This easy thai red curry chicken comes together in about 30 minutes and is made in one pan. Chicken and veggies are simmered in a creamy coconut milk and red curry sauce. It’s the perfect quick and healthy weekday meal.
Is this an authentic Thai red curry recipe? Absolutely not. I’m as basic white girl as they come. However, if you’re looking for an easy and flavorful recipe that you can pull together quickly that’s made from relatively healthy ingredients, then I’ve got you covered. Honestly, the hardest part about this recipe is chopping up the vegetables. 🙂
Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs
- Veggies: Green peppers, carrots, onions, zucchini
- Fresh garlic and ginger
- Coconut oil
- Sauces: Soy sauce, Red curry paste, Sweet chili sauce
- Bay leaf
- Chopped basil
- Jasmine or Basmati Rice
Why You’ll Love this Thai Red Chicken Curry
Full of flavor. The punchy flavors of the red curry paste and sweet chili sauce give this dish a bit of a kick, but the creaminess of the coconut milk mellows it out so the spice isn’t overwhelming.
Quick & Easy. This meal is made in two bowls. One for the rice (I use our Instant Pot) and one for the curry (I use a large, deep frying pan). Make the curry while the rice is cooking and everything is done at around the same time. This dish can be made in around 30 minutes.
Adjustable to taste. Not a huge fan of spice? No problem. Remove the sriracha sauce and take the sweet chili sauce down a bit. Want to kick it up a bit? Add more of both and add some red pepper flakes at the end. (If you love spice, you should also check out this baked buffalo chicken dip.)
Healthy (ish). I’m not a health nut by any stretch of the imagination, but I do like to know what is in my food. And while I love good Thai takeout, I’m not always sure what goes into the dish. This recipe is full of fresh vegetables, gluten free, and dairy free. The main thing that makes this unhealthy in my house is the quantity of the portions my husband dishes out. 😉
If you like healthy (ish) recipes, check out this Healthy Fruit Dip.
Jump to Recipe
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making Thai Red Curry Chicken consists of 7 easy steps:
- Prepare the rice. I use an Instant Pot and set it on the rice setting. You can also use a rice cooker or cook it on a pot over the stove. Basmati or Jasmine rice is my preference for this dish, but brown rice also pairs nicely as well.
- Prepare the vegetables. Get out your favorite chopping knife and get comfortable. This is the most time consuming part of this recipe (and it only takes like 10 minutes, so I’m exaggerating a little ;)). Peel and dice the onion. Peel and finely chop the garlic and ginger. Roughly chop the carrots, zucchinis, and peppers into half inch pieces. You can make them any size, but they will cook faster if smaller.
- Cook the onion in the coconut oil until soft.
- Add the chopped chicken thighs and once about 3/4 of the way done, add the red curry paste.
- Add the chopped vegetables and saute until soft.
- Make the sauce. Add the coconut milk, sweet chili sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, bay leaf, basil, and sriracha (if using). Stir until combine. Let simmer until rice is done.
- Serve and enjoy!
Variations & Substitutions
Coconut milk: You can use full fat or light coconut milk. Full fat makes the sauce thicker and tones down the spice. I prefer light coconut milk because I want to taste the spice.
Vegetables: Almost any crunchy veggie will work for this recipe. So, feel free to swap out the vegetables to those you have. Also, if you don’t want to chop up all those veggies, feel free to use a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables.
Rice: I recommend using Jasmine or Basmati rice for this recipe. It has a great texture and flavor that compliments the red curry chicken and coconut milk sauce. However, you can also use brown rice if you’d prefer a healthier option.
Frequently Asked Questions
From start to finish it takes about 30 minutes.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for no more than 5 days. Personally, I think this curry has more flavor on day 2 because the chicken has had time to sit in the spices over night.
That is up to you. Red curry paste is more flavorful than spicy. The spice comes from the sweet chili sauce and sriracha sauce which is completely adjustable.
If you want to try another easy curry recipe, try my Easy Butter Chicken, it’s another staple in our house.
Looking for the perfect dessert pairing?
These dessert recipes go well with this red curry:
Thai Red Curry Chicken
Equipment
- 1 large frying pan
- 1 Instant Pot optional
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 large green pepper
- 2 large carrots
- 1 zucchini
- 4-5 chicken thighs
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp red curry paste
- 1/8 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 can coconut milk (light or full fat will work)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp chopped basil
- 1 tsp lime juice
- Sriracha sauce (to taste)
- 2 cups rice
Instructions
- Cook the 2 cups of rice in the Instant Pot with 2 1/2 – 3 cups of water (depending upon type of rice you are using – Basmati needs 2 1/2). Press the Rice button and set aside.
- In a large pan, heat the coconut oil.
- Chop and dice up all the vegetables (peel & dice the onion and carrots, dice the zucchinis and pepper).
- Add the diced onion to the hot coconut oil. Saute until soft (about 8 minutes)
- Chop the chicken thighs into bite sized pieces. Add the chicken to the pan once the onions have softened.
- Once the chicken is mostly cooked, add the red curry paste. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant (about 30-60 seconds)
- Add the chopped vegetables and cook until tender (about 8 minutes).
- Add the coconut milk, sweet chili sauce, bay leaf, soy sauce, sriracha, lime juice, and basil. Stir until combined.
- Let mixture simmer until the rice is fully cooked.
- Serve with the cooked rice and enjoy! Add additional sriracha sauce if you like more spice.
Notes
- If you don’t want to chop fresh veggies, you can use a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables.
- Both full fat or light coconut milk will work for this recipe.
Last Updated on January 15, 2023 by Kari Bakes
