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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What a pleasant surprise! I have never had curry and have always been afraid of making this type of recipe but wanted to try something new. It was great! Made it exactly as suggested. Hoping to find other recipes on your site to try.
What a pleasant surprise! I have never had curry and have always been afraid of making this type of recipe but wanted to try something new. It was great! Made it exactly as suggested. Hoping to find other recipes on your site to try.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that you took a chance on making this and that it turned out great!
Made this tonite as written and served over brown rice. Delicious. Used the full 3Tablespoons Thai Red curry paste and the flavor was to die for.
great
Awesome recipe made it twice to rave reviews. My only suggestion is to have a jump to recipe at the top of intro as most people have. Annoying going through all the text and ads Thanks
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was met with rave reviews both times you made it!
Awesome recipe made it twice to rave reviews. My only suggestion is to have a jump to recipe at the top of intro as most people have. Annoying going through all the text and ads Thanks
This was absolutely delicious!!! Easy and quick – tasted like Thai from my favorite local restaurant. Followed the recipe exactly. I used 3 tbsp red curry paste because I like spice. Served over basmati rice. Definitely a keeper!
Thanks for LMK it was just like your local Thai restaurant and is definitely a keeper for you!
This was absolutely delicious!!! Easy and quick – tasted like Thai from my favorite local restaurant. Followed the recipe exactly. I used 3 tbsp red curry paste because I like spice. Served over basmati rice. Definitely a keeper!
Is there nutrition info available?
It is similar to the info provided in this recipe https://www.averiecooks.com/thai-chicken-coconut-curry/
I am working on updating all my 2500+ recipes to include it, but it’s a large task.
I would like to make this recipe for dinner but am concerned about cooking the chicken until it’s done and then keeping it in the pot when added the other ingredients. Will the chicken get overcooked and chewy?
No it won’t. It’s not simmering long enough to get overdone. Make as written.
I made this dish as a last resort for my fiancé and myself. We felt like we had fallen into a rut with our dinner meals. After reading and re-reading this recipe I felt it was a good option for us to try.
I had everything I needed except the ginger powder, some how I either ran out or the jar was tossed out, I pushed forward without it. The only alterations I made to this dish was possibly more chicken as I did not weigh it out I just chose three similar sized breast from the package and went with it, I did not have ginger, and I did not 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of brown sugar as well as 1 and 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of Thai curry paste. We served the curry over basmati rice with steamed broccoli as a side.
This dish came out delicious, so beautifully colored with the spinach and carrots, the flavor was lovely and I know it will only be better when I make it again with ginger. I may add a touch more curry paste next time but I was worried it would be too spicy and over power the flavors for my fiancé but she was willing to try it spicier next time.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! Wish I could share a photo of the finished product with you!
Thanks for the 5 star and detailed review of the recipe and glad it helped you and your fiance get out of a dinner rut!
I made this dish as a last resort for my fiancé and myself. We felt like we had fallen into a rut with our dinner meals. After reading and re-reading this recipe I felt it was a good option for us to try.
I had everything I needed except the ginger powder, some how I either ran out or the jar was tossed out, I pushed forward without it. The only alterations I made to this dish was possibly more chicken as I did not weigh it out I just chose three similar sized breast from the package and went with it, I did not have ginger, and I did not 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of brown sugar as well as 1 and 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of Thai curry paste. We served the curry over basmati rice with steamed broccoli as a side.
This dish came out delicious, so beautifully colored with the spinach and carrots, the flavor was lovely and I know it will only be better when I make it again with ginger. I may add a touch more curry paste next time but I was worried it would be too spicy and over power the flavors for my fiancé but she was willing to try it spicier next time.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! Wish I could share a photo of the finished product with you!
I’m making this for a crowd the day before the event. I’m tripling the recipe. Could I add the spinach when I reheat it, or can I just prepare the entire recipe as written the day before and then reheat it? Thank you. It looks delicious and I’m looking forward to making it.
I would just prep it all together and reheat it all together.
You could add the spinach when you are reheating it but if it’s not pretty dang hot, the spinach won’t wilt, and then will look very out of place. Especially being you are tripling the recipe.
Hope it is a big hit!
WHY IS EVERY RECIPE WRITTEN LIKE A NOVEL? Just give us the recipe or don’t! Get a grip and change the bad trend! The very very bad and super lame trend!!!!
Because Google requires it. They simply will not show posts on the first or second page that don’t follow this format. So if I want my posts to be seen and if you and others want to see them, this is why. It’s called Google compliance. Trust me I wish I could throw up 1 photo and just the recipe and for it to be seen. It simply will not happen.
WHY IS EVERY RECIPE WRITTEN LIKE A NOVEL? Just give us the recipe or don’t! Get a grip and change the bad trend! The very very bad and super lame trend!!!!
Hi, could I add kale instead of spinach, and could I also add broccoli? Thanks.
Yes and yes.