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 recipe came out great! I added green onions as a garnish. Otherwise I followed this to the T and it was easy, and tasty. Thank you for posting
This says 6 servings… is that pretty accurate???
It does depend of course on your appetite and if you’re serving it to big eaters then not as many as 6 servings, maybe more like 4. It just depends on your group.
*second* to the gentleman who said “I saw this recipe with like 56 five star reviews and I was like: It can’t be that good.” and HECK YES IT IS! I used leftover roasted chicken (which made this even faster to make) , subbed cauliflower for the carrots, and used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil for extra coco-nuttiness (ha!), and this was a huge win! (I’m sure it’s perfect as written, I just used what I had on hand). I cook almost every night, love trying new recipes, and this was DELICIOUS and SO EASY seriously anyone can do this and you will feel like a rockstar chef!
Hahah! I am glad you second the 56 five star review gentleman :) Thank you!
I love to hear this type of thing because this is what I strive for in my recipes: DELICIOUS and SO EASY seriously anyone can do this and you will feel like a rockstar chef!
*second* to the gentleman who said “I saw this recipe with like 56 five star reviews and I was like: It can’t be that good.” and HECK YES IT IS! I used leftover roasted chicken (which made this even faster to make) , subbed cauliflower for the carrots, and used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil for extra coco-nuttiness (ha!), and this was a huge win! (I’m sure it’s perfect as written, I just used what I had on hand). I cook almost every night, love trying new recipes, and this was DELICIOUS and SO EASY seriously anyone can do this and you will feel like a rockstar chef!
Wowwww this was GOOD! I swapped out the veggies and chicken for some tofu, red bell peppers, kale, and the carrots because I just wanted to use what was left in my fridge, and it’s really really good. I also couldn’t find the mentioned red curry paste so I used the MAESRI brand and WOWWWWW a little goes a long way! My nose was running and I only used half of the 4 oz can. Definitely recommend that brand for people who want some spice.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this turned out so good for you! I have never heard of or seen the Maesri brand but now I am going to be on the lookout since I love things spicy :)
Wowwww this was GOOD! I swapped out the veggies and chicken for some tofu, red bell peppers, kale, and the carrots because I just wanted to use what was left in my fridge, and it’s really really good. I also couldn’t find the mentioned red curry paste so I used the MAESRI brand and WOWWWWW a little goes a long way! My nose was running and I only used half of the 4 oz can. Definitely recommend that brand for people who want some spice.
I tried this recipe and it was pretty good. The flavour was dominated by the carrot, so I might use a bit less next time. I would also put less curry paste in, as it was a bit on the spicy side for me.
Curry paste is very subjective and that’s why I call for a very wide range of quantities (1 to 3 tbsp) and so always add it to taste. Thanks for trying the recipe.
I saw this recipe with like 56 five star reviews and I was like. It can’t be that good.
Then I made it with my wife and it was delicious. Tasted just like the curry we had at a restaurant the other day.
We added a few hot red peppers. I think next time we’ll add a habanero pepper or two. We like it spicy.
I saw this recipe with like 56 five star reviews and I was like. It can’t be that good.
Then I made it with my wife and it was delicious. Tasted just like the curry we had at a restaurant the other day.
We added a few hot red peppers. I think next time we’ll add a habanero pepper or two. We like it spicy.
I am glad it turned out delicious and yes it has that many 5 star reviews for a reason!
Also glad to hear you like things spicy, I am a habanero person myself :)
This was delish and very easy to make. I used chicken tenders. Didn’t have shredded carrots but added sliced red pepper instead. Used 3 Tbsp of red curry paste, regular coconut milk, and added some crushed red pepper for a little extra heat. This will definitely be in regular rotation.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it will definitely go into your regular rotation!
This was delish and very easy to make. I used chicken tenders. Didn’t have shredded carrots but added sliced red pepper instead. Used 3 Tbsp of red curry paste, regular coconut milk, and added some crushed red pepper for a little extra heat. This will definitely be in regular rotation.
Hi,
I am planning on making this for dinner. It looks delicious. How would you suggest making it in a crock pot? Thanks!
I wouldn’t personally because it’s so fast, that I just wouldn’t even bother with a slow cooker. I haven’t adapted this recipe for a slow cooker so not sure what to say. It’s a total hit and reader favorite as-is so I would just make it as written.
I made this recipe last night and it’s the best new recipe I’ve tried in a long time, maybe EVER. Excellent flavor. I used all 3 TB of the Thai red curry paste and it wasn’t too spicy. I also added a little red pepper. I’ll be trying more recipes from this website soon.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s the best new recipe you’ve tried in a long time, or ever! Glad you will be trying new recipes – keep me posted in the comments how they go!
I was shocked at how simple the recipe was! Took less than an hour! Great flavor as well. Put it on saute for 40 minutes and it was ready.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it turned out so well for you and was easy!
I made this recipe last night and it’s the best new recipe I’ve tried in a long time, maybe EVER. Excellent flavor. I used all 3 TB of the Thai red curry paste and it wasn’t too spicy. I also added a little red pepper. I’ll be trying more recipes from this website soon.
I grow Asian herbs when I put lemon grass in the mix and fresh ginger… It was out of this world. Even the kids love it. And they don’t like Asian food. It went as far as eating leftovers… They never eat leftovers. Now we have Thi night.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that this was a winner with your kids and that you now have Thai night!
I am jealous you are growing your own Asian herbs!
I grow Asian herbs when I put lemon grass in the mix and fresh ginger… It was out of this world. Even the kids love it. And they don’t like Asian food. It went as far as eating leftovers… They never eat leftovers. Now we have Thi night.