This vibrant and flavorful Thai chicken curry is a quick and easy weeknight dinner packed with authentic taste. The creamy coconut milk combined with aromatic curry paste creates a delicious sauce that perfectly coats the tender chicken and vegetables.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This recipe is quick to come together and is cooked in one simple dish for easy cleanup!
You will love the rich, deliciousness of the red curry combined with the sauteed vegetables and chicken.
I love how versatile this recipe is. Serve it over rice, noodles, vegetables, or with a side salad.
What goes into this recipe
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: I like to use thinly sliced breasts for this recipe, so it cooks a little faster, but regular chicken breasts will be just fine as well.
- Sea salt: I have been using Celtic sea salt and loving it lately! Feel free to use your favorite salt, but consider avoiding table salt or the dish may end up way too salty.
- Ground black pepper: Fresh ground black pepper is best!
- Olive oil: We’ll use this to sear our chicken and saute the vegetables.
- Bell pepper: I went with a red bell pepper, but of course any bell pepper will work.
- Yellow onion: The yellow onion is my favorite for this dish. It has a tad stronger flavor than a white onion and I think its adds so much flavor!
- Garlic: Because garlic goes with just about everything.
- Fresh ginger: Offers a bright, spicy kick that complements the curry.
- Red curry paste: The heart of the curry, providing heat, complexity, and authentic flavor. Adjust for spice preference.
- Coconut milk: Creates a rich and creamy sauce, essential for classic Thai curry flavor.
- White rice: A classic accompaniment for curries.
- Fresh cilantro: Optional garnish for a fresh, herbaceous note.
Thai Chicken Curry
Step 1: Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken breasts on both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Step 2: Add the sliced bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the hot pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the grated ginger and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
Step 3: Add the red curry paste and stir to coat the vegetables. Briefly cook for another minute.
Step 4: Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, a little at a time, ensuring each addition is fully incorporated before adding more. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Step 5: Nestle the seared chicken breasts back into the pan, ensuring they are coated in the creamy curry sauce. Transfer the entire pan (or carefully transfer the mixture to an oven-safe baking dish) to your preheated oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F
Step 6: Serve over fluffy white rice and garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.
Expert Tips
- For a spicier curry, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Serve with a side of steamed broccoli or brown rice, such as my rice pilaf, to stretch this meal even further.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, shrimp would be a delightful substitute. Of course, if you use shrimp, you can pretty much skip the oven altogether.
Yes! This stores and reheats very well.
Red curry can be moderately spicy, but the amounts used in this dish make it relatively mild.
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Related content
Thai Red Chicken Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (thinly sliced for faster cooking)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste adjust for spice preference
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk 14 oz
- Cooked white rice for serving
- Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken breasts on both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add the sliced bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the hot pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the grated ginger and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the red curry paste and stir to coat the vegetables. Briefly cook for another minute.
- Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, a little at a time, ensuring each addition is fully incorporated before adding more. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Nestle the seared chicken breasts back into the skillet, ensuring they are coated in the creamy curry sauce. Transfer the entire pan (or carefully transfer the mixture to an oven-safe baking dish) to your preheated oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C)
- Serve over fluffy white rice and garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.
Notes
- For a spicier curry, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Serve with a side of steamed broccoli or brown rice to stretch this meal even further.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Made this with boneless chicken thighs!