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Thai Red Chicken Curry
Flavorful, red curry-spiced chicken curry is way better than any restaurant and you save so much by making it at home!
We eat A LOT of curry in our home! I went through a time in my life that I was on a dairy-free and gluten-free diet and had to be creative in the kitchen. I discovered such a love for Thai food and it became one of our favorite types of food.
I have been making a Red Chicken Curry for years and my son couldn’t believe I haven’t posted it yet on Modern Honey. It is about time! This Chicken Curry is all about layers of flavor. It has a touch of spice from red chilies with a rich creaminess from coconut milk and a slight tang from fresh lime. The base of this red chicken curry is onion, garlic, jalapeno, and red curry paste.
What ingredients are in Red Curry Paste?
The ingredients in red curry paste are usually a combination of spices such as red chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, salt, shallot, coriander, and kaffir lime peel.
To add creaminess to this chicken curry, I suggest using full-fat canned coconut milk. This is what adds a decadent creaminess to the curry.
This homemade chicken curry can be made in less than 20 minutes and can be served with white rice or buttery naan bread. I usually top it with thai basil or cilantro to add some freshness. It is such a warm, comforting comfort food and perfect for this time of year!
How to make the Best Thai Red Chicken Curry:
- Start by sauteeing onion and jalapeno in oil until they begin to soften — about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. You want to keep from cooking the garlic too long or it can become bitter.
- Add FULL-FAT canned coconut milk. You can find this in the Asian aisle of your grocery store. Stir in red curry paste, chicken broth, fish sauce (can be omitted), brown sugar, and fresh lime zest. Reduce heat and add-in boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces. Let the chicken begin to cook in the simmering sauce. If you want a thinner sauce, feel free to add 1/4 cup more of chicken broth.
- Add either Thai basil or chopped cilantro to the sauce as it finishes cooking and thickening up. This adds so much freshness!
- Serve with white rice or buttery naan bread.
If you love Thai food, check out these popular Thai recipes:
Coconut Curry Noodle Bowls
Coconut Chickpea Curry
Coconut Cauliflower Curry
Thai Chicken Noodles
Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
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Thai Red Chicken Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Oil
- 1/2 large Onion (diced)
- 1 Jalapeno (diced)
- 4 Garlic Cloves (finely diced)
- (1) 14-ounce can Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk
- 1/4 cup Red Curry Paste (may add 1 Tablespoon more for extra flavor)
- 1/2 cup Chicken Broth*
- 1 1/2 lbs. Chicken Breast (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Lime Zest (from one lime)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt (or more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Fish Sauce (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Chili Garlic Sauce (optional but adds flavor)
- 1/4 cup Thai Basil or Cilantro (chopped)
- Jasmine Rice
Instructions
- In a large skillet or pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and jalapeno and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
- Add coconut milk, red curry paste, chicken broth, chicken breast, and brown sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.
- Stir in lime zest, salt, pepper, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce (if adding) and basil or cilantro. Taste for seasonings. If you desired a thinner sauce, add 1/4 cup more chicken broth.
- Serve over white rice and top with more Thai basil or cilantro, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe!! So flavorful
made this for dinner tonight and it was fabulous! my kids loved it!
The addition of chili garlic sauce was great. Used beef cubes and did everything the same in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes and reduced the sauce on the sauté button after. Always have loved Thai food 🥘 ♥️.
Wow this was GOOD! I usually just eat curry take out but I will be sticking with this recipe from now on!
Delicious, my hubby said it’s the best curry I’ve ever made 😋. I also added pumpkin, red capsicum, cauliflower and snow peas
Hi! If I plan on adding in about a cup of stir fry veggies, do you recommend doubling the sauce?
Delicious, my hubby said it’s the best curry I’ve ever made 😋. Second time I made it, I only had low fat Coconut milk so I used that, plus a little coconut cream. I also added pumpkin, red capsicum, cauliflower and snow peas
Sounds delicious, Glenis! I am so glad to hear that you loved it so much. Those substitutions sound so fun, I might be adding a couple of those next time I make it! Thanks for the comment!
I like my Red Curry Spicy so I added in a bit more curry paste and a tone of veggies: red pepper, onion, Chinese long beans, lima beans, peas, bamboo shoots. I think I will half or skip the sugar next time, added lime juice to counter the sweetness. I also velveted the chicken for a couple of hours before cooking. All in all a very good red curried chicken. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hi Alyson! I love your variations and adding those veggies. It sounds amazing! Thank you for trying my recipe.
Hi Honey. Ended up holding back half of the sauce and used a couple of days later on shrimp. Added in more veggies and served over Jasmine rice. Just as yummy a couple of days later.
Super easy and excellent flavor. Came together quick for a quick weeknight meal. I left out the fish sauce because I didn’t have any. I also used low fat coconut milk because that’s all I had. Would recommend. Using rice in a bag was another time saver. Try it…if you are a curry fan you will enjoy. Next time I am going to substitute shrimp for chicken.
Hi Ann! Thank you for sharing the great tips. That’s a great idea to use reduced fat coconut milk to make it low-fat. Thank you for trying my red curry recipe!
Love this recipe because it is packed with flavor!! My fav easy weeknight meal.
So delicious. I’m trying to eat low carb so I didn’t add the sugar and it was still so yummy. Served over cauliflower rice. Thanks for an awesome recipe that I will definitely make over and over again!