off. If you hate spicy food, just use one green chilli (and you can scrape out the seeds/membrane out as well for less heat).
- If you can find lemongrass sticks, finely mince one instead of using paste.
This was a great dish. I just cooked it for my family and they loved it and so did I. You made me a hero, lol.
I’m not into thick sauce curries at all. As In Thailand they are thin not thick so would I use coconut milk?
You could add a bit more stock :-)
Hi Chelsea!
No Masterchef here ???? so do I put the chicken into the sauce raw? Do I sear it first? Or throw it straight it?
Yep raw is fine!
I’ve only got red curry paste would this be ok and how much do I use
Hey Chelsea! I’m a 16-year-old and I absolutely adore all of your recipes and me and mum really enjoy cooking them together. This Thai chicken curry has got to be one of my favourites so far! Thanks and I can’t wait to try out more of your recipes!!
Hey Chelsea,
If I’m multiplying the recipe by x4 is there anything I shouldn’t multiply as much? I need to feed 20 people.
Kind regards
can I prepare this ahead and how much extra will I need to feed six people
Yes, curry is great when made ahead x
I want to feed 8 do I just double everything?
Yes x
Hi does it matter if I leave out the kaffir lime leaf? Forgot to buy and don’t have lime zest as was going to use bottled lime juice for the other part!
No problem!
This looks amazing! Do you think it would do.ok in a slow cooker? Adding the veges in last minute. Etc.
This looks amazing, do you think it would do well in a slow cooker?
Hi Chelsea, this recipe sounds amazing & I plan to make it for a potluck this weekend but I just wanted to check … if I double this recipe, is there anything in particular that I shouldn’t double up on???
Made this lovely curry tonight for my small family. We all loved it…even the taste after repeats. I used just two dry deseeded chilies in the recipe and it was plenty hot enough. Added spinach and cherry tomatoes to mine and the colour mix looked so good. But I’ve gone and put the second half of it in the freezer and I read the coconut milk will split. Blow! But as long as it still tastes good I don’t think these guys in my house will complain.:-)
OMG< turns out, i can make thai green chicken curry! Made it tonight, easy, the recipe did everything you said it would, even fought over who is having the left overs for lunch – Chelsea, you're the bomb!!!
Hi Chelsea, I’m using this recipe for a work cooking challenge and we did a test run last week. It was divine! However, somebody mentioned that the chicken didn’t have flavour, just the sauce. I am worried about over cooking the chicken if it simmers too long. What would you recommend? Thanks!
You shouldn’t worry about overcooking chicken if you use thighs, should be fine at a long slow simmer :)
Made this for the family..absolutely beautiful I must sayou..I used exotic curry paste added a couple red chillies for that extra heat and wow ! My 11 year old devoured it ! Well done Chelsea ! Supadoopa xx
Could this be done in a slow cooker?
Hi Chelsea, I made this tonight with Pam’s Coconut Cream and it didn’t thicken up :( Maybe I need to use a different brand?
I use either Ayam or Kara :)
Do you reckon this would concert to a crock pot alright?
HI chelsea, making this dish for our food tech class, we love curry looks delicious! any tips to make sure it goes well?
Hi Chelsea, looking forward to making this tonight, but the only paste I can find is in a sachet – Asian Home Gourmet Thai Green Curry. Have you used this one? Also, I was going to add pumpkin and potato, do you think I should roast them first?
I made this with canned green chilis because I didn’t think my store sold it. We have Walmart and Costco. Are you talking about dried chilis? And if so, what is the particular name of it? Also, the green chili paste was SUPER hot, I was about to cry after tasting it. They don’t sell Valcom chili paste here in Texas of the US. Recommendations?
This would have to be one of the best curries I have made. How small would cut the chicken thighs? Thanks for a great recipe.
WOW – what a recipe!! Love spicy – but underestimated the intensity of green chillies. Took all seeds out except for one. Next time will keep ALL seeds in and same with the red chilli at the end. I did in fact make with lite coconut cream (all I had in the cupboard)… was ok, but think it would actually be better with the full fat version. We now have left overs!! Mmmmmm mmmmmmm. Thank you!! X
Love Thai green curry so do my kids. Not being able to have cream I make all my curry with lite coconut cream and thickens just fine. Mmm so good love all currys. I also use crushed chillies with lime brought at the supermarket.
Hi Chelsea, this sounds delicious! But what I’m most impressed by is how many people’s messages you take the time to reply to, you are awesome!! Keep up the fab work ?
Merrilee
Hi Chelsea,
I made the curry tonight, but found it really salty – too salty to use even the required amount of fish sauce. Why could this be? Also, if it happens again, what can I do to balance out the salty flavour?
Thanks
Hi Chelsea
I don’t usually comment on stuff like this, but your green curry is SO GOOD and SO DELICIOUS that I had to let you know. Thank you for posting it up. So many layers of flavour. We had it with spinach, broccoli and noodles, a combo that comes highly recommended.
Made this for dinner tonight and absolutely loved it!! I added peas corn and beans and used just half a red chilli… luckily. Everyone was impressed, will make it again next week. Thanks for another amazing recipe Chelsea!