Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken — Better-than-takeout yellow curry is EASY and ready in 25 minutes!! Healthy comfort food with the PERFECT amount of heat and lots of textures and flavors in every bite! Impress your friends and family and make this DELICIOUS curry at home!!
Table of Contents
No need for takeout from your local Thai restaurant when you can make an authentic-tasting curry this good in 25 minutes at home. The curry is hearty yet healthy comfort food that’s layered with Thai-inspired flavors and is naturally gluten-free.
I could drink the coconut milk broth or prepare it as a soup – it’s so good and it keeps the chicken so juicy and moist. I used full fat coconut milk but have used lite in previous curry recipes and it may not be quite as rich, but it’s still great.
There’s natural sweetness from the sweet Vidalia onions, carrots, and the coconut milk, the lime juice add the perfect acidic notes to balance the flavors.
I love all the textures and flavors in every bite from the tender carrots, wilted spinach, and of course the perfectly juicy chicken.
Recipe Ingredients
For this yellow chicken curry recipe, you’ll need:
- Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Sweet Vidalia onion
- Garlic
- Ground turmeric (essential to impart a bold yellow color)
- Ground ginger
- Coriander
- Yellow curry paste
- Coconut milk
- Shredded carrots
- Fresh spinach
- Pepper
- Cilantro
- Brown sugar
- Lime juice
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Thai Yellow Curry
Homemade Thai yellow coconut curry is so quick and easy to prepare! Here’s how the recipe is made:
- Add the onion and oil to a large skillet and sauté until softened.
- Add the diced chicken and cook until no longer pink inside (about 5 minutes.)
- Add the spices and garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Stir in the yellow curry paste, carrots, and coconut milk and let the mixture bubble away until the liquid is reduced.
- The remaining ingredients are then stirred in and the curry is ready to serve!
We enjoyed this both on it’s on as well as served over jasmine rice. Basmati rice or naan would be my other serving suggestions.
Adjusting the Spice Level of This Curry
To really deliver a punch of yellow curry flavor, I used this Mekhala Organic Yellow Curry Paste. Unlike the Thai Kitchen brand of Red Curry Paste or Green Curry Paste that I’ve used in the past for respective red and green curry recipes, the Mekhala packs way more heat per tablespoon.
With the Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste, I use a full 4-ounce jar for my typical red curry recipes and don’t sense much heat.
However, with the Mekhala Yellow Curry Paste, half of a 3.5-ounce jar was plenty to sense a fair amount of heat. We love heat and I was pleasantly surprised the kind of punch this curry paste packed. It’s not spicy if you use a teaspoon but if you use half the jar like I did, the heat creeps up on you.
If you’re heat-sensitive or don’t like your food as spicy, start with 1 to 2 teaspoons and work up from there. You can always add more, but you can’t undo it.
Recipe Variations to Try
The great thing about Thai curries is that you can add whatever vegetables or legumes you like!
Try incorporating:
- Cauliflower
- Bell peppers
- Sweet potatoes
- Chickpeas
- Edamame
- Frozen peas
- Kale rather than spinach
- Basil rather than cilantro
- Cashews
- Or whatever you have in your produce drawer or freezer
I think of curries as a stir-fry-meets-soup, and there are no rules with what to add to either those in my book. Enjoy all the wonderful flavors and dig in.
Recipe FAQs
You can use full-fat or lite coconut milk to make this recipe. Just make sure to use coconut milk that comes in a can and not the kind in a carton.
If you’d like to keep this recipe vegetarian or are short on time, you can add a can of drained chickpeas in place of the diced chicken. The curry will cook up faster but still be packed with protein.
I used this Mekhala Organic Yellow Curry Paste, but Thai Kitchen yellow curry paste will also work. Note that the Mekhala brand curry paste is much spicier than Thai Kitchen’s!
Yellow coconut curry is generally milder than either red or green curry, but this recipe still has a kick to it. To us, it was fairly mild but if your family doesn’t like spicy foods simply add less curry paste than the recipe calls for, taste the sauce after a few minutes of simmering, and add more if desired.
What to Serve with Yellow Curry
Video Tutorial
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Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, (coconut oil may be substituted)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced small (a sweet Vidalia may also be used)
- 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 2 to 3 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger , finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon fresh ginger)
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 to 4 tablespoons Mekhala Organic Yellow Curry Paste, or as desired
- 13.5 ounces full-fat coconut milk, (lite may be substituted)
- 1 ½ cups shredded carrots
- 2 to 3 cups fresh spinach, loosely packed (2 to 3 heaping handfuls)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice, (optional but recommended)
- ¼ to ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped for garnishing (basil may be substituted)
- 1 to 4 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed (optional and to taste)
- salt, (optional and to taste)
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, turmeric, ginger, coriander, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir frequently.
- Add the curry paste, coconut milk, carrots, 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, pepper, and stir until the spinach has wilted.
- Taste the curry and add the optional but recommended lime juice (brightens the flavor of the dish), cilantro, optional light brown sugar (balances the heat), optional salt (I did not add any because the curry paste has salt in it), and add extra of any of the spices already used or more curry paste, if desired and to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Originally posted April 27, 2020 and reposted July 21, 2021 with updated text.
This recipe is fantastic!
I have made it several times.
We eat it fresh for one meal and then I freeze the remaining in lunch containers.
So delicious ❤️
hanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that you’ve made it several times! I love that you can get a few meals out of it – both freshly made and leftovers for lunch. That’s always such a nice treat to have a nice lunch ready and waiting!
Can you freeze the yellow coconut curry recipe ?
I’ve made it and absolutely love it!
Can you freeze the yellow coconut curry recipe ?
I’ve made it and absolutely love it!
Yes you can! Freeze it in airtight containers in your freezer for up to 3-4 months. I thaw and then reheat gently in my the micro.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad you love the recipe!
Made this for this first time tonight for my family. Absolutely delicious!! I read an earlier review stating their’s didn’t have depth of flavor. Agree that sweating down the onion in the beginning is important. I browned mine. I pulled the chicken and onion aside in the pot, added the garlic, ginger, turmeric and coriander spices. I cooked them together for a bit to intensive their flavor then added the curry paste to the garlic and spice mixture, cooking that a little while too before mixing it all together. Learned that from a chef and do it all the time with spices now, especially with chili! Great dish and flavor! Agree with adding the lime because the acidity brightens the flavor. I added mushrooms, bell peppers, water chestnuts, Thai chili peppers and potatoes! Will definitely make this again.
Thanks for the amazing recipe!
I made this recipe but I made it with tofu instead of chicken and it turned out delicious 😋 very flavorful.
I made this recipe but I made it with tofu instead of chicken and it turned out delicious 😋 very flavorful.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad it turned out great with tofu!
This is one of my family’s most favourite dishes. I don’t have to play with the spices at all but you can if you need more zip or zing. I don’t use the spinach but add red & orange pepper, broccoli and zucchini. Served with jasmine rice it’s the perfect bite!!
This is one of my family’s most favourite dishes. I don’t have to play with the spices at all but you can if you need more zip or zing. I don’t use the spinach but add red & orange pepper, broccoli and zucchini. Served with jasmine rice it’s the perfect bite!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you it’s one of your family’s favorites!
I made the recipe and it was pretty good. This was the first time I’ve made curry and I’m not sure exactly what went wrong. The curry had a decent amount of spice/heat but didn’t have the depth of flavor that I wanted. It was a little watery so maybe letting it boil longer would be better, but I’m just not sure why it had the heat factor and not as much flavor and depth.
I made the recipe and it was pretty good. This was the first time I’ve made curry and I’m not sure exactly what went wrong. The curry had a decent amount of spice/heat but didn’t have the depth of flavor that I wanted. It was a little watery so maybe letting it boil longer would be better, but I’m just not sure why it had the heat factor and not as much flavor and depth.
Depth of flavor comes from simmering things properly and by sweating down the onion in the beginning, making sure your garlic, ginger, turmeric, etc. are all fresh and high quality. They give depth, whereas the curry paste will give heat.
Also this is huge, most people are scared to salt their food at home properly. This is the #1 issue for lackluster food IMO. You need to add a bit more salt. And make sure to add the lime juice. It all works in harmony.
Thanks for trying the recipe.
Let it reduce a bit more. When I cook it I let it simmer slowly for about an hour, just so you can get the flavour you want and the consistency
This recipe gets 5 stars. My father in law took me to try curry for the first time about a month ago, and I have been looking for a recipe to make it ever since(it’s one of his favorites). Tried this recipe exactly as it is, and went for 4 tablespoons of the curry paste. Same kind/brand mentioned in the recipe.
Father in law loved it, and it will be made more often in our home now.
Thank you!
This recipe gets 5 stars. My father in law took me to try curry for the first time about a month ago, and I have been looking for a recipe to make it ever since(it’s one of his favorites). Tried this recipe exactly as it is, and went for 4 tablespoons of the curry paste. Same kind/brand mentioned in the recipe.
Father in law loved it, and it will be made more often in our home now.
Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that you used the same kind and amount of curry paste and everyone loved it and that it will be on repeat for you!
Hi, I followed your recipe to the letter. Only added a can of bambu-shoots. It was delecious!!! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!!
Big hug, Mike
Hi, I followed your recipe to the letter. Only added a can of bambu-shoots. It was delecious!!! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!!
Big hug, Mike
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this was delicious! Bamboo shoots are an excellent idea and addition.
Thank you for this recipe! I am now addicted to making curry on chilly rainy nights. I have made this a few times now; used chicken and chickpeas tonight. Love it!
Thank you for this recipe! I am now addicted to making curry on chilly rainy nights. I have made this a few times now; used chicken and chickpeas tonight. Love it!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is your new favorite especially on chilly rainy nights! Sounds great with the chickpeas, too!