An easy Thai curry made with shop-bought red curry paste, chicken and coconut milk. So fresh and aromatic! A great option when you're short on time but don't want to miss out on taste.
I've just done a quick count and I've found that we've got more than 20 curry recipes on Kitchen Sanctuary! I guess I just really like curry.
We make curry at home at least once, and usually twice, a week.
Quite often we'll make our own curry paste, but sometimes we'll use store-bought paste if we're in a hurry (or just too hungry to wait!).
What do we need?
Notes on Curry Paste:
Red curry paste can be very strong in flavour and heat level depending on the variety you buy. Here are the 2 that i use most often:
- Mae Ploy and Thai Taste (<--affiliate links) are both relatively hot but nicely authentic in flavour.
- If I want a milder red Thai curry that the kids will enjoy, I use Morrison's own brand Thai red curry paste. It's still got a great authentic flavour (very fragrant with lots of lemongrass in it), but is actually quite mild.
Notes on the other ingredients:
- Coconut milk: Go for full fat coconut milk for the best creamy flavour, without worrying that your sauce might split (as can happen with low-fat coconut milk). See my notes in the recipe below for swaps of coconut milk if you want to make this without coconut milk.
- Chicken: Chicken breast is great for this recipe as it cooks pretty quickly, so you don't have to worry about the chicken being tough. However, you can use trimmed chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Thai Basil: I love to add a little fresh Thai basil to the sauce and for garnish, but if you can't get hold of any, leave it out (you'll still have a lovely curry!) or add more fresh coriander (cilantro).
How to make this Thai red curry
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Soften onion in a little oil over a medium heat, then add the chicken and cook until sealed.
- Add garlic, ginger, lemongrass paste and a crumbled stock cube and stir together to coat the chicken.
- Add the curry paste and stir together.
- Add coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, bamboo shoots and curry leaves. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in lime juice, then serve the curry with boiled rice.
- I love to top the curry with fresh curry leaves, coriander (cilantro), chilli slices and slices of lime.
More better-than-takeout curry recipes
- Beef Massaman Curry
- Crispy Pork Katsu Curry
- Chicken Madras
- Persian Chicken Curry With Walnuts and Pomegranate
- Healthier Slow-Cooked Spicy Chicken Rogan Josh
- Prawn and Mango Curry Noodle Bowl
- Chinese Style Curry with Juicy Meatballs
- Chicken Jalfrezi with Homemade Pilau Rice
Can I make a vegetarian version instead?
Yes! Ensure the curry paste is vegetarian. Replace the chicken with mushrooms, roasted sweet potato or quorn. Replace the fish sauce with a vegetarian fish sauce replacement (Thai Taste do one). You'll also need to replace the stock cube with a vegetarian stock cube.
Can I make a lower fat/calorie Thai red curry?
Yes, here's my low fat Thai red chicken curry that uses a homemade paste and half-fat coconut milk. It's really delicious for a lighter option (267 cals per portion without the rice).
Which Thai curry is the spiciest?
🌶️🌶️🌶️Green Thai curry is considered to be the spiciest - as green chillies (of the same variety) are usually hotter and sharper than red chillies.
🌶️🌶️Red Thai Curry comes next, and 🌶️ Yellow Thai curry is the least spicy.
More Thai Recipes
Love those Thai flavours? Why not try one of these recipes next:
- Thai Style Peanut Pork with Broccoli
- Pad Thai with Prawns
- Thai Fish Cakes with Vegetable Ribbons
- Thai Sweet Potato Skins
- Thai Style Fish Burgers
- Thai Prawns with Cauliflower Rice (only 246 calories)
- Thai Chicken Salad with Easy Peanut Dressing
Watch how to make it
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Thai Red Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion - peeled and chopped
- 3 chicken breasts - about 720g chopped into bitesize pieces
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp lemongrass paste
- 1 chicken stock cube - crumbled
- 1 red pepper - sliced
- 4 tbsp red Thai curry paste
- 14 oz (400g) tin coconut milk
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp palm sugar or light brown muscovado sugar
- 8 oz (225g) tin of bamboo shoots, drained
- 10 fresh Thai basil leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice - about half a lime
To serve:
- Boiled rice
- 5-6 Fresh Thai basil leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh coriander - cilantro
- 2 Thai chillies - thinly sliced
- 1 lime - sliced into wedges
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened.
- Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes until sealed.
- Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass paste and crumbled stock cube and stir together to coat the chicken.
- Add the curry paste and stir together. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the sliced red pepper, stir together and cook for a minute.
- Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, palm sugar, bamboo shoots and curry leaves. Bring to the boil, then gently simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.
- Stir in the lime juice, then serve the curry with boiled rice.
- Top with fresh curry leaves, coriander, chilli slices and lime wedges before serving.
Video
✎ Notes
Can I make this curry ahead?
Yes! you can make this curry, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Reheat in a pan until piping hot throughout.Can I freeze this curry?
Yes, any leftovers of this curry can be cooled, covered and frozen. Then defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a pan (stirring often) or microwave until piping hot throughout.Can I replace the coconut milk?
The coconut milk is quite important for a more authentic Thai flavour, but you can replace the coconut milk with 250ml (about 1 cup) of stock and 150ml (about ½ cup plus 2 tbsp) of double/heavy cream. You may need to thicken the sauce slightly with a cornstarch slurry made of 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch, mixed with 5 tbsp of cold water. Stir it in slowly to the hot curry before serving - until you achieve the desired thickness. Nutritional information is per serving NOT including rice.Nutrition
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Charlotte B says
Very authentic! We Love this Thai curry, great balance of ingredients, just Perfect. Added spinach also. Fab! Thank you!
Andrew Wills says
I made this Thai curry this evening (20th April 2022). I used red curry Penang paste bought from Fareham Thai Spice. It was brilliant, so very tasty. I will definitely be making it again in the near future
Gypsy says
Loved this recipe, thank you. Made to recipe stated but halved the fish sauce as personal preference which I usually do as I am not a fan and also didn't have bamboo shoots but it turned out sensational. For me, glad I halved the fish sauce as for me it would have been too much Asian type flavour on the end product and may even use a little less maybe next time - again my preference but I still ate it all up Lol!! My partner loved it and didn't seem to mind that type of taste so for those reading its up to your palette. Noted it states Thai basil leaves in the ingredients list but states curry leaves in the method section which should be corrected. Might add more basil leaves next time during cooking and more fresh ones on top. All in all a really great and easy recipe to make and thank you for posting it. I used the Ayam Thai Red Curry Paste as it does not have shrimp paste in it, again a personal preference as I don't eat seafood.
aneesa says
can i ask where you get fresh curry leaves or is it the same as basil leaves? and how many do you need as I don't see it on the recipe ingredients list. Also do you need to add water to the stock cube at the beginning stages?
thank you
Mrs S says
I love this recipe so much. Me and my husband have it every week as a healthy dish, we use wholegrain rice and quinoa, and we change the coconut milk for low fat. Absolute winner!
Mrs Stacey says
Not often I rate a recipe, but this was easy, and the result was delicious, it didn't have any heat personally but it didn't need it with that flavour! Texture was silky and the chicken was tender. Great recipe.
Marie says
Hubby made this recipe last week and it was fantastic. Easy and incredibly tasty%
Caron Lyons says
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. This recipe is going to be yet another of my go to recipes from Nick
Janice says
Absolutely fantastic, thank you .
Easy to follow instructions, with plenty of alternative ingredients if some are not easily available.
Will try more recipes from your site.
Chanique says
I made this today, after longing for a bowl of red thai curry from the time I was in the States. After finding this recipe I decided to try it. It completely satisfied my tastebuds and exceeded my expectations. This is what I've been looking for! Thank you so much!
Lizzy says
Could you halve the amount of curry paste so it wasn't as spicy?
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Lizzy, you can, but it will make it taste a little less flavourful. You could replace half of the curry paste with a different mild paste - such as tikka masala or korma paste. Or if you're in the UK, Morrisons own Red Thai paste is mild and very tasty.
gary says
I assume the red pepper goes in with onion?
Chris Corbishley says
Hi Gary,
Good catch we forgot to add the step in the recipe card. I have updated the recipe with the right instruction. You add it in just before the curry paste.
If it helps Nicky takes you through the recipe step by step in this video https://youtu.be/nyF8rwMIMM0
Thanks
Chris & Nicky
Christine says
Love this quick curry recipe. Yes I have more time at the moment, but sometimes you just want a quick easy tasty curry. Definitely one to keep.
mohan kumar says
This look so fresh and delicious.Thank you so much for the recipe!
Chloe Edges | Feast Glorious Feast says
Looks lush. I bought a pot of Mae Ploy recently and its become a challenge meal rather than tasty and enjoyable. I'll def have to check out your Morrisons recommendation instead. I don't mind a decent hit of spice but it's become a bit overpowering.
Nicky Corbishley says
Totally agree - there seems to be a lot of variation between different pastes. The Morrison's one is more of a thick sauce than a paste, it's really good though.