Thai Chicken Coconut Curry – An EASY one-skillet curry that’s ready in 20 minutes and is layered with so many fabulous flavors!! Low-cal, low-carb, and HEALTHY but tastes like comfort food!!
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Thai Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
This is an easy Thai chicken curry that’s made in one skillet, ready in 20 minutes, and is naturally gluten-free. According to the computer-generated nutrition stats, there’s only 141 calories and 4 carbs per serving — no rice or naan included.
With cold weather upon us, nothing is better than diving into a bowl of this hearty yet healthy comfort food that’s layered with flavors. I could just drink the coconut milk-based sauce.
The Thai red curry is savory, salty, there’s natural sweetness from the sweet Vidalia onions, carrots, and coconut milk. There’s perfect acid balance from lime juice and a very gentle heat from the Thai red curry paste.
Since sharing this recipe in 2017, I’ve received almost 600 comments and 240+ five-star reviews on it. To say it’s a reader favorite is an understatement!
Thai Chicken Coconut Curry Ingredients
To make the easy Thai red curry recipe, you’ll need:
- Coconut oil
- Sweet Vidalia onion
- Chicken breasts
- Garlic
- Ground or fresh ginger
- Ground coriander
- Canned coconut milk
- Shredded carrots
- Thai red curry paste
- Fresh spinach
- Lime juice
- Brown sugar
- Fresh cilantro
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Using Curry Powder vs Curry Paste
Thai red curry paste adds a richer and smoother flavor profile than curry powder (Indian) does, but if all you have is curry powder, go for it knowing that the flavor of Thai versus Indian curry products is vastly different and your dish won’t taste like mine.
How to Make Thai Red Curry
This is a very easy Thai curry recipe to make! Here’s how the coconut milk curry comes together:
- Add the oil and chopped onion to a large skillet and sauté until softened.
- Add the diced chicken and cook until done, then add the garlic, ginger, and coriander.
- Coconut milk, carrots, Thai curry paste, salt, and pepper are stirred in next, and then the mixture should be left to bubble away for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach, lime juice, and optional brown sugar last.
I like to serve this coconut milk curry with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro to make the flavors pop.
Recipe Tips
Curry paste: As with all curry pastes and powders, they vary in intensity and everyone’s preferences for spice and heat vary, so adjust to taste. I used 2 rounded tablespoons and I wouldn’t call it spicy at all but very flavorful. My 10-year-old wasn’t at all phased by it but we like spicy food.
Veggies: If you have extra veggies you want to incorporate such as cauliflower, bell peppers, tomatoes, or edamame, add them when you add the coconut milk and carrots.
Meal Prep: Something I love about this Thai curry recipe is that the flavors deepen as the leftovers sit in the fridge. So feel free to make a big batch of curry before a busy work week to enjoy later on!
Storage Instructions
If stored in an airtight container in the fridge, this coconut milk curry will last up to five days.
Can You Freeze Red Curry?
Absolutely! I like to store smaller quantities in freezer bags to reheat at a moment’s notice. Frozen curry will last up to three months.
Ingredient Substitutions and Shortcuts
This is a very flexible chicken coconut curry recipe, so feel free to tweak the ingredients list as needed to use up what you have on hand.
- Coconut oil: May be substituted with olive oil.
- Chicken: Use shredded rotisserie chicken or meal prepped chicken instead to save time. Or, use a can of chickpeas to keep this dish vegetarian.
- Veggies: Mix and match the veggies to use up whatever is in your produce drawer.
- Ground coriander: Omit if you don’t have it on hand, but note that the curry won’t have quite the same depth of flavor.
What to Serve with Thai Chicken Curry
We like to serve this Thai chicken curry with naan bread, rice (brown, basmati, or white), or quinoa.
There are so many veggies in the curry itself that a vegetable side isn’t really needed, in my opinion. However, curry pairs nicely with steamed veggies or a crisp green salad.
Thai Chicken Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons coconut oil, olive oil may be substituted
- 1 medium/large sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 2 to 3 teaspoons ground ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- one 13-ounce can coconut milk, I used lite; full-fat will deliver a richer/thicker result
- 1 to 1 ½ cups shredded carrots
- 1 to 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, or to taste (curry powder may be substituted, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- about 3 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar, optional and to taste
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped for garnishing (basil may be substituted)
- rice, quinoa, or naan, optional for serving
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the oil, onion, and sauté over medium-high heat until the onion begins to soften about 5 minutes; stir intermittently.
- Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is done; flip and stir often to ensure even cooking.
- Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir frequently.
- Add the coconut milk, carrots, Thai curry paste, salt, pepper, and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium, and allow mixture to gently boil for about 5 minutes, or until liquid volume has reduced as much as desired and thickens slightly.
- Add the spinach, lime juice, and stir to combine. Cook until spinach has wilted and is tender, about 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and optionally add brown sugar, additional curry paste, salt, pepper, etc. to taste.
- Evenly sprinkle with the cilantro and serve immediately. Curry is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Thai Curry Recipes:
Favorite CHICKEN RECIPES HERE, CURRY RECIPES HERE, and RECIPES USING COCONUT MILK HERE.
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So freaking good! This is on rotation in our house, has been for years. I’ve recently started including the brown sugar and it is next level. I never leave reviews but it’s that good 😂
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and glad this was good enough to get you to do it! Great to hear you’ve been making this on rotation for years!
excellent
Thanks, Tyler! I appreciate it!
I make this recipe for my husband and guests all the time and it is a hit!
Thank you for the five star review and I’m so pleased to hear that you make this all the time for your husband and guests and that it’s a winner!
This recipe is delicious as written! We did not change a thing. My daughter and I are personal chef’s and we also made this for a client who turned around and ordered more right away. It has a nice smooth sauce without being overly rich. I love the fresh spinach in it. It is easy to adjust the spice level. I am glad I found this recipe. Thanks so much!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad your client loved my recipe as well and you and your daughter!
I love this recipe, made it a half dozen times. I usually add at least 1.5 times the amount of coconut milk and I like the extra sauce over rice. I also add another tbsp of red curry paste for extra zing.
Thanks for the five star review Jerry and I’m so glad to hear you love this recipe and then you’ve made it many times and that you’ve tweaked it to your preferences. I love a really saucy curry and I usually add a bit more coconut milk as well and always extra zing!
This was very easy to make and wonderful to eat! I will definitely make it again and often. Thanks so much for such a flavorful meal!
Thanks for the five star review Gloria and glad you’ll definitely make this again and often! Wonderful to hear!
Added a red capsicum to this and used up a leftover bbq (rotisserie) chicken to make a quick & tasty meal on a hot summer night in Australia, delicious… everyone loved it, thank you 🙏
Thanks for the 5 star review Jenny and I’m so glad this recipe came in handy for you and helped you use us some leftover chicken and wow, hot summer night in Australia. That’s right! Most of the US is cold and in true winter. Happy holidays!
Nice recipe, so good.
Love this!
Thanks, Kylette! Glad you love it!
Perfect!!
Thank you very much!
This Thai Chicken Coconut Curry looks absolutely delicious — rich, creamy, and packed with flavor! I love that it’s healthy yet feels like pure comfort food for a quick weeknight dinner! 🍛✨
Easy to make and delicious! Everyone loved it. I did serve it in rice to stretch it but would be fine without.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Deb, and I’m glad to hear everyone loved this!
This has become a staple in my house and I just love it so much every time. Yesterday I made it just as written and it is so delicious. Even my partner who isn’t much of a curry fan loved this and couldn’t get enough!
It’s pretty simple, mostly just chicken, carrots, spinach and onions, so I do think adding some other vegetables is nice — some red pepper, broccoli or chick peas or even diced tomatoes all add to this dish.
Really just writing to say thank you for this great recipe and the many others you offer!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Patricia, and for your lovely comment and it’s great to hear this has become a staple in your house! Always love hearing things like this!
Love this recipe. I make it all the time for the family. Everyone likes it spicy so I lean toward the 3+ Tbs of Curry Paste. Currently we are on a Green Curry kick and that works just as well as the red curry. In fact the recipe lends itself to quite a bit of freelancing. I use Thighs instead of breasts sometimes leave the bone in. Have other veggies in the fridge? Throw em in. It all works great.
Thanks for the reciipe
Thanks for the 5 star review, Duncan, and I’m glad to hear that this has been a frequent dish for your family and a hit with everyone! And yes, it’s so versatile as you’ve pointed out which is nice!
Very good, I like to cook, however I have a tendency to experiment with different spices. I don’t think I have made the same recipe twice. Many thanks though as you are the basis of my own cooking.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Steve, and even more thanks and gratitude for letting me know that my recipes are the basis of some of your own cooking. That’s such a great compliment and I appreciate it!
Sooooooo good. I used dried cilantro leaves in substitute for coriander. Same herb but ground coriander is made from the seeds. Still tasted great. Served with brown rice. It’s a keeper!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Kathleen, and I’m so glad to hear that this turned out so well for you and curries are very flexible so I’m sure the coriander was great too!