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!!
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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.
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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.
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More Easy Thai Curry Recipes:
Favorite CHICKEN RECIPES HERE, CURRY RECIPES HERE, and RECIPES USING COCONUT MILK HERE.
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FIVE STAR! FANTASTIC! I did have to change a bit due to what I had in my kitchen. Frozen chopped onion (thawed 1st), I used 2 tblsp McCormick’s curry powder instead of chili paste, 3 tblsp light brown sugar, had no cilantro. Served it over Goya mexican rice.
This curry was DELICIOUS and I will definitely make it again!
So delish! So easy! So fast! This is going on the rotation!!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is going into rotation!
So delish! So easy! So fast! This is going on the rotation!!!
As a single NYC guy who survives mainly on takeout I’m taking advantage of the pandemic-imposed lockdown to give cooking a try. I have no natural instinct for cooking and have tried many recipes with varying degrees of success. Then I tried this one. OMG! I can’t get over the fact that I was able to create such a tasty dish. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was a complete success and hope you enjoy my other recipes too!
As a single NYC guy who survives mainly on takeout I’m taking advantage of the pandemic-imposed lockdown to give cooking a try. I have no natural instinct for cooking and have tried many recipes with varying degrees of success. Then I tried this one. OMG! I can’t get over the fact that I was able to create such a tasty dish. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Amazing!!! SO FLAVORFUL and I’m convinced it was better than what a Thai restaurant could’ve cooked. I didn’t have a lime and I added 2 cups of bell pepper. It’s going on my favorite list. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was so flavorful and better than from a restaurant in your opinion!
Amazing!!! SO FLAVORFUL and I’m convinced it was better than what a Thai restaurant could’ve cooked. I didn’t have a lime and I added 2 cups of bell pepper. It’s going on my favorite list. Thank you for sharing.
This was so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out so good! I’ve never attempted curry at home, but this recipe I s a keeper. Very easy to make too!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was delicious and a keeper!
This was so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out so good! I’ve never attempted curry at home, but this recipe I s a keeper. Very easy to make too!
Olive oil should never be used in an Asian curry. Vegetable oil, groundnut oil, coconut oil or any other with a high burn point only should be used. 👍🏼
This information is unfortunately incorrect. Olive oil has been thought of as an oil that should not be used when sautéing and this can not be further from the truth. Fresh olive oil, particularly ones with a high polyphenol count, have a high smoke point. Infused oil olive like Persian Lime would be great for this particular recipe. I am the owner of an olive oil shop and value educating our customers about smoke points and the many uses of olive oil outside of the typical salad dressing uses.
Barbara Braidwood
Saratoga Olive Oil Company
Thank you for your thoughtful response, I appreciate it. I don’t always have time to dive into every point someone throws out in my comments because I am buried these days with everyone in the world literally cooking at home, and it’s so much to respond to, so I appreciate you stepping in for me on this one!
Easy to make with ingredients I usually have on hand. Delicious! Adding to our meal rotation.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that you’re adding it to your meal rotation!
This curry was DELICIOUS and I will definitely make it again!
I am glad it turned out delish and you’ll make it again!
Easy to make with ingredients I usually have on hand. Delicious! Adding to our meal rotation.
This recipe was delicious! The only things I changed was that I used green curry paste instead of red, and I added some mushrooms and sweet pepper to add more vegetables. I also juiced a whole lime (which might have been more than 1 TBS).
I will definitely be making this again!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that your changes were great and that you’ll make this again!
This recipe was delicious! The only things I changed was that I used green curry paste instead of red, and I added some mushrooms and sweet pepper to add more vegetables. I also juiced a whole lime (which might have been more than 1 TBS).
I will definitely be making this again!
Best curry I have ever made and tried. So rich and flavorful!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s the best curry you’ve ever made or tried!