Chicken Coconut Green Curry

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A true south-east Asian classic dish and one of our favorite mid-week comforting meals to tuck into is the Chicken Coconut Green Curry. What is amazing about this dish is how truly versatile it is, you don’t need to be picky at all about the vegetables or proteins that go into the dish – just pick what you love and it’ll work out, brilliantly, we guarantee it! For this recipe we’re sticking with Chicken, using Chicken Thighs for that added flavor you get compared to the breast

We’re keeping this Chicken Coconut Green Curry recipe very simple. For this recipe no need to create your own curry paste. We’ll be using store bought curry paste which is more than suitable. It is also a lot simpler to do, which is what this recipe is about. No need to pull out the mortar and pestle or blender. Good quality store bought Green Curry Paste will be wonderful

A good Chicken Coconut Green Curry is such a warming dish. The Coconut Cream gives the whole recipe a sense of luxury and indulgence. It comes across like a very sophisticated dish but is so simple to make

For our recipe we’re also suggesting that you reserve a couple of pieces of Chicken and fry them separately. This is a totally optional step. It is however a nice step if you have the time as it creates a beautiful result with delicious slices of tender Chicken on top of that lovely curry

The best Chicken Coconut Green Curry has a mix of complex flavors

The wonder of Thai food is the complex flavors their famous dishes can create. The combination of completely contrasting flavors of sweet, sour, salty, and funky are so complex, yet are all able to come together with such harmony. It’s a true culinary wonder and you must think about how these flavor combinations were first discovered

I mean, who would ever think of the idea of drying and fermenting Anchovies, turning them into a liquid that has a ‘very’ pungent flavor and then going – yep, this will be great with Coconuts! It’s just bizarre when you think of it that way, yet the flavors are so wonderful together

 In many ways it feels like Thai food just has this immense freedom of creative expression. There’s no right or wrong way to cook dishes, and food pairings can come out of nowhere. The flavors from that part of the world are simply amazing, so having such a wide variety of big flavors is a wonder to cook with

Sweet, Acid, Funky, Salty

Each ingredient that brings those contrasting flavors in this Chicken Coconut Green Curry Sauce packs a punch. The Sweetness is evident in this dish from using Coconut Cream, which is essentially concentrated Coconut Milk. The dish is further sweetened with a not-too-subtle amount of Sugar. In this case, Palm Sugar or Brown Sugar are the best choices

To balance out that sweetness is the acid, and Thai food is no stranger to acid! Generous amounts of Limes are added to the dish. We’d recommend tasting your seasoning as you go, as we find this dish can take a lot of acid before it gets too overpowering

More acid and some Funkiness are brought to the dish by the addition of Fish Sauce. Simply put, it just wouldn’t be Thai cuisine without it. Finally, we of course add Salt to the dish to elevate all those flavors and bring this complex dish into complete harmony

Here’s a little trick – keep the Cherry Tomatoes whole for an awesome texture

The Cherry Tomatoes play an important role in this dish as they bring some more acidity and a little bit of sweetness to the Curry. They are also fantastic for the visual effects they bring to the dish. Bursting with bright red vibrancy, the Tomatoes make this dish so irresistible to look at, which is a big part of making great food (eat with your eyes first and all that!)

What we love to do with the Cherry Tomatoes is add them towards the end of the cook. They only ‘just’ need to be cooked to be effective in this dish. Overcook them and they’ll start to lose some of their acidity and have less of a flavor impact on the dish

Add the Cherry Tomatoes a few minutes before it’s time to serve so that they just cook. They will also not burst either, which is exactly what you want. It’s so fun to get a mouthful of Chicken Curry with a whole Cherry Tomato, and have it burst in your mouth as you’re eating it. They literally create a flavor explosion in your mouth! It’s a great experience, and adds a bit of fun to this already fun and vibrant dish

Chicken Coconut Green Curry Recipe

Ingredients

• 2lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs cut into bite sized chunks
• Reserve 2 Chicken Thighs to cook whole
• ½ Red Onion, Sliced
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 4 Garlic Cloves, Finely sliced
• 2 tbsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
• 1 cup Snow Peas, chopped
• 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. Green Curry Paste
• 14 fl. oz. Coconut Cream (400ml)
• 1 tbsp. Fish Sauce
• 1 Red Chili, seeded and sliced
• ½ cup Peanuts, roughly chopped
• ½ cup Cilantro, roughly chopped
• Salt
• Optional: 1 tbsp. Brown Sugar or Palm Sugar
  
  

Instructions

1. Fry off the onion and carrots in a large frypan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the Garlic and Ginger and cook for another 1 minute until the garlic becomes fragrant
2. Add the Chili and Curry Paste and begin to fry off. It’s important to cook the Curry Paste before adding the coconut milk to release the flavors fully.
3. After about 2 minutes, add the Chicken pieces and fry until lightly browned, another 3-4 minutes, then add the Coconut Cream and Fish Sauce, then bring to a light simmer. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 10 minutes
4. While the Curry is simmering, season your whole chicken thighs with salt and pepper, add a little bit of cooking oil to another frypan on medium / high heat. Then add your Chicken Thighs. Timing this right it should take about 10 minutes for the chicken thighs to cook to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Remove from heat and rest
5. Add the Snow Peas, Cherry Tomatoes and Lime Juice to your curry and cook for a further 1 – 2 minutes then remove from heat. The goal here is to just barely cook both the Peas and Tomatoes. We want that lovely crunch from the peas and for those Tomatoes to burst with their flavor when eaten!
6. Plate the curry in bowls and garnish with Cilantro and Peanuts. Finally, slice the Whole Chicken Thighs and place on top of the curry. Serve with Jasmine Rice and enjoy!
   
   

This Chicken Coconut Green Curry is bursting with flavor as it is, however, an optional addition is to add some sugar to the recipe. Totally up to you, if you like your curries a little sweeter then a hit of Palm Sugar or Brown Sugar is a great addition. Just add the sugar in along with the Fish Sauce and of course, taste as you go!

More Thai inspired Recipes

If you want to go all-in on an authentic Thai dinner, why not try our Sticky Wings as an appetizer? They’re delicious!

For more great Thai Dishes, check out all our recipes here. As you can tell, we’re big fans of food from Thailand and anywhere from Southeast Asia. The massive flavors they bring to the table are awesome, and we just can’t get enough!

Here are a few of our all-time favorite Thai-inspired recipes we’d highly encourage you all to try:

• Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Soup)
• Thai Mango Salad with Peanut Dressing
• Beef Skewers with Peanut Sauce
• Peanut Sauce Chicken
  
  

Happy Cooking!