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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Thank you so much for such a delicious and oh-so simple Thai curry. I’ve made this twice in the last two weeks, and my husband, who always says he doesn’t like curry, absolutely loved it…both times! The only variation I did from the recipe was omit the spinach bc I didn’t have any on hand. I will definitely be making this again! Love love!!!
Thanks for the five star review and glad this was delicious and simple and that you’ve made it twice in the last two weeks!
Thank you so much for such a delicious and oh-so simple Thai curry. I’ve made this twice in the last two weeks, and my husband, who always says he doesn’t like curry, absolutely loved it…both times! The only variation I did from the recipe was omit the spinach bc I didn’t have any on hand. I will definitely be making this again! Love love!!!
I had to come back and say thank you for this recipe. It was wonderful! I have always loved the smell of curry but I’ve never really liked it until now. This has a wonderful taste and the directions were easy to follow. A thousand thank yous!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this had a wonderful taste and now you like both the smell AND taste of curry!
I had to come back and say thank you for this recipe. It was wonderful! I have always loved the smell of curry but I’ve never really liked it until now. This has a wonderful taste and the directions were easy to follow. A thousand thank yous!
Yooooooo!! Just made this. It’s AMAZING. 10/5 stars. This will be one of my go to’s from now on!
Thanks for the 10 star review :) and glad tis will be one of your go-to’s from now on!
Yooooooo!! Just made this. It’s AMAZING. 10/5 stars. This will be one of my go to’s from now on!
This was absolutely delicious and we make a fair amount of curry. I had some left over poached chicken so shredded it and added some julienned yellow and orange peppers and snow peas in addition to carrots and spinach. Also added about a tsp of fish sauce because as smelly as it is there is just something about it in Thai food. I had more chicken than i thought so also added another half can of coconut milk and about half a cup of chicken broth just for consistency. Crushed some peanuts for the top just to gild the Lily Huge hit here : )
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was absolutely delicious and that you make a fair amount of curry! Great that you were able to use what you had on hand, too.
This was absolutely delicious and we make a fair amount of curry. I had some left over poached chicken so shredded it and added some julienned yellow and orange peppers and snow peas in addition to carrots and spinach. Also added about a tsp of fish sauce because as smelly as it is there is just something about it in Thai food. I had more chicken than i thought so also added another half can of coconut milk and about half a cup of chicken broth just for consistency. Crushed some peanuts for the top just to gild the Lily Huge hit here : )
delicious and simple to prepare
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was simple and delicious!
delicious and simple to prepare
It was good but much more watery then the picture… Is it maybe because i used regular coconut milk instead of full fat?
Yes 100%
And as you were pouring it in, because the exact quantities of ingredients everyone uses will vary a bit, you could hold off on pouring in the full can.
And you could have simmered longer to reduce the liquid volume.
This was sooooooo good! My family loved it! I doubled the recipe for 5 of us and it was all eaten up. I added more vegetables to include broccoli (I steamed it first in a steamer bag), and diced cabbage, along with the carrots, onions and spinach. Definitely making this again!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this was a big hit and that your family gobbled up a double batch! Great job to add more veggies too!
This was sooooooo good! My family loved it! I doubled the recipe for 5 of us and it was all eaten up. I added more vegetables to include broccoli (I steamed it first in a steamer bag), and diced cabbage, along with the carrots, onions and spinach. Definitely making this again!
My family loved this! Will definitely make again! I added a yellow pepper and sautéed it along with the onions. Delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad your family loved it and you’ll make it again!
Amazing and wonderful flavours. I did not have curry on hand but substituted with cumin and turmeric.
Glad it turned out amazing with cumin and turmeric for you!
My family loved this! Will definitely make again! I added a yellow pepper and sautéed it along with the onions. Delicious!