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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This is my favorite dish on this site that I have tried
Delicious! I’ve made SO many different coconut curry chicken recipes trying to find the one that hit the spot and this one is THE best bang for your time! One pan, uncomplicated, and FULL of flavor! I normally have to add a lot of seasoning to recipes at the end bc they’re too bland but not this one, it’s delicious as is! In fact, next time I’ll wait to add any salt til the end, it may not need it. If it helps anyone else to know, I didn’t have cilantro or fresh basil (tho will def add next time!) & chose not to add brown sugar & this was perfectly yummy w/o it! To up the vegetable content, I cut & roasted a Costco size bag of fresh cauliflower florets (coated w/a little avocado oil) in the air fryer for 4-5 mins & added it in the later part of step 4. Thank you for this recipe, I FINALLY found “the one”!
Delicious! I’ve made SO many different coconut curry chicken recipes trying to find the one that hit the spot and this one is THE best bang for your time! One pan, uncomplicated, and FULL of flavor! I normally have to add a lot of seasoning to recipes at the end bc they’re too bland but not this one, it’s delicious as is! In fact, next time I’ll wait to add any salt til the end, it may not need it. If it helps anyone else to know, I didn’t have cilantro or fresh basil (tho will def add next time!) & chose not to add brown sugar & this was perfectly yummy w/o it! To up the vegetable content, I cut & roasted a Costco size bag of fresh cauliflower florets (coated w/a little avocado oil) in the air fryer for 4-5 mins & added it in the later part of step 4. Thank you for this recipe, I FINALLY found “the one”!
I love your comment and this is what I always try for – best bang for your buck, one pan, uncomplicated and full of flavor!
I am glad you found “the one”! Thanks for the 5 star review.
Also if you like cauliflower, here’s a similar curry with cauliflower https://www.averiecooks.com/cauliflower-chickpea-and-chicken-coconut-curry/
Great Recipe. I made this today, but I had to use whatever I had on hand. Used shallot instead of onion and replaced the Coriander with a mix of spices I use for shawarma (which had coriander in it). I am moving so most of my kitchen stuff is already in boxes, that’s why I used different spices. I also omitted the sugar. I don’t buy and I don’t use it in cooking either. It turned out good despite the adjustments. I am trying this with shrimp next time. Yum! Thank you.
Great Recipe. I made this today, but I had to use whatever I had on hand. Used shallot instead of onion and replaced the Coriander with a mix of spices I use for shawarma (which had coriander in it). I am moving so most of my kitchen stuff is already in boxes, that’s why I used different spices. I also omitted the sugar. I don’t buy and I don’t use it in cooking either. It turned out good despite the adjustments. I am trying this with shrimp next time. Yum! Thank you.
I’m glad this turned out great for you given what you had on hand and all was well!
Made this tonight for my family. I had to double it as we are a family of 10. It was a huge hit! Everyone loved it! It smelled so good as it was cooking. I ended up using the entire jar of red curry paste ( Thai kitchen brand) and it wasn’t very spicy at all! The one year old ate it with no problems. Thanks for sharing this amazing dish.
Made this tonight for my family. I had to double it as we are a family of 10. It was a huge hit! Everyone loved it! It smelled so good as it was cooking. I ended up using the entire jar of red curry paste ( Thai kitchen brand) and it wasn’t very spicy at all! The one year old ate it with no problems. Thanks for sharing this amazing dish.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this was a hit and that you doubled the recipe! And good to know that even with using a full jar of the Thai Kitchen curry, that it still wasn’t spicy and the 1 yr old could partake!
Ive made this recipe atleast 5 times….. and should’ve written a review long ago. This is fantastic. Satisfies my craving for thai curry! I made this into a freezer meal then pop into my instant pot and have not had any issues. Highly recommend.
Ive made this recipe atleast 5 times….. and should’ve written a review long ago. This is fantastic. Satisfies my craving for thai curry! I made this into a freezer meal then pop into my instant pot and have not had any issues. Highly recommend.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that you have made this many times and have your own system for freezing/reheating and it works great!
Great recipe… I reduced the amount of onion at the beginning added red bell pepper with the spinach and added green onions at the end… Turned out great… Thanks…
Great recipe… I reduced the amount of onion at the beginning added red bell pepper with the spinach and added green onions at the end… Turned out great… Thanks…
Glad to hear the addition of red bell pepper and green onions worked well and you enjoyed the dish!
IYNWOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF YOU HAD BOTHERED TO SPECIFY HOW MANY SERVINGS ARE IN THE RECEIPE, PLEASE CORRECT THIS OVERSIGHT
IYNWOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF YOU HAD BOTHERED TO SPECIFY HOW MANY SERVINGS ARE IN THE RECEIPE, PLEASE CORRECT THIS OVERSIGHT
Directly underneath the title of the recipe in the recipe card, it says:
Yield: 6
Wow lady! that was rude. Besides, if you would have bothered to read, you would have seen the Nutritional info and the serving.
You should really apologize for your rude, capital letters, comment.
So so yummy! I actually first made this recipe a few years ago when I did a quick google search for red chicken curry. I was craving curry again yesterday and this recipe popped up once again. I knew it was the same one I’d made a few years ago, and sure enough it was as good as I remembered! I made no modifications and it turned out perfect. Highly recommend this recipe!
So so yummy! I actually first made this recipe a few years ago when I did a quick google search for red chicken curry. I was craving curry again yesterday and this recipe popped up once again. I knew it was the same one I’d made a few years ago, and sure enough it was as good as I remembered! I made no modifications and it turned out perfect. Highly recommend this recipe!
Highly recommend Averie’s curry recipe. My teenager devoured it. So hearty and healthy. I did NOT use optional sugar. Try it!