Thai Red Curry Chicken

This Thai Red Curry Chicken is so delicious with its creamy sauce and seared chicken—it will have you feeling like you’ve ordered takeout right at home! It’s quick to put together and packed with flavor. What makes this different from a regular red curry recipe is that by cooking the chicken thighs whole, we keep those juices in and allow the chicken to marinate beforehand. We also get to build the creamy coconut red curry in the pan with all the chicken fond!

Thai Red Curry Chicken

I always loved getting Thai Red Curry Chicken from the local Thai in my suburb as a kid and wanted to recreate something like that at home. But I couldn’t always find it in me to chop the chicken and prepare it with baking soda to get the texture right, so my result was always a worse version of what I could get at takeout. It makes sense; I don’t have a high-heat wok lying around at home!
 
So, I thought we could keep the chicken thighs whole and not risk overcooking small pieces. I’ve gone for skinless, boneless chicken thighs because they’re such a staple in my weekly shop, but thighs with skin and bone—and even breasts—would work just as well. I’ll get more into substitutions below.
 
We keep the chicken whole so it can spend more time in the pan, developing a savory fond that serves as the base of our chicken curry and holding more moisture so we have juicy chicken in our final dish. We marinate the chicken with real flavors—soy, oyster sauce, and something acidic like lime juice—so that it’s not just bland chicken sitting atop a bowl of rice and red curry sauce.
 
For more vegetables, I love some bok choy and think it goes perfectly with this dish. Other more traditional options like carrots or bamboo shoots would work too. I boil them for a few minutes on the side and they’re perfect. Even if they cool down a touch before you eat, the soup will warm them right back up.

Ingredients in Thai Red Curry Chicken

• Chicken thighs – I went with boneless and skinless here because they’re readily available. If you want to use skin-on thighs, it doesn’t change the cooking process. For bone-in, I’d cook for an additional 2–3 minutes per side since it can impact cooking time. If you go with breasts, I wouldn’t change anything, but I would cut them in half lengthwise first so that they’re 3cm thick at most. Keeping them whole will mean the thinner side of the breast will be overcooked by the time the thickest part is done.
• White rice – Any choice of rice will do. Cook per your package instructions. I love my rice cooker and it nails it every time.
• Red curry paste – I used the Ayam brand, but any at your local shops will work.
• Bok choy – Goes great with this dish. The leaves will pick up so much of that delicious sauce.
• Soy sauce – We’re using this in the chicken marinade and the red curry soup. This is our primary source of salt.
• Oyster sauce – To be used in the marinade for the chicken; it adds some nice umami and lets the chicken stand out.
• Chicken stock – You COULD use water, but chicken stock will add more flavor. Use it to deglaze the pan after searing and cooking the chicken. It’ll allow you to pick up all the leftover bits of chicken and marinade. Go with unsalted stock because you have plenty of salt in the soy sauce.
• Lime juice – Used in our marinade and the soup. It adds that “pop” you often think is missing—trust me, acids are necessary. We don’t want it to taste like lime, but it brings out all the other flavors. Also, acids are necessary for flavors to properly penetrate the meat.
• Coconut milk – Light or regular coconut milk works in this recipe. Regular will be creamier, while light will be result in a lighter sauce.
• Sugar – This is added to the red curry broth and rounds out the flavor profile. It won’t taste sweet but adds body and depth.
• Salt & pepper – Feel free to add a touch of salt into the finished sauce after tasting, but the soy sauce is plenty for most! 😊 Ground black pepper is also nice in the marinade.
• Toppings – Sesame seeds, chili flakes, chopped chives – food that looks good tastes good! Use these if you want to add some kick. Thinly sliced chives or spring onions add freshness, and sesame seeds are just yum.

How to make Thai Red Curry Chicken

1. Cook the rice: Wash your rice until it runs clear, then cook your rice with 1.5x the amount of water (e.g., for 200g rice, use 300g water). This can easily scale depending on how hungry you are!

2. Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl, mix your chicken thighs with salt, pepper, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, and 1 tsp lime juice. Give them a good mix and make sure that marinade is covering all parts. Set aside for 20–30 minutes in the fridge so the chicken can absorb that flavor.

3. Prepare the vegetables: Slice off the bottom 5 cm of the bok choy that holds it all together. Wash the pieces well. Prepare a pot of boiling water with 1 tsp of salt. Boil your bok choy for 4 minutes, stirring at the start to spread the pieces around. Remove from the pot and set aside once cooked.

4. Cook the chicken: Pre-heat your pan over medium-high heat, adding oil after the pan is hot (this ensures the chicken doesn’t stick!). Place your chicken thighs on the pan. I like putting the “inside” down first, but if you’re using skin-on chicken, go skin-side down first. Give them 4–5 minutes per side until they’re golden and cooked through. Remove and rest.

5. Make the red curry sauce: In the same pan, add 200ml chicken stock, 200ml coconut milk (give the can a good shake before opening!), 1 tbsp red curry paste, 1 tbsp lime juice, and 1 tbsp sugar. Give this a good stir, making sure you scrape up all the chicken fond from the pan—it adds so much flavor! Simmer for 2–3 minutes on medium until it’s bubbly and combined. You should have a delicious-looking creamy red sauce.

6. Make it your own: To really increase the oomph, add extra lime juice or chili flakes. Taste it before you’re done! If it’s too spicy, add a few pinches more sugar to round out the flavors.

7. Slice chicken: Once your chicken has rested, slice it into 2cm wide pieces. You can also give it a slice lengthwise to make the pieces more bite-sized.

8. Plate up: Place your rice in the center of a bowl, put chicken thighs on top, add some bok choy on the side, and use a large spoon or ladle to drown your bowl with that yummy red curry. Top with sesame seeds, chili flakes, and chives.

I hope you enjoy this delicious and easy Thai red curry chicken recipe. The chicken stays so juicy because we’re cooking the thighs whole in the pan, which gets around the problem of having to slice small chicken pieces which are easy to overcook and become dry if you don’t have a powerful wok that you might see at a Thai restaurant. to store leftovers for the next night, I’d recommend mixing it all up and giving the sauce more time to marinate the chicken, rice, and bok choy even further! This way itll be ever better the following days. It’s totally fine to leave this in the fridge for up to 3 days.

FAQ

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yes! It keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the flavors develop further overnight.

Can you freeze Thai red curry chicken?

Yes, but the creamy coconut milk may separate slightly when reheated. Stir well while reheating.

Is Thai red curry chicken spicy?

Spice level depends entirely on the curry paste you use! I wouldn’t add more chili flakes until after you taste it.

Can I use chicken breast instead?

Yes, but slice lengthwise to ensure even thickness. This improves the sear on the chicken and ensures that you don’t overcook parts of it.

Can I make this in one pot?

You absolutely could! To make this even quicker and easier, you could keep the chicken in the pan while you build the sauce, add your bok choy, and serve!