Easy Thai Red Curry with Chicken Recipe
33+ easy Thai recipes by Chef Sylvia and Thai Chef Suwanee! Skip takeout and learn how to make authentic Thai food at home with fresh, healthy ingredients!
How to Make the Best Easy Thai Red Curry with Chicken
This Thai red curry is the perfect weeknight dinner when you’re craving bold, authentic flavors without the hassle of ordering takeout. With tender chicken, fresh vegetables, and a rich coconut curry sauce infused with aromatic kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil, this dish comes together in just 30 minutes.
The secret to a great Thai red curry lies in properly blooming the curry paste in coconut milk before adding the other ingredients. This step releases all those complex flavors—lemongrass, galangal, chilies, and spices—creating a deeply flavorful base that coats every bite. The combination of fish sauce and brown sugar provides that classic Thai balance of salty, sweet, and savory.
Feel free to customize this recipe with your favorite proteins and vegetables. Shrimp, tofu, and beef all work beautifully, and you can swap the zucchini for eggplant, green beans, or bamboo shoots. Serve over steaming jasmine rice to soak up every drop of that luscious curry sauce.
Easy Thai Red Curry with Chicken
33+ easy Thai recipes by Chef Sylvia and Thai Chef Suwanee! Skip takeout and learn how to make authentic Thai food at home with fresh, healthy ingredients!
Ingredients
Protein & Vegetables
Curry Sauce
Instructions
Prepare the Curry
- Add the curry paste and half the coconut milk to a medium-large stock pot over medium-high heat. Break up the curry paste, stir well with the coconut milk, and cook until bubbles form and the sauce thickens (around 2 minutes).
- Add the chicken, chicken stock, and the rest of the coconut milk. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, stirring a few times. The sauce will reduce quite a bit at this point. Feel free to add 2-3 tablespoons more water or stock if it gets too thick.
- Add the vegetables—onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini—and loosen with more water if needed. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables reach desired doneness.
Season and Serve
- Add fish sauce, sugar, and kaffir lime leaves. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes. Carefully sample the curry sauce and season as needed with more fish sauce and sugar. Add more curry paste for extra spice or flavor.
- Turn the heat off, add basil, stir well, and let cool for a few minutes before serving.
- Serve with jasmine, brown, or basmati rice. Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in the fridge.
Notes
- For a vegetarian version, substitute the chicken with crispy tofu and use vegetable stock.
- Adjust the amount of curry paste based on your spice preference—use 3 tablespoons for extra heat.
- If you can't find kaffir lime leaves, substitute with 1 teaspoon of lime zest.
