Thai Chicken Coconut Curry – An EASY one-skillet curry that’s ready in 20 minutes and is layered with so many fabulous flavors!! Low-cal, low-carb, and HEALTHY but tastes like comfort food!!
Table of Contents
Thai Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
This is an easy Thai chicken curry that’s made in one skillet, ready in 20 minutes, and is naturally gluten-free. According to the computer-generated nutrition stats, there’s only 141 calories and 4 carbs per serving — no rice or naan included.
With cold weather upon us, nothing is better than diving into a bowl of this hearty yet healthy comfort food that’s layered with flavors. I could just drink the coconut milk-based sauce.
The Thai red curry is savory, salty, there’s natural sweetness from the sweet Vidalia onions, carrots, and coconut milk. There’s perfect acid balance from lime juice and a very gentle heat from the Thai red curry paste.
Since sharing this recipe in 2017, I’ve received almost 600 comments and 240+ five-star reviews on it. To say it’s a reader favorite is an understatement!
Thai Chicken Coconut Curry Ingredients
To make the easy Thai red curry recipe, you’ll need:
- Coconut oil
- Sweet Vidalia onion
- Chicken breasts
- Garlic
- Ground or fresh ginger
- Ground coriander
- Canned coconut milk
- Shredded carrots
- Thai red curry paste
- Fresh spinach
- Lime juice
- Brown sugar
- Fresh cilantro
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Using Curry Powder vs Curry Paste
Thai red curry paste adds a richer and smoother flavor profile than curry powder (Indian) does, but if all you have is curry powder, go for it knowing that the flavor of Thai versus Indian curry products is vastly different and your dish won’t taste like mine.
How to Make Thai Red Curry
This is a very easy Thai curry recipe to make! Here’s how the coconut milk curry comes together:
- Add the oil and chopped onion to a large skillet and sauté until softened.
- Add the diced chicken and cook until done, then add the garlic, ginger, and coriander.
- Coconut milk, carrots, Thai curry paste, salt, and pepper are stirred in next, and then the mixture should be left to bubble away for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach, lime juice, and optional brown sugar last.
I like to serve this coconut milk curry with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro to make the flavors pop.
Recipe Tips
Curry paste: As with all curry pastes and powders, they vary in intensity and everyone’s preferences for spice and heat vary, so adjust to taste. I used 2 rounded tablespoons and I wouldn’t call it spicy at all but very flavorful. My 10-year-old wasn’t at all phased by it but we like spicy food.
Veggies: If you have extra veggies you want to incorporate such as cauliflower, bell peppers, tomatoes, or edamame, add them when you add the coconut milk and carrots.
Meal Prep: Something I love about this Thai curry recipe is that the flavors deepen as the leftovers sit in the fridge. So feel free to make a big batch of curry before a busy work week to enjoy later on!
Storage Instructions
If stored in an airtight container in the fridge, this coconut milk curry will last up to five days.
Can You Freeze Red Curry?
Absolutely! I like to store smaller quantities in freezer bags to reheat at a moment’s notice. Frozen curry will last up to three months.
Ingredient Substitutions and Shortcuts
This is a very flexible chicken coconut curry recipe, so feel free to tweak the ingredients list as needed to use up what you have on hand.
- Coconut oil: May be substituted with olive oil.
- Chicken: Use shredded rotisserie chicken or meal prepped chicken instead to save time. Or, use a can of chickpeas to keep this dish vegetarian.
- Veggies: Mix and match the veggies to use up whatever is in your produce drawer.
- Ground coriander: Omit if you don’t have it on hand, but note that the curry won’t have quite the same depth of flavor.
What to Serve with Thai Chicken Curry
We like to serve this Thai chicken curry with naan bread, rice (brown, basmati, or white), or quinoa.
There are so many veggies in the curry itself that a vegetable side isn’t really needed, in my opinion. However, curry pairs nicely with steamed veggies or a crisp green salad.
Pin This Recipe
Enjoy AverieCooks.com Without Ads! 🆕
Go Ad Free
Thai Chicken Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons coconut oil, olive oil may be substituted
- 1 medium/large sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 2 to 3 teaspoons ground ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- one 13-ounce can coconut milk, I used lite; full-fat will deliver a richer/thicker result
- 1 to 1 ½ cups shredded carrots
- 1 to 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, or to taste (curry powder may be substituted, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- about 3 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar, optional and to taste
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped for garnishing (basil may be substituted)
- rice, quinoa, or naan, optional for serving
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the oil, onion, and sauté over medium-high heat until the onion begins to soften about 5 minutes; stir intermittently.
- Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is done; flip and stir often to ensure even cooking.
- Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir frequently.
- Add the coconut milk, carrots, Thai curry paste, salt, pepper, and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium, and allow mixture to gently boil for about 5 minutes, or until liquid volume has reduced as much as desired and thickens slightly.
- Add the spinach, lime juice, and stir to combine. Cook until spinach has wilted and is tender, about 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and optionally add brown sugar, additional curry paste, salt, pepper, etc. to taste.
- Evenly sprinkle with the cilantro and serve immediately. Curry is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Easy Thai Curry Recipes:
Favorite CHICKEN RECIPES HERE, CURRY RECIPES HERE, and RECIPES USING COCONUT MILK HERE.
Sweet Potato and Chickpea Coconut Curry – An easy one-skillet curry that’s ready in 30 minutes and is layered with so many fabulous flavors! Healthy comfort food that tastes amazing!
Green Thai Chicken Coconut Curry — An EASY, one-skillet green curry that’s ready in 20 minutes and tastes BETTER than from a Thai restaurant!! It’s healthy comfort food that tastes AMAZING!!
Coconut Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry — An EASY, one-skillet curry that’s ready in 20 minutes and tastes BETTER than a restaurant!! Juicy chicken and tender sweet potatoes simmer in a lime-scented coconut milk sauce that tastes AMAZING! Healthy comfort food!!
Yellow Thai Chicken Coconut Curry — Better-than-takeout yellow curry is EASY and ready in 25 minutes!! Healthy comfort food with the PERFECT amount of heat and lots of textures and flavors in every bite!
Thai Pumpkin Chickpea Coconut Curry — An EASY curry that’s ready in 30 minutes! Tender fresh pumpkin, chickpeas, bell peppers, spinach, and more all bathed in the most aromatic Thai-inspired coconut milk broth! If you love Thai food, skip the restaurant and make this better-than-takeout curry at home!
Chickpea and Kale Thai Coconut Curry — An EASY one-skillet vegan curry that’s ready in 15 minutes and has AMAZING Thai-inspired flavors!! Low-cal, low-carb, and HEALTHY but tastes like hearty comfort food!!
Cauliflower, Chickpea, and Chicken Coconut Curry — An EASY, one-skillet curry that’s ready in 20 minutes and tastes BETTER than a restaurant!! The Thai-inspired coconut milk broth makes this healthy comfort food taste AMAZING!!
I needed a quick week-night dinner idea and had some ground chicken. I made this recipe and added a little more curry and cooked orzo. We all really liked it
This looks so good – love your recipes – especially your soups! If I substituted shrimp for chicken – should I add those towards the end?
Yes definitely at the end since shrimp only take about 2-3 minutes to cook, way faster than chicken.
Totally yummy! I had the bright idea to mix the chicken recipe with the same one for chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Only thing I didn’t like was the sweet potatoes – they tasted odd to me as a combo. And wasn’t such a good thing over rice. Anyway, won’t add the sweet potato next time, but will definitely make again. Easy, quick and addictively delicious!
One comment is that there are a lot of different kinds of red curry paste out there and I’m sure that which one you use has a huge influence on the spiciness and the overall taste. I couldn’t find anything exactly labeled ‘red curry paste’ so used a Patak brand Tikka Masala paste.
Wondering what type/brand you use?
I’m glad you will make it again! I use the Thai Kitchen brand that I linked to in the post https://amzn.to/2x2FbMl
Totally yummy! I had the bright idea to mix the chicken recipe with the same one for chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Only thing I didn’t like was the sweet potatoes – they tasted odd to me as a combo. And wasn’t such a good thing over rice. Anyway, won’t add the sweet potato next time, but will definitely make again. Easy, quick and addictively delicious!
One comment is that there are a lot of different kinds of red curry paste out there and I’m sure that which one you use has a huge influence on the spiciness and the overall taste. I couldn’t find anything exactly labeled ‘red curry paste’ so used a Patak brand Tikka Masala paste.
Wondering what type/brand you use?
Amazing recipe. I combined the dry spices added them at every stage of cooking and incorporated chick peas. Thanks for sharing this. DELICIOUS
Glad you thought it was amazing!
That was SUPPOSED to be five starts! Screen cut me off. Lol!
Thanks for the 5 stars :)
So I wanted curry and coconut chicken ‘something’ tonight, and a Google search brought this recipe up. INSANELY good! Scrolling down, I saw plenty of your other recipes to keep be busy for a while! I’ve always been intimidated when cooking Indian and Asian, though they’re both favorites. You’re recipes make them look quick and easy! Can’t wait!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it turned out insanely good! And yes both my recipes that are Asian or Indian are simplified and easy!
Amazing recipe. I combined the dry spices added them at every stage of cooking and incorporated chick peas. Thanks for sharing this. DELICIOUS
So I wanted curry and coconut chicken ‘something’ tonight, and a Google search brought this recipe up. INSANELY good! Scrolling down, I saw plenty of your other recipes to keep be busy for a while! I’ve always been intimidated when cooking Indian and Asian, though they’re both favorites. You’re recipes make them look quick and easy! Can’t wait!
Hands down delish! Didn’t have curry paste and used curry powder. Full fat coconut milk was used. Kids LOVED it and asked to take it to lunch for school for the next day.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad curry powder worked great and that your kids loved it enough to make it for school lunches! Now that is a success :)
Hands down delish! Didn’t have curry paste and used curry powder. Full fat coconut milk was used. Kids LOVED it and asked to take it to lunch for school for the next day.
Delicious! I forgot the carrots but it was great regardless. I didn’t make any changes other than seasoning the chicken before cooking it, which probably made the dish a little spicier overall. It really did only take 20 minutes from start to finish. Five stars!
Thanks for the five star review, glad it was great even without the carrots, and great to hear that it only took you 20 minutes from start to finish!
Delicious! I forgot the carrots but it was great regardless. I didn’t make any changes other than seasoning the chicken before cooking it, which probably made the dish a little spicier overall. It really did only take 20 minutes from start to finish. Five stars!
Fabulous.
I substituted the chicken for jumbo prawns. And added some seasonal veg like broccoli sprouts and baby corn.
Made loads so ill be able to eat for a few days. Loved it
Glad you loved it and will have leftovers for a few days!
Fabulous.
I substituted the chicken for jumbo prawns. And added some seasonal veg like broccoli sprouts and baby corn.
Made loads so ill be able to eat for a few days. Loved it
I tried this recipe today it was super delicious.
Thanks for sharing this one. I love it!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad you loved it!