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.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
**I usually use red onion for these curries, but I already had green onion on hand.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
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??
Nice Thai recipe. I added a tsp of palm sugar, half a sliced poblano pepper, a medium onion sliced, and instead of 1/4tsp of fish sauce…added 2Tbs. Very tasty and speedy dish!
I make alot of Thai food but this was seriously lacking flavor! I added extra Thai curry paste and it still wasn’t enough! I am sad it didn’t work out as it was a nice fast dinner to make.
I also found this to be painfully lacking in flavour.
I ended up tripling the aromatics, because otherwise it was going to be vaguely thai-flavoured coconut milk on chicken!
I usually love budget bytes recipes, but I’m quickly learning to avoid anything ethnic unless you want the uh… very Caucasian version.
Nice and easy recipe. We upped fish sauce to a full tsp. We also added 1/2 red bell pepper roughy diced, 1/2 cup petit peas, 2 tbsp chiffonade of basil, 2 tbsp lime juice and zest of 1 lime.
I normally don’t leave comments on anything, but this recipe is so good I had to come back and comment. I have made this so many times in the past few years that it’s one of my “classic” meals for my family. My wife, 10 and 4 year old daughters eat everything and I usually have no leftover chicken! This recipe can also be fantastic with fish. Thank you for a staple dinner in my house.
This was fantastic! I used thai green curry paste and added a 12oz bag of frozen stir fry vegetables and 1/2 cup frozen peas! So good
Hi, this recipient looks delicious! I am looking for meals to premake and freeze and this looks like it would do well. I would like to veggie it up a bit, what would you recommend that would freeze well. I like bok choy…
Oops recipe, darn autocorrect
We made this for dinner last night it was so awesome! Thank you so much for this recipe❤️☺️
Question: can I use lite coconut milk?
Yes, you can. It won’t be quite so rich, but I imagine that would be an advantage to some people. :)
Ithis looks so good! s it really only 1/4 tsp fish sauce? Does that low amount make a difference in the final product?
Fish sauce is very potent. :) You can add more if you like, but for my taste buds just a touch was enough.
Is there a way to get the full Thai flavor but less heat? I love the flavor of Thai dishes but am unfortunately a wimp when it comes to spicy/hot dishes. I assume just less Thai curry paste? Thanks!
Yes, less curry paste will reduce the heat, but you’ll also be reducing the other flavors, so you’ll have to play around with it a bit to find the right balance for you. :)
We’ve loved this every time I’ve made it! I always use extra curry paste, and add veg to round it out. Bok choy, carrots, onion and the last of the fresh jalapenos from the garden. I think the carrots rounded out that sweet profile others have mentioned. A squeeze of fresh citrus is also miraculous. We havehigh spice tolerance after living in NM for many years so always bump up the heat profile. Thank you for giving me recipes that get me excited about cooking despite my seasonal depression!!
My mouth is watering just looking at divine dish. The only cut of chicken I have are chook legs. Will chook legs work?
I haven’t tried this recipe with that cut, so I’m not sure. If it’s bone-in, you’ll need to simmer longer.
Perfect!! Easy, delicious….doesnt get any better!
The original thai soup was so good, we cant wait to try this tonight. Wondering if this might also be good with vermicelli or thin wheat noodles like we put in the original soup. Any thoughts?
Yes, that would be great! :)
This is one of my favorites! I made it for meal prep and loved how the sauce got absorbed by brown jasmine rice I made when I heated it up in the microwave.
Question: I was thinking of making this with bone-in chicken thighs in the slow cooker. I’d brown the chicken in a skillet first. Do you think it would work?
I’m not sure how the coconut milk will hold up in the slow cooker. I’ve only ever added coconut milk to slow cooker recipes *after* slow cooking. Coconut milk can curdle if given too much heat, so I’m just not sure if a slow cooker would take it to that level.