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??
Do you have to use the fish sauce? Would it not come out as good otherwise
I really feel like the fish sauce adds a lot, but it would still be fairly tasty without.
Is there a way to thicken the sauce slightly? Followed the recipe to a T but found it too runny/very soup like
It is supposed to be soup-like. :) You can try using less chicken broth next time, but keep in mind you may need to add a touch of salt to make up for it.
Delicious, made it with an extra tablespoon of chili paste, 2 tbs of brown sugar added in and next time I will add broccoli, baby corn and some mushrooms.
I added 1 tsp brown sugar and a few shakes of red pepper flakes, and that helped. You definitely want to season the chicken before putting it in the pan, but my chicken turned out SUPER tender, so we loved it even though it needed a bit more seasoning. I also added a bag of frozen Chinese-style stir-fry veggies after everything was cooked and just let them heat up in the sauce for about 5-7 minutes. It definitely needed more salt with the added veggies. We enjoyed it, and I will make it again.
This recipe bsse is a huge hit with my family….,I typically add more garlic and ginger than most recipes call for, and I like to add a few red & yellow bell peppers and mushrooms to this one.
I also put True Lime ( granulated lime) and salt and a but of hot chili oil on the raw chicken before I cook it.
LOVE this dish ! The chicken thighs are hard to overcook unlike chicken breasts which can easily become dry or tough if inadvertently cooked too long.
I love the base of this recipe! I’m making it again for dinner tonight. I have found that adding a little sugar to it helps bring out the flavors. I also add more curry paste than the recipe calls for. And, to give a spicy flavor, I add a bunch of red pepper flakes to my plate (my kids wouldn’t like it). Overall, I really enjoy this recipe and the leftovers are even better!
I added brown sugar (1 tsp) and a few shakes of red pepper flake, and that made it perfect! I will add more curry paste next time for sure. Thanks for the ideas!!
So I was using this recipe as a base to make what I’m familiar with as Panang Curry from my boyfriend and I’s favorite restaurant. I find that the Red Thai Chili Paste can be a great base, but it’s helpful if you use a flavored curry paste for that extra flavor ( I actually added an additional tablespoon as well). I was able to find a “Pananang” Curry paste from the local Asian Market and it worked perfect. It came absolutely amazing, in fact better than the actual dish we typically order from our restaurant. We actually doubled the recipe to make leftovers that would last for the week and it still came about pretty great. For the chicken, I actually seasoned it with Thyme, Cumin, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Paprika, and then let it marinate overnight. I feel like the chicken generates the most flavor, (especially after you scrape up the bits afterwards to make the curry). Then I browned the chicken in a cast iron skillet and let it finish cooking in the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes before transferring into the same pan for the curry. We also added a lot of vegetables that brought out lots of great flavors. I slightly sauteed the vegetables before adding them so they’d cook thoroughly, but overall we had Bell Peppers, Snow Peas, Tomatoes, and we even had Zucchini to mix it up since that’s our favorite vegetable right now.
For everyone that has issues with not enough flavor be sure to add extra chili paste to your liking (flavored if you can find some), try seasoning the chicken, marinating it if you can, and be sure to throw in your favorite vegetables, bell, peppers, onions etc.
(Also I threw in some bay leaves and they really added an amazing flavor).
I also followed the advice from a previous comment and added 1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar to balance out the taste of the chilis (2 1/12 tablespoons for the doubled recipe) and it helped bring out the flavor of the coconut. Again this was a really awesome recipe. My boyfriend was literally blown away and has declared this is his all time favorite recipe lol
That has to be the ‘eye’ to the storm’ a smoker!,,,,,,bravo, thanks for sharing
Sorry, but this was almost unfixable & one of the plainest coconut currys that I’ve ever had.
I was craving a coconutty, spicy curry dish & happened upon this recipe. I followed the recipe except for one exception and that was to replace the regular coconut milk with a light coconut milk to try to save on calories. I don’t know if this is why it was so Bland but I tried fixing it up in a variety of ways and it never quite got there…. I’m very disappointed.
I LOVE all of your recipes – I use them on the daily to cook for me and my family. They are truly amazing! This recipe, however, lacked seasoning and flavor. The smells were wonderful – filled the house! But the flavor was bland. We added soy sauce, and it totally took over. Not sure how to remedy it…
I think the best bet would be to stir in more of the curry paste.
To achieve the YUM it needs to have three elements: heat, sweet, savory. This recipe just needed the sweet. I used Date Sugar because it is Diabetes. Friendly!!!!
Every recipe I’ve done on this web site has been insane and this is no exception. OMG it is so good and affordable! I made it exactly and there were no leftovers! THANK YOU for doing this web site
Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes so much. :)
Just finished making this! I followed the recipe exactly with the only replacement being that I used thighs with the bones in instead.
I found this to be recipe to be lackluster. It *looks* great, the smell was pretty good too! But the actual end result was… bland.
While there was a subtle coconut/curry aroma I just wasn’t tasting it in the end result. I added a lot of salt and pepper to try to save it but I still wasn’t a fan. I’ll still eat it albeit with a lot of spices on top to save it, but I’d skip this recipe unless you have a way to add more flavor (like sauteing chilies and adding some sugar).
Yes, I totally agree! I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper before putting it in the pan, and also added some salt, sugar and a splash of seasoned rice wine vinegar to the broth before putting the chicken back in.
We loved this! I used Mae Ploy Red Curry paste and it worked great. I think next time I might add a tablespoon of sugar for some sweetness, as well as some vegetables to round it out. My husband is a picky eater and he loved this. Thanks Beth!
SERIOUSLY awesome. Eating it right now, and it is soooo yummy. Should specify that I am eating my first bowl, since I am already planning on seconds! Thanks for this.
This was my first thai curry recipe. I’ve always been one to follow more traditional recipes- Ina Garten, Ree Drummond, etc. I’ve never even been one to try more ethnic foods, but I thought I would try something new while my husband is out of town. YOU GUYS. This was AMAZING. I followed the recipe exactly as it said, except I chopped the chicken thighs into medium size pieces.
I will make this again. And again. And again. It was DELICIOUS. Highly recommend!!!! Like others have said, the broth is very mild.
Followed the recipe to a T except I used a different Thai red curry brand since I couldn’t find this one at my local Safeway here in Canada. However, it turned out well and it was a big hit with the hubby. Next time, I will add a couple more chilis and we like it spicier.