Thai Red Curry

Name: Thai Red Curry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 can (14 ounces) full-fat coconut milk; 3 to 4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste; 1 tablespoon neutral oil, only if your coconut milk does not separate; 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces; 1 small yellow onion, cut into wedges; 1 red bell pepper, sliced; 1 green bell pepper, sliced; 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 1 to 2 tablespoons light brown sugar; 1/2 cup chicken stock or water; 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to taste; 1/2 cup Thai basil or regular basil leaves; Cooked jasmine rice, for serving

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

To make Thai Red Curry, fry red curry paste in thick coconut cream, simmer chicken with onions and peppers, then finish with fish sauce, brown sugar, basil, and lime. The sauce should come out glossy, spicy, and balanced enough to justify the rice under it.

Jump to Recipe

Thai red curry is one of those dinners where a jar of curry paste does not mean you have given up. It means somebody already did the tedious part of grinding chiles, aromatics, and spices into a concentrated paste, and you are free to spend your energy making sure the coconut milk, vegetables, protein, fish sauce, and lime actually balance each other.

Bloom the red curry paste in a little coconut fat first so its aroma opens up before the rest of the coconut milk goes in. Add the ingredients in an order that respects their cooking times, simmer gently rather than violently boiling the coconut milk, and finish with lime and basil so the curry stays bright. You want a sauce that is creamy but not heavy, spicy but not blunt, and salty enough to carry over rice. It should taste layered in 30 minutes, which is a very good return on one dirty pot.

Prep10 minutes

Cook20 minutes

Total30 minutes

Serves4 servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

Servings

1 can (14 ounces) full-fat coconut milk
3 to 4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon neutral oil, only if your coconut milk does not separate
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small yellow onion, cut into wedges
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
1/2 cup Thai basil or regular basil leaves
Cooked jasmine rice, for serving

Instructions

1Open the coconut milk and spoon the thick cream from the top into a large skillet or wide pot set over medium heat. If the milk is fully blended, add the neutral oil instead.
2Stir in the red curry paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until it smells deep and a little sharper than when it came out of the jar.
3Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cook for 3 minutes, then add the onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper.
4Pour in the remaining coconut milk and the stock or water. Bring the curry to a lively simmer and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender but still bright.
5Stir in the fish sauce and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Simmer for 1 minute, then add the lime juice and basil. Cook poultry until the thickest piece reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
6Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, sugar, or lime juice until the curry tastes rich, salty, lightly sweet, and bright. Serve hot over jasmine rice.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 4 servings.

460Calories

30 gProtein

20 gCarbohydrates

31 gTotal Fat

22 gSaturated Fat

4 gFiber

14 gTotal Sugars

1050 mgSodium

85 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Cooking the curry paste in the coconut cream first is what makes the sauce taste round instead of flat.
Keep the peppers and onions big enough to stay visible and glossy instead of disappearing into the sauce.
Do not skip the final taste adjustment; Thai curry wakes up when sweet, salty, and lime all land together.

Substitutions

chicken → shrimp or firm tofu Shrimp needs only a couple of minutes at the end; tofu should be browned first if you want real texture.

vegetables → bamboo shoots, green beans, zucchini, or eggplant Use quick-cooking vegetables so the curry stays weeknight-fast.

fish sauce → soy sauce plus a pinch more salt It loses some funk, but it still lands better than leaving the seasoning timid.

Storage Instructions

Store Thai Red Curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently over low heat so the coconut milk stays smooth.

Make Ahead

Slice the chicken and vegetables ahead if you want speed, but cook the curry fresh so the basil and lime still taste awake.

Freezing

Yes. Cool the curry completely and freeze it without fresh basil or lime garnish. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat gently, stirring the coconut-milk sauce back together; the bell peppers will be softer after freezing.

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