This weeknight-friendly Thai Coconut Chicken Curry is filled with tender bites of chicken in creamy, rich, coconut curry broth. Customize with any vegetables you have on hand. This recipe includes instructions for the stovetop and Instant Pot.

When Frank and I were living in Thailand, my greatest food-related education was in the great wide world of curry. It takes a visit to Thailand to even scratch the surface on the incredible depth of this genre of Thai food. From melt-your-face off heat to mild, creamy varieties, they come in every color under the sun. And because curry paste has been around for centuries, many Thai families have their own unique methods and recipes. 

The good news is, as deep as you can dive into the world of Thai curry, there are many very simple ways to recreate this delicious dish in your own home kitchen. Simple enough that Thai Coconut Curry is actually a totally manageable and relatively easy weeknight meal. And if you fall in love with curry like me, be sure to check out other curry recipes on the site like Instant Pot Thai Curry and Thai Yellow Curry.

The only “secret” is the technique. Any store-bought curry paste can make a good curry, but you want to coax out all of its herb flavors as it cooks. Here’s how to do it!

Ingredients

• Coconut Milk – Use regular (not light) coconut milk. You’ll use some of the coconut milk to cook the curry paste in at the beginning and some will be added later to simmer all of the ingredients together.
• Thai Curry Paste – This firm paste gives the curry tons of flavor. See below for more details.
• Fresh Ginger and Ground Coriander – Even though the curry gets most of its flavor from curry paste, I like to add fresh ginger and ground coriander to boost those flavors even more.  
• Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breast stays tender as it simmers in the flavorful coconut broth. 
• Bell Pepper and Baby Spinach – These are my go-to ingredients for adding vegetables to a weeknight curry. Bell pepper adds some crunch and baby spinach gets greens into the dish without the need for any chopping.
• Water or Stock – In addition to coconut milk, water or stock rounds out the base of the curry. You’ll get a bit more flavor if you use store-bought chicken or vegetable stock, but water works fine in a pinch.
• Fish Sauce, Brown Sugar, Lime – These are key flavors in many Thai dishes, and they can alway be adjusted to customize the dish to your preference. Add fish sauce for more salty / savory flavor, brown sugar for more sweetness (or to balance the heat), and lime to brighten the flavors.

Choosing Thai Curry Paste

Most Thai curry paste is interchangeable with any recipe for Thai curry.  The most widely available store-bought curry pastes are red, panang, green, and yellow. Be sure to use Thai-style curry paste that comes from the international aisle, not curry powder which is usually found with the other dried spices. You can always adjust the amount of curry paste you use in any recipe to give your dish more flavor and / or more heat.

Use more or less depending on your spice preference. American-made Thai curry paste like Thai Kitchen can be found in the international aisle of most grocery stores and tend to be more mild than the Thai imports that are found at international / Asian grocery stores, so keep that in mind as you are estimating how much curry paste is right for you. 

“Breaking” Coconut Milk for Thai Curry

If you’re looking to master one skill when it comes to making authentic Thai curry at home, this is it. “Breaking” the coconut milk is the first step in making Thai curry, and it’s super simple. 

This step separates out the natural oils in the coconut milk and is the reason that many Thai curries have small drops of oil on the top. This surface oil is usually a sign that the curry has been prepared correctly. To break the coconut milk, add a small amount of coconut milk to a hot pan. Cook the coconut milk until the natural oils in the coconut milk start to separate out, 3 to 4 minutes. Then add curry paste to this oily coconut mixture and carry on with the recipe. 

It’s a similar idea as sautéing aromatics in oil for Western-style recipes to draw out their flavors before adding other ingredients. 

If you are making Thai curry and the coconut milk does not break within the first 5 minutes of cooking, don’t worry! Just proceed with the recipe as written. You’ll still get a delicious curry.

How to Make Thai Coconut Chicken Curry

1. Cook ¾ cup coconut milk on the stovetop or bowl of an Instant pot for about 5 minutes, until the milk cooks way down and you see signs of it “breaking” with oil separating out. 
2. Stir in curry paste, fresh ginger, and coriander powder and cook until fragrant, ~1 minute.
3. Stir in chicken (or other protein) and bell peppers (or other vegetables) to coat in curry paste. 
4. Add water, more coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
5. Cover and simmer on the stovetop (10 minutes) or in the Instant Pot (5 minutes at high pressure; with a 5 minute natural release).
6. Stir in baby spinach until wilted.
7. Add lime juice. 
8. Serve over rice with some lime wedges and cilantro. Enjoy!

Possible Variations

• Make it vegetarian – For a vegetarian version, try this with cubed sweet potatoes, chopped mushrooms, or canned chickpeas. 
• Change protein – Instead of chicken, try it with chicken thighs, pork, beef, fish, or tofu. 
• Change vegetables – This recipe uses bell peppers and spinach, but try it with squash, eggplant, green beans, mushrooms, potatoes, or snow peas.

More Thai Curry Recipes

Thai Green Curry with Chicken

Thai Red Curry with Chicken

Thai Massaman Curry with Beef

Instant Pot Thai Curry