Thai Coconut Chicken Curry
Fragrant coconut curry with tender chicken thighs and crisp green vegetables. Weeknight-friendly, restaurant-good.
This is my house curry — the one I default to when I want something fragrant, comforting and on the table in about half an hour. A good jar of Thai curry paste does most of the heavy lifting, so this is more assembly than cooking.
I use chicken thighs because they stay tender in the sauce. Breast works, but you have to be careful not to overcook it.
Ingredients
- 600g (1⅓ lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3cm pieces
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2cm piece ginger, grated
- 3 tablespoons Thai red or green curry paste
- 1 × 400ml tin full-fat coconut milk
- 200ml (¾ cup) chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 200g green beans, trimmed
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- Juice of ½ lime
- Fresh basil or coriander, to serve
- Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large deep pan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken and sear in a single layer for 2 minutes per side until golden. Remove to a plate.
- Lower the heat, add the onion and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then the curry paste for another minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the coconut milk and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, then return the chicken and add the fish sauce and sugar.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the beans and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes until the vegetables are just tender and the chicken is cooked through.
- Squeeze in the lime, scatter with basil, and serve over jasmine rice.
Cooking tips
- Full-fat coconut milk is non-negotiable. Light versions split and taste watery.
- Fry the curry paste for a full minute in the oil — that's what wakes up the spices.
- Any firm vegetable works: broccoli florets, snap peas, baby corn. Add tender greens like spinach only at the very end.
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