This Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry combines tender chicken and a rich, savory, herby red curry sauce. Served over rice, it’s an easy, one-skillet comfort food dinner that’s ready to eat in about 30 minutes!
Comforting and Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry
I adore the flavor of red curry paste and keep it on hand in my fridge at all times. It’s one of the easiest ways to build an incredibly flavorful meal and I’ve used in a variety of recipes like my red curry meatballs, braised short rib curry, and red curry chicken thighs. When I want to make something both cozy and quick for dinner, I reach for my red curry paste, chicken breast, and a few veggies to make the most delicious creamy coconut curry.
This is one of those recipes I make at least once or twice a month. The creamy red curry sauce coats the chicken and veggies and it comes together in around 30 minutes. It’s the perfect meal on a chilly or rainy day but I also love it on any day I need to make something easy for dinner. I can’t wait for you to make this one! Let me know what you think!
— Ashlea
A Quick Overview of the Ingredients
- Chicken: You’ll need 1 ½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast sliced into pieces. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, if preferred. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed. If you’d like, you could even swap the chicken for two cans of chickpeas. Just drain and rinse them before using.
- Vegetables: Yellow onion, red bell pepper, garlic, ginger, and baby spinach all add lots of color and flavor to this dish. This is my go-to choice of veggies but this recipe is pretty forgiving. You could also add mushrooms, zucchini, or other veggies that sound good.
- Red Curry Paste: Red curry paste is made with pepper, garlic, lemongrass, galangal (Thai ginger), and makrut (sometimes called kaffer) lime leaves along with several spices like coriander, turmeric, black peppercorn, and cumin. You can typically find it in the international section of your local grocery store, or head to your local Asian grocery store to find it. Any brand will work, but my personal favorites are Maesri Thai red curry paste or Mae Ploy red curry paste.
- Coconut Milk: This gives the sauce a rich flavor and creamy consistency while keeping it dairy-free. Make sure to use canned coconut milk, not the boxed or refrigerated varieties.
- Fish Sauce and Coconut Aminos: These add a salty, umami flavor to the sauce. You can swap the coconut aminos with soy sauce, if preferred.
- Brown Sugar: you’ll only need a little bit but it goes a long way to help round out the flavor of the curry.
- Thai Basil Leaves: I love the flavor that fresh Thai basil gives this dish. I usually can find this at my local Asian grocery store. If you can’t find it, feel free to leave it out.
A Few of My Favorite Ways to Serve
My favorite way to enjoy the red curry is over rice. I’ll often make a batch of my garlic rice and serve it over that.
You can also use cauliflower rice for a low-carb option. Or, pair it with rice noodles instead. Then, be sure to add a generous squeeze of lime juice, more fresh herbs, and green onion before digging in.
How to Store and Reheat
Store: Once cool, transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
Reheat: Warm leftover curry in the microwave or a skillet over medium heat on the stove. Add a splash of extra coconut milk or chicken broth as needed to thin it out, and it will taste as good as new!
I hope you give this Creamy Coconut Curry Recipe a try! It’s quick, easy, and so comforting! If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews and ratings help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you trust and love.
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Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian Inspired
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry combines tender chicken and a rich, savory, herby red curry sauce. Served over rice, it’s an easy, one-skillet comfort food dinner that’s ready to eat in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger, grated
- 2–3 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 – 15oz can coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/4 cup Thai basil leaves, plus more chopped for garnish
- cilantro, for garnish
- sliced green onion, for garnish
- cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the Chicken: Season the diced chicken breast with salt and pepper and toss to evenly coat.
- Heat a large pan, like a braising dish, over medium heat. Once hot, add the avocado oil and then cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned. Once browned, removed the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Make the red curry sauce: Add the sliced peppers and onions to the skillet and saute for a few minutes until tender.
- Next, add the garlic, ginger, and red curry paste and stir to combine.
- Then, add the coconut milk, brown sugar, lime juice, coconut aminos, and fish sauce to the skillet and stir until well combined.
- Add chicken back to the red curry sauce and then bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium-low and all let the curry simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken has cooked through and the curry has thickened slightly.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach and Thai basil.
- Serve the curry over rice served with more fresh herbs and green onion. Enjoy!
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: Eat Love Eat
