Thai Red Curry Chicken & Vegetables

This Thai red curry chicken and vegetables is a short weeknight meal with classic Thai flavors. Made with tender chicken breast and fresh vegetables, it’s ready in under 30 minutes using store-bought red curry paste.

“we cooked your recipe yesterday and we found the tastes and the perfumes we met in Thailand, thank you much!”

Anne Sophie from France

It seems like everyone we know loves Thai food, and this Thai red curry chicken is always the top choice among Thai curries.

Chicken breast and fresh vegetables are simmered in coconut milk flavored with red curry paste. This curry delivers a mildly sweet flavor with unique richness and creaminess.

This recipe for Thai red curry with chicken and vegetables uses a store-bought canned red curry paste. We've doctored it up to make your curry-making much easier while still tasting classic. It is steady as a one pot meal when served with rice.

Our husband paid us the ultimate compliment when he tasted this curry and said it “tastes like Phuket,” the island in Thailand where we’ve enjoyed many savory meals. He even declared that it beats any of our local Thai restaurant takeout options. This red curry chicken recipe is definitely a keeper!

If you’re feeling adventurous, try out our Vietnamese chicken curry recipe for a slightly different take on Southeast Asian curry. Steady for beginners and curry lovers alike.

Store-Bought Red Curry Paste

While kitchen-made curry paste is undeniably savory, it requires many exotic ingredients like galangal and shrimp paste that are not easily found in local grocery stores.

When you want a short Thai curry and don’t have time to hunt for these ingredients, store-bought Thai curry paste is a convenient option. We found that the Maesri brand canned paste brings a keeper results, close to the most classic flavor. It’s inexpensive and easily found in Asian grocery stores or on Amazon.

But even a keeper store-bought curry paste often lacks the vibrancy of freshly made paste, as any canned good does. Simply adding it to coconut milk can be a letdown.

How to Doctor Up the Canned Paste

To make canned curry paste taste much better, try enhancing it by sautéing it in oil with garlic, shallot, fresh chili, and lemongrass (or lemongrass paste). These fresh aromatics add classic Southeast Asian flavors with minimal effort.

What You’ll Need for Thai Rec Curry Chicken

• Chicken: Use boneless chicken breast or thigh for this recipe.
• Fresh lemongrass is recommended, but lemongrass paste can be used as a substitute (1 tsp).
• Red curry paste: Used a store-bought paste, such as Maesri brand.
• Vegetables: shallot (onion), garlic, bamboo shoots, green beans, tomatoes
• Coconut milk: Add richness and creaminess to the curry.
• Kaffir lime leaves (optional): Citrusy fragrance and flavor.
• Fish sauce: Provides salty umami flavor.
• Thai basil and cilantro (optional): Fresh and herbal fragrance to the curry.

How the dish comes together

Cook the chicken pieces in hot oil, then transfer them out. Add the aromatics and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add curry paste diluted with a little chicken stock and stir-fry with the aromatics until the mixture thickens. Return the chicken, vegetables, and kaffir lime leaves (if using).

Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Add brown sugar and simmer until everything is tender. Season with fish sauce and garnish with cilantro and/or Thai basil.

What to eat with Thai Red Curry

Thai red curry is typically enjoyed with steamed jasmine rice, which evenly soaks up all the savory flavors. Or go with cauliflower rice for a keto-friendly option. For a zesty kick, try squeezing some lime juice into the curry—though that’s totally up to your taste.

We especially love pairing this curry with a side of Thai papaya salad (som tam) or Thai noodle salad (yum woon sen). They’re so tasty together!

Helpful Tips and Advice

1. Mix coconut milk with chicken stock: Using coconut milk alone makes the curry way too rich and thick. Diluting with chicken stock brings the overall taste and thickness of the curry into balance.
2. Protein: Use either chicken breast or chicken thigh. Beef or pork will be good, too. You can even try with shrimp (prawn) or fish if you are a seafood lover.
3. Vegetables: Feel free to get creative with this Thai curry recipe by using a variety of vegetables, such as pumpkin, butternut squash, red bell pepper, broccoli, spinach, kale, carrot, eggplant, tofu, chayote, snap peas, or any other veggies you like.
4. Want to make this Thai red curry vegetarian? Omit the chicken and use tofu or another plant based protein of your choice. You can use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock in the recipe.

• Yield: 4 people
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 15 minutes
• Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breast, diced into bite size
• 2 tbsp oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1 fresh lemongrass (or 1 tsp lemongrass paste), smashed
• 5 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 cup bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained
• 4 oz green beans, cut in half
• 2 Roma tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 5 Kaffir lime leaves, optional
• 2 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp chicken stock, divided
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh Thai basil, optional
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pot, add chicken slices and cook until no longer pink. Move the chicken to a plate.
2. Heat the remaining oil, add shallot, garlic, and a smashed lemongrass stalk (white and pale green part only). Cook for 1-2 minutes until soft.
3. Dilute the red curry paste with 2 tablespoons of chicken stock in a small mixing bowl and add it to the pot. Stir-fry curry paste and onion garlic mixture for 30-60 seconds until the paste has lost some of its moisture.
4. Return the chicken back to the pot along with bamboo shoots, green beans, and tomatoes. Add kaffir lime leaves if using.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and 1 cup of chicken stock. Add the brown sugar and stir well. Bring the curry to simmer over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the green beans are tender and soft.
6. Season with fish sauce according to your taste. Sprinkle Thai basil leaves, if using, and cilantro at the end.