Minutes to make, absolutely delicious, a handful of ingredients come together in a gorgeous, healthy meal. Thai Yellow Curry Chicken will impress anyone it’s served to and make you look like a genius!
Thai Yellow Curry Chicken
You know how you have a dish and fall in love – only it’s never the same at other places? The first time I had “Coconut Chicken Curry,” a friend (now out of touch) made it for me. No other version has come close, until now.
About Thai Yellow Curry Chicken:
So now I’m making it for you. It’s outstandingly delish, craveable even, with just a touch of heat. Even better, it’s simple to make and takes about 20 minutes.
It was about 25 years ago when my friend introduced me to this dish. I didn’t know a lot about Thai cuisine. I didn’t know that mild, yellow curries are often served to children and as a “jumping off” point for “Westerners” being introduced to Thai cuisine. It worked for me!
Skim the oil off the top of the can and fry the curry paste.
Making Thai Yellow Curry Chicken:
The process is simple. Scoop the fat off the top of the coconut milk and use it to first fry the chili paste, then the chicken and veggies. In goes the coconut milk and any additions. Heat through and serve.
The Ingredients:
A jar of yellow curry paste has over a dozen ingredients! Look for one with no added water or oils. Maesri and Mae Ploy are both quality brands.
While curry paste can be used on its own, there are ways to drive the Thai flavor home:
- Coconut Milk: Use full-fat and a brand with no stabilizers or gums. Thai curry is normally soup-like. Some reduce the coconut milk or add coconut cream for thicker curries.
- Fish Sauce: It’s fermented and lasts forever. It brings umami and doesn’t taste “fishy”. (Most don’t give a second thought to Worcestershire, made of anchovies.)
- Palm Sugar: Bought in cones or chunks, it has a slightly smoky, caramelized taste and adds depth. Brown sugar is a decent substitute.
- Chiles: For (optional) heat, Thai or bird chiles can be added whole while cooking; pierce them for more heat. Red pepper flakes can substitute.
- Lime: The hint of acidity from lime brightens and refreshes.
- Garnishes: Fresh basil and/or cilantro, or thinly sliced red chiles, all go with the Thai vibe.
It’s easy to divide components and cook at the same time
The Variations:
Always add ingredients starting with those requiring the most cooking to those needing the least. Bite-sized pieces are preferred, the better to get some of each in every spoonful.
- My version doesn’t contain a starchy vegetable; waxy potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, or carrots are classic additions. Use more liquid to compensate for the longer cooking time if using these vegetables, and add the chicken in later.
- Other vegetables, instead of the bell peppers, green beans, and onion I’ve used, could be baby corn, bamboo shoots, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, mushrooms, peas, or zucchini or other favorites.
- Instead of chicken, other poultry, fish, shrimp, or other seafood are options. Vegetarian curries can be made with tofu or chickpeas.
Serve With:
Serve with rice and a garnish of lime. Start the rice before starting the curry.
Leftover Thai Yellow Curry Chicken:
Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for three to four days. The texture may suffer with reheating.
- Reheat servings, lightly covered, in the microwave.
- Larger amounts may be gently heated stovetop.
Leftover curry paste keeps tightly covered in the fridge for a week or two; for longer storage, freeze it.
Other Easy Asian Recipes You Might Like:
Simple Steak Yakisoba
Saving Money on Groceries:
What you pay for groceries depends on not just WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.
- The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Think beyond the occasion & use the opportunity to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
- If available, take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality. Be selective when shopping there.
Asian Condiments and Ingredients:
- Sales are usually unadvertised and often happen before the Chinese New Year. If your store has them, check both the American/Asian and International aisles.
- Asian markets will usually have best pricing. While there, check around. Pricing on chicken and other proteins is often outstanding.
- Some basic items, like Soy Sauce, are now carried at the discount groceries, and many condiments are carried in larger grocery stores.
Coconut Milk:
Coconut Milk varies in price and quality. Look for full-fat with no stabilizers or gums.
- At the grocery, compare pricing in the Asian, Indian, and Latin American aisles. Check the discount bins. Stores serving diverse population areas usually sell for less. (The same day Target sold coconut milk in the burbs for $3.19, it was $1.99 in the city.)
- Check Markets and discount stores. At the grocery, it was $3.49 a can, the Asian market, $1.29, and Lidl $1.00 a can.
- Stock up at rock bottom; dates have little meaning; coconut milk keeps for years, properly stored in a cool, dark cupboard. Separation is normal.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast:
There are options when it comes to purchasing. Generally, buying in larger amounts means you’ll pay less per pound.
- Chicken drops to a low once a quarter. Know what’s a good deal, and a great one, and never pay full price. Stock the freezer at rock bottom. Divide family packs into amounts for meals.
- Trim today’s huge breasts into actual serving sizes. Large ones can be cut in half, and smaller ones trimmed to size. Package trimmings for stir-fries, casseroles, chicken strips, and so on.
- Compare sale pricing across stores, and fresh to frozen. Learn to compare fresh, priced by the pound, to frozen, often labeled in ounces. Frozen, unless it’s a great sale, is almost always more per pound than fresh on sale.
- See this post on Bagged Frozen Breasts and this post on Bone-In and Boneless.
Bell Peppers:
- Buy on sale or take advantage of discount store pricing. Compare the pricing of two or three packs to singles. Green peppers are the bargain; cheaper than other colors.
- Store for one to two weeks in a perforated bag (or the bag they come in; staple or tape it shut after removing one).
- If a save is needed, roast, peel, and freeze the colored ones; Green can be diced and frozen raw for recipes.
Thai Curry Chicken with Rice
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish Chicken
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
- 1 can Coconut Milk, full fat (let it settle a few days in your kitchen)
- 1 to 3 tablespoons Curry Paste, to taste, jarred or home-made
- 1 onion, sliced lengthwise
- 2 or 3 bell peppers, thinly sliced, Red, Green, Yellow, and/or Orange
- a handful of Snow peas or green beans
- 2 chicken breasts, about 3/4 pound, sliced thinly
- 2 teaspoons palm or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 lime for serving
Instructions
Prepare your chicken and vegetables. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Open coconut milk and scrape the congealed coconut oil into the pan. (If there is no coconut oil on top, simply add about 1/2 cup of the coconut milk.)
Add curry paste and let cook for a minute or two, stir, then on one side of the pan add chicken and on the other the vegetables. Stir each pile to coat in the curry and spread out, allowing to cook for a few minutes.
As the chicken begins to turn white on all sides and the vegetables start to become a bit tender, add the coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is of the desired consistency.
Since Thai curries are traditionally rather thin and soupy, this takes just minutes. If too thick, add a little water.
Serve with rice and lime.
Note: For a thick curry, either:
- Remove the chicken and vegetables (so they don’t overcook) and reduce the sauce.
- Reduce the coconut milk before cooking.
- Use coconut cream (found in the Asian aisle, not cream of coconut, commonly used for adult beverages).
