Quick, easy, healthy 30-Minute Thai Chicken Curry recipe. Tender chicken cooked in aromatic perfectly-spiced coconut milk served with rice for a healthful, satisfying meal.
Pleasingly light but offering a hefty kick in the flavor department, this quick and easy Thai Coconut Chicken Curry is fragrant, creamy, and bursting with a vibrant (yet gentle!) spice.
Chunks of tender chicken dance are swaddles in a rich and aromatic creamy coconut sauce. And the best part? It’s ready in just 30 minutes!
While this is a recipe for yellow Thai curry, you can easily turn it into green curry or red curry by swapping out the spices in the recipe card for the corresponding curry pastes.
If you’re a Thai food lover, you may enjoy making this Thai chicken curry recipe at home just as much as going out for Thai food!
Also be sure to try my Chicken Massaman and Paleo Panang Curry. They are just as easy to make and equally pleasing!
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this easy Thai curry recipe.
Ingredients for Coconut Chicken Curry
Here are all the ingredients you’ll need for my Thai coconut chicken curry. You can find all of them at your local grocery store and Asian markets.
Full-Fat Coconut Milk: The base of our sauce! Thai curries are traditionally coconut based, and it’s this ingredient that gives our recipe that classic, light creaminess. Be sure to use canned coconut milk, such as the Thai kitchen brand.
Yellow Onion: Hearty and reliable, the yellow onion will simmer down and almost melt into our curry sauce.
Fresh Ginger: More potent than ground kinds, peeled and grated ginger gives our dish a wonderfully fresh zing.
Ground Cumin, Ground Coriander, and Ground Turmeric: These three spices blend harmoniously to bring warmth and spice to our curry. And the turmeric gives our Thai coconut chicken curry its iconic yellow color!
Paprika: Traditionally you’d use fresh red or green chillies in a Thai curry. I wanted to take a bit of the heat out of this dish, so I’ve gone for a dash of paprika instead.
Garlic Powder: Much easier than mincing up fresh garlic. Don’t worry, it still delivers that iconic savory goodness.
Chicken Breasts: I use skinless and boneless chicken breasts for lean protein, but chicken thighs work great too!
Sea Salt: To taste.
For Serving
- Fresh Cilantro: Chop up some fresh cilantro or fresh basil and mix it in with your rice once it’s cooked. This gives the rice a bright freshness that marries beautifully with our zingy curry.
- Lime and Yogurt: I also like to squeeze some lime juice over the dish and serve it with a good dollop of plain or Greek yogurt! Lime zest is lovely here too.
- Steamed Rice: Pick your favorite brown rice or white rice. I love Jasmine rice and often make my Coconut Rice too for some extra flavor. Rice noodles, quinoa, and cauliflower rice are great options too.
Recipe Customizations
- Swap out the curry spices for 2-3 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste, Panang curry paste, or green curry paste. This can be used as a base recipe for all your curries using various kinds of Thai curry pastes.
- Spice it up by adding red chiles or jalapeño peppers.
- Add vegetables! Most veggies will blend brilliantly into this Thai coconut chicken curry. My personal favorites are broccoli, zucchini, and carrots.
- To make this a fabulous vegan curry, replace the chicken with one large Yukon potato, and add one can of drained chickpeas. Or, go with Tofu. Trust me, you won’t miss the meat.
- If you don’t have the required spices on hand, you can substitute everything for 2-½ to 3 tablespoons of yellow curry powder.
- Sweeten up the yellow curry sauce by adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or pure maple syrup. This rounds out the flavor profile but is also optional.
How to Make My Thai Coconut Chicken Curry
- Prepare and wash your rice according to the package instructions and cook it while you attend to the rest of the recipe.
- Place a skillet over medium-high heat, then add ⅓ cup of coconut milk, the chopped onion, and the ginger. Sauté until the onion is translucent; this should take 6 to 8 minutes, but see how you go!
- Lower the heat to medium, stir in all of your spices and salt, and cook for a further 3 minutes. If the sauce has reduced too much and is thickening up, just add another splash of coconut milk!
- Add the rest of the coconut milk and bring it to boil. Then, add the chicken and give it a big stir. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. I get nervous with chicken, so I like to take out a piece and slice it in half to check it’s done. You can also use a meat thermometer if you prefer.
- Chop some fresh cilantro and mix it in with your rice, then squeeze a bit of lime over everything. I love pairing my Thai coconut chicken curry with a good dollop of natural yogurt. It takes the edge off the heat, and the cool tanginess cuts through the deep, savory curry sauce.
- Store your curry in an airtight container once it’s fully cooled to room temperature. Then, you can keep it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Simply reheat it for a few minutes in the microwave, stirring occasionally, and you’re good to go!
Tips for the Best Coconut Chicken Curry
- Make your own yellow curry spice blend by mixing your favorite portions of each spice.
- If you want to get fancy, combine the spices and coconut milk in a blender to make a curry sauce and use it to marinate the chicken in a sealed container in the fridge. This will give you super tender and flavorful meat.
- If you have access to fresh lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, feel free to toss them in!
Loaded with delicate and delectable flavors, this creamy Thai coconut chicken curry is a breeze to make.
With a handful of basic ingredients, you’ll end up with a quality meal that tastes just as great as the curries from your favorite Thai restaurant!
If you love Thai cuisine, also try some of my other favorite Thai recipes.
More Thai Recipes:
- Thai Coconut Soup with Vegetables
- Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
- Thai Tom Kha Gai
- Green Curry Thai Noodle Soup
- Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fry Noodles)
Thai Chicken Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (14-oz) can full-fat coconut milk
- ½ yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1.5 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
For Serving:
- 3 cups Cooked Rice
- Fresh cilantro chopped
- Plain or Greek yogurt
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Start by preparing the rice, following package instructions, so that it can cook while you’re preparing the rest of the recipe. I found making 1 cup of dry rice was the perfect amount for serving the recipe.
- Add 1/3 cup of the coconut milk to a non-stick skillet, along with the chopped onion and grated ginger. Heat over medium-high and saute until onion is translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium, add all of the spices and salt and cook an additional 3 minutes. Note: if at any point the contents of the pan begin to dry out, simply add more coconut milk.
- Add the rest of the coconut milk and bring to a full boil.
- Add the chopped chicken and stir well. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes.
YUM, thank you for this amazingly easy and delicious Thai curry recipe!! I just made it with ground turkey and added chopped zucchini, carrots, and spinach as well. Then I served it over cauliflower rice! Just one question….how many people is this supposed to serve, because I ate nearly the entire thing in one go…..hahaha
I’m so happy you love it, Shannon! Thank you for the sweet note!! xoxo
Ok, I don’t mean to leave a ‘downer’ comment, but I am new to the whole Paleo and Whole30 program…
My hubby and I have been on it for 3 full weeks now and have both dropped an amazing 12 pounds!
When looking for Paleo recipes, your site looked so well put together and your recipes are right up my alley for my love of cooking 🙂 BUT, my understanding of Paleo (and yes, it may lend itself to the stricker side of Paleo…) is that RICE is NOT allowed????? Please refer to the following article that I copied/pasted below:
Is rice paleo friendly? Can you eat rice on a strict paleo diet? Rice, like other grains has been a staple food for many generations and is not the easiest of foods to give up. On a paleo diet, however, rice receives pretty much the same consideration as other grains and needs to be shunned permanently. In strict paleo circles, there is no room for rice on the menu but other far less stringent versions do allow occasional consumption of rice.
Although rice is a gluten free grain, it still contains phytic acid, one of the components that give grains and legumes a bad name. Moreover, rice is generally accepted as a post hunter gatherer food so does not receive the nod from a rigid paleo perspective. From the point of view of those who indulge in sporadic rice consumption, the argument could be presented based on their total life style.
If an individual is relatively active, that is, efficiently mimics the activity levels of our ancestors then a little rice can be tolerated. Since being “active” in the true sense means that there is intensity, flexibility, endurance and agility involved, the individual is likely to be lean and strong. Put together, these factors can increase the ability to handle a little rice now and then. And if rice is the only outside intervention in the paleo plan, then an infrequent rich dish may do no harm.
However if the individual following a paleo plan is not active enough and wishes to include rice as part of regular meals, then he may as well be off the paleo track completely. Rice will provide additional carbs which will not be utilized for burning fuel but stored as fat instead. In instances where carb stores continue to grow without being used up, the result is slower metabolism and many health issues.
Better to stray from white rice if being sedentary is your lifestyle. White rice is not far from refined sugars in terms of nutritional content and contains fewer nutrients than many other foods. Instead, look for better paleo options like fried cauliflower rice which can be created into a hearty meal by adding other veggies and mushrooms to it.
NOW BACK TO ME 🙂 I LOVE your site, and I LOVE the combinations that you create here!!
So, all said and done…I will continue to use your site, knowing that I will have to pay closer attention to whether some of the ingredients listed are True paleo or not.
AND, I will make this MY issue, and NOT yours 🙂
Thank you for your time, dedication, and for sharing your art form…on this wonderful site of yours!!
I’m always in the mood for Thai curry, and a fast dinner is always a bonus!
Curry is so warming and i love how quickly the rich flavors develop here 🙂
You are the queen of curries! I’m all about the less than 30-minute meals right now too. Because as much as I love kickin’ back with wine and Pandora, I’m usually hangry and need something in my face immediately! Ima try dis with chickpeas…NOM.
I think curry is one of my favorite foods!! Delish!
LOVE this! We are always looking for more quick curry recipes! It’s the best!