Remember that Thai Curry Vegetable Soup that I made a while back that was like, “GAH! THIS IS SO GOOD!”? Well, yesterday I had a craving for those flavors again, but decided to do them up a little differently. I used the same concept to make these tender and juicy Braised Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Thighs. I made the coconut curry broth a little more concentrated and and braised the chicken thighs, then served the whole lot over a scoop of jasmine rice. The flavors are bold, rich, and complex, yet the dish is ridiculously simple to make. Just my style.
What Thai Curry Paste Did You Use?
The red Thai curry paste that I used is a store bought mix purchased in a small jar (see photos below). The brand is Thai Kitchen, which can be found in most major grocery stores in the U.S. I’ve even seen it in Walmart. They also make a green curry paste, which I think would be just as awesome.
Are Curry Paste and Curry Powder the Same?
Take note: Thai curry paste is not at all the same as the curry powder used in Indian cuisine. Totally different set of ingredients, despite the fact that they are both called curry. That being said, Indian curry goes great with coconut milk and chicken, too, so I bet it wouldn’t be so bad in this dish! Totally different, but still good. :)
Is this Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Spicy?
This dish is only somewhat spicy. Thai curry paste can vary quite a bit in heat level from brand to brand, so you may get a different result if using a different brand.
Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Thighs
Servings 5Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs ($5.30)
- 2 Tbsp red Thai curry paste ($0.62)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp grated ginger ($0.05)
- 1 13oz. can coconut milk ($2.17)
- 1 cup chicken broth* ($0.13)
- 1/4 tsp fish sauce ($0.02)
- 5 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice ($1.10)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.20)
- 2-3 green onions** ($0.17)
- 1 lime ($0.33)
Instructions
- Heat a large deep skillet or soup pot over medium heat. Add the cooking oil, then swirl to cover the surface of the skillet. Add the chicken thighs to the skillet and cook until browned on each side (about 3-5 minutes each side). Remove the chicken from the skillet.
- Add the Thai curry paste, minced garlic, and grated ginger to the skillet. Stir and sauté the aromatics for about one minute.
- Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, and fish sauce to the skillet. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Add the chicken back to the skillet, place a lid on top, and allow the skillet come to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low or medium-low and let the thighs simmer in the coconut sauce for 15 minutes.
- To serve, scoop about 1 cup of cooked rice into the bottom of each bowl. Add one of the braised chicken thighs, then top with a ladle or two of the coconut broth. Add fresh cilantro leaves, sliced green onion, and a wedge or two of fresh lime to each bowl.
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Notes
**I usually use red onion for these curries, but I already had green onion on hand.
Nutrition
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How to Make Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Thighs – Step by Step Photos
Start by heating a large deep skillet, or soup pot, over a medium flame. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil (or coconut oil, if you prefer). Tilt the skillet to distribute the oil over the surface, then add five boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.5 lbs.). Cook the thighs on each side until browned (about 3-5 minutes each side), then remove them from the skillet. They won’t be cook through at this point. They will finish cooking when they simmer in the coconut curry broth.
Add 2 Tbsp red Thai curry paste, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and about 1 Tbsp grated ginger to the skillet.
Sauté these aromatics for about a minute.
BTW, this is the curry paste I’m using. It can be found in most major grocery stores in the U.S. They also make a green curry paste, which would probably also be awesome in this.
Add a 13oz. can of coconut milk, 1 cup chicken broth, and 1/4 tsp fish sauce. Stir to combine and dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Now add the partially cooked chicken thighs back to the skillet and place a lid on top. Let it come up to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low or medium-low and let the chicken simmer in the coconut broth for 15 minutes.
And then you’ll have this deliciousness! Squeeze a little lime juice over top and add a few fresh cilantro leaves and sliced green onion.
Serve the Thai Coconut Curry Braised Chicken Thighs over a scoop of cooked jasmine or basmati rice, with a little more fresh cilantro, sliced green onion, and a wedge or two of lime. Does it get any better than this??
no clue why people are complaining about this lacking flavor… I think it’s fantastic!
I made a big batch (8 servings at ~430 cal/serving) of this for lunch for my husband and myself this week and added some sauteed vegetables (green beans, carrots, and white onion – the store was out of scallions) to stretch the toppings without adding more meat. 4 thighs (what I had) and ~6 cups of veg. I portioned out the rice and toppings and then spooned the sauce over everything. SO GOOD!
Other than the added veg I pretty much stuck to the recipe. Since I was worried about it being bland I tasted the curry sauce before braising the thighs and found if very rich and flavorful. I probably added a bit extra curry paste (didn’t measure exactly, just estimated), used full fat coconut milk, and ‘strong” better than bouillon broth (approx 2 tsp/cup water). Also no fish sauce since husband says it makes him sick and it didn’t seem integral to the recipe. The rice soaked up all the curry sauce overnight so next time I might make a 1.5x batch and reserve it until its ready to be eaten.
I was disappointed in this meal. I was a little skeptical when it called for a mere 1/4 tsp of fish sauce. That’s probably not enough to add any flavor. The chicken broth made it running. Not much coconut flavor or curry flavor. The dominant flavor is the ginger. Not really a Thai dish at all.
I tried this because I had all of the ingredients on hand, and the reviews were so enthusiastic. It wasn’t a total fail but i was disappointed in the sauce. Was expecting it to be thicker and more flavorful. I will try again, with less chicken broth and more spice.
Hi there,
I gave the thai chicken thighs with coconut milk a try as I said I would. It was so delicious and easy to make. I do this recipe again and again. I added one shallot to it. I think another time I might just want to add a few sliced mushrooms as they are a favorite of mine. Thanks so much for such an awesome recipe.
This is so good. To be honest I was pretty skeptical but this dish turned out great. It taste just like Thai restaurant takeout. I did use skinless boned in chicken thighs because it was all I had and was too lazy debone the chicken. Quick, simple, and easy.
P.S.
Your vegan red beans and rice is awesome too.
Very bland, no kick to the dish at all.
Looks awesome. Great photos. Must give a try this weekend. Thanks for a great recipe for me to try.
Would the cook time be the same if you used chicken breasts instead of thighs?
It really depends on the size of the breast. If you cut them down closer to the size of a thigh, it will probably be fairly close. But just be aware that chicken breast will never be quite as juicy and tender as thighs.
I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made it countless times now (my boyfriend requests it every other week!) — I’ve started to sautee bell peppers, onions, and pineapple before adding the aromatics and it always turns out sooooo well!
Thank you for giving me a solid recipe for my arsenal!! YOU ROCK!
I’ve made this dish for my family a few times (including today)! I love the aromas and how quick and easy it is to throw together. If anyone has any tips/ideas as what to serve as a side dish (some kind of veggie-based side preferably) I would be grateful.
I like my Thai Cucumber Salad. The light freshness of it is a nice contrast to the creamy broth. You could also add some chopped bok choy to the broth and incorporate greens that way.
I think I’ve made this four or five times already. This is going to be SO good when it’s cold out! It’s comforting and hearty, yet clean and doesn’t make me feel like I ate a bowl of mac and cheese or something. I love the texture of the rice when the curry mixes up in it. I’ve also added quartered Asian eggplants (the little ones that look like tiny watermelons) from the farmer’s market before simmering and I would highly recommend it if you ever see them!
Hi Beth! So tomorrow will be my 2nd time making this dish because we LOVED it last time. This time, I have 7 chicken thighs and hope to make this dish last two nights including all of the chicken…should I double the remainder of the ingredients? I just want to make sure it is still very flavorful and enough food for two meals since the amount of meat will be increased. Or, will it be fine with this amount of sauce? Thanks!
You could do seven thighs in this sauce, you’ll just have less sauce per thigh. :) If you like to have a lot of sauce for the rice to soak up, I’d double the rest of the ingredients as well.
Made this for my family tonight, and it turned out so darn yummy, loved it.
I just added green onions to the base with the garlic and ginger and etc and it was super delicious!
We absolutely love this dish. Making it for the 4th time now. Using cubed chicken breast this time. This is a keeper recipe! Only thing I usually change is adding shredded carrot and baby corn into it.