Thai Green Curry with Chicken
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Thai green curry is one of those dinners that feels exotic and special but is genuinely one of the easiest things you can make on a weeknight. Once you have a jar of good green curry paste in your pantry, you can have this on the table in 30 minutes flat and it tastes like something from your favorite Thai restaurant. I make this at least twice a month and it never gets old.
The flavor profile here is everything — fragrant lemongrass and galangal from the curry paste, rich creaminess from the coconut milk, a little heat, a little sweetness, and that bright hit of lime at the end. It is so well balanced and so satisfying. This is a meal I genuinely look forward to every single time.
The Curry Paste Shortcut
I make this with store-bought green curry paste and I am not even a little bit sorry about it. Good quality curry paste (Mae Ploy and Maesri are my favorites, both easy to find at Asian grocery stores or online) has a depth of flavor that would take you hours to replicate from scratch. Keep a jar in your fridge and you are always 30 minutes away from a really impressive dinner.
Start with 2 tablespoons if you like medium heat and adjust up or down from there. Different brands vary quite a bit in heat level so taste as you go.
Coconut Milk Makes All the Difference
Please use full-fat coconut milk for this. I know light coconut milk is tempting because it feels like the healthier choice but it makes the sauce watery and less rich. The fat in full-fat coconut milk is what creates that luscious, creamy, restaurant-quality sauce. This is not the place to cut corners. Some brands even separate in the can so you can scoop out the thick cream at the top and fry the curry paste in that before adding the liquid — it really intensifies the flavor.
Thai basil is the traditional herb here and if you can find it, use it. It has this slightly spicy, anise-y flavor that regular Italian basil does not quite replicate. But if you can only get regular basil or spinach, that works fine too.
Thai Green Curry with Chicken
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add green curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add chicken pieces and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring to coat in the paste.
- Pour in coconut milk. Add fish sauce and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer.
- Add zucchini and simmer 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
- Stir in spinach or Thai basil and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve over jasmine rice with garnishes.
Notes
Customize Your Vegetables
This recipe is infinitely flexible with vegetables. Zucchini, bell peppers, snap peas, eggplant, baby corn, bamboo shoots — all work beautifully. You can also make it fully vegetarian by swapping the chicken for tofu and using soy sauce instead of fish sauce. The sauce is so flavorful that it carries whatever you put in it really well.
Serve it over jasmine rice always — the floral fragrance of jasmine rice pairs perfectly with Thai curry. And squeeze that lime over the top right before serving, it makes everything brighter and more vibrant. This is one of my absolute favorite dinners and I really hope it becomes one of yours too.
Tools for This Recipe
- Lodge 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet: A big, roomy skillet holds the chicken, coconut milk and veggies at a steady simmer if you do not have a wok.
- OXO Good Grips Citrus Squeezer: Makes quick work of the lime juice that brightens up the curry right at the end.
- AROMA Digital Rice Cooker: Fluffy jasmine rice on the side with zero babysitting while the curry simmers.
xo, Pam
