Get ready to warm up your winter nights with our Thai Coconut Curry Chicken—tender chicken is simmered in creamy coconut curry sauce, with just the right balance of spicy and savory flavors. And if that’s not enough of a reason to love this dish, it’s also completely dairy-free and easily adaptable to vegan preferences making it the ultimate crowd-pleaser for chilly evenings.
Table of Contents
What is curry
Curry is a ubiquitous term when it comes to Indian cuisine. If you’re used to perusing the menu at your local Indian restaurant or take-out spot, you’ve likely noticed it already. But what is it?
Curry is any gravy or sauce that accompanies a meat or vegetable dish! It’s packed with spices and bursting with flavor, an absolute treat for the palate. While it did originate in India, it has spread worldwide and is now common in many locales. For instance, this dish is part of Thai cuisine, not Indian!
What to serve Thai coconut curry chicken with
This recipe is perfect because it’s so filling and delicious. The chicken coated in the curry is absolutely stunning, but we think it’s best served over a bowl of jasmine or cauliflower rice. The addition of the rice really adds some heft to this meal, making it so much more filling and hearty. Jasmine rice is longer and thinner than other rice grains, and once cooked it’s nice and fluffy, not sticky. It pairs extremely well with this curry dish!
Another option is to serve this curry with quinoa. Quinoa is a type of edible seed that’s high in fiber and super healthy and delicious!
How to make Thai coconut curry vegan
If you’re looking for a vegan substitute, you’re in luck! This recipe uses coconut milk for the base rather than a dairy alternative, so it’s already very close.
To make this recipe vegan, all you need to do is substitute the chicken for cauliflower florets. Cauliflower is an excellent meat alternative because it’s dense and rich in nutrients, but it’s also hearty and super satisfying and filling. We think it’s the perfect chicken substitute in this dish!
How to make Thai coconut curry chicken
- Add chicken, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon curry powder to a bowl and mix well.
- Heat up oil in a medium pan, then add chicken, working in batches so as to not crowd the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the chicken is just lightly browned, then remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add another teaspoon of olive oil.
- Cook onions for two minutes.
- Add jalapeños, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of curry powder, garlic, and ginger, then cook, stirring, for one minute until fragrant.
- Add coconut milk and stir, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Once cooked, add fresh basil and cilantro.
- Serve over rice or quinoa and enjoy!
Common Questions about Thai Coconut Curry Chicken
Curry is best when you use the freshest spices and aromatics. Those are key to creating the most flavorful curry.
Chicken curry recipes vary and can be made with a variety of different ingredients. This one features coconut milk, jalapeños, onion, garlic, spices, and chicken with a garnish of cilantro and basil.
Chicken curry is typically a fairly healthy dish with plenty of spices that have positive effects on metabolism.
One spice that is necessary when making curry is ginger which gives the dish its signature flavor.
Thai Coconut Curry Chicken
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in 1 inch cubes *See notes for vegan
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 jalapeño diced (more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- 1/2 black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons curry powder
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger minced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro chopped
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
Instructions
- In a medium bowl placed chopped chicken, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon curry powder. Mix well.3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon curry powder
- In a deep cast iron pan, over medium-high heat place 1 tablespoon olive oil, and chicken. Fry quickly, stirring around for 2 to 3 minutes until brown and just cooked through, (do not over crowd the skillet, work in batches) remove to a separate plate and set aside.2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Add additional 1 tablespoon olive oil to same skillet. Throw in onions and cook for 2 minute. Add jalapeños, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons curry powder, garlic and ginger. Stir for 1 minute until fragrant. Add coconut milk and stir. Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Once cooked, add the chicken back in along with the fresh basil, and cilantro. Serve over quinoa, or brown rice.1/2 red onion, 1 jalapeño, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 black pepper, 2 Tablespoons curry powder, 1 can (13.5 ounces) full-fat coconut milk, 2 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, 1/2 cup fresh basil, 1 cup loosely packed cilantro
- *Tip: Cauliflower florets can be substituted for a delicious vegan dish!
Video
Would you like to save this? 🔖
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I found it a bit bland and boring. Picture has chili flakes on it but not in the recipe. i love your recipes but this one is not your best. Might add red pepper next time to give it some colour – if I make it again!
Question: why do you use sooooo much salt?
We’re sorry you didn’t love it, Kelly! You can definitely always adjust the seasonings to suit your preferences.
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
Best chicken curry ever! THANKS
At what point does the chicken I set aside get added back in to skillet, before covering & cooking 10 minutes or afterwards?
After! We updated the recipe card. Thank you for catching that. 😊
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
Love your recipes, have tried alot of them, and will keep making them. Thanks Jillie
Amazing! We appreciate the note <3
This tasted good, however:
1. The recipe didn’t state a weight for the chicken. The weight should be specified, as chicken breasts vary in size. I used 4 chicken breasts and it was too much chicken to curry ratio.
2. The recipe didn’t state when to add the chicken back in, although I did use common sense to figure that out 😉
3. This might be user error, but my coconut milk appeared curdled upon coming out of the can and didn’t form that nice smooth sauce I was looking for.
4. In my opinion, I feel like the garlic and curry powder could be doubled, as it was a tad bit bland.
Overall, this recipe was definitely delicious and I would make it again with the above listed tweaks. Thank you ladies for putting out great recipes!
Thank you for your feedback, Priya! We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you and will work on updating the recipe. 😊
Xo, Alia & Radwa
Will using a lite coconut milk mess up the recipe or must it be full fat?
It’ll still be delicious! The full-fat just makes it creamier.
Hello girls, I made this recipe last night and it was sooo dang delicious!! I can’t wait for the leftovers tonight. I used Thai basil from my garden and it gave it an extra pop of flavor. I love seeing all your videos and I want to try every recipe!! Keep up the awesome work and I have already preordered your cookbook!! I can’t wait to receive it. Judy Dallmann Hall 😀👍🏻
Thank you so much, Judy! This made our day! We truly appreciate your support and hope you continue to enjoy the recipes. 😊
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
One of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. Great recipe!!! No exaggeration what so ever. Totally delicious. It would be good to double and freeze for a night after work when you’re tired, cold and hungry. One of those recipes that I will make going forward. I cooked carrots as a side and served with a
few iceberg lettuce leaves. Thank you ladies so much!!!
Yay! So glad to hear!
I’ve tried about 4 of your recipes so far and I love your quick tasty recipes!! Thank you for being so generous with your recipes! I will be asking for your cookbook for Christmas! This recipe is very tasty, I added carrots to mine as to have more vegetables in it. Broccoli would be good too! I’m a freak about curry as it’s one of my favorite meals and I do think it’s missing something…fish sauce maybe? Idk because I just started learning how to make this genre of food but I will make it again! Thank you! Love you ladies!!!!
Thank you so much, Marlyce! We’re so glad you’re enjoying the recipes. 😊 We’d love to know what you think if you try this one with fish sauce.
Xo,
Alia & Radwa