Thai Green Curry with Chicken (Kaeng Khiao Wan)

4.63 from 8 votes

Thai Green Curry with Chicken (Kaeng Khiao Wan)

Green curry is one of the most fragrant Thai curries and is made with lemongrass, galangal, and fresh green chilis. This is a classic version made with tender chicken thighs and Thai eggplant simmered in a spicy, coconut-based, green curry broth.

Want to adjust the servings in this recipe to make more or less? Just click on the number next to “servings” and you can easily scale the recipe.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: Thai curry

Servings:

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $11.00

Equipment

Dutch oven, wok or saucepan

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup Coconut Milk, divided
3 Tbsp Thai Green Curry Paste (see note)
1 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, cubed
2 cups Chicken Stock
3 Makrut Lime Leaves (see note)
8 Thai Green Eggplants, quartered (optional)
1 Tbsp Palm Sugar (see note)
1 1/2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 cup Thai Basil leaves
Thai Jasmine Rice, for serving

Instructions

Heat a Dutch oven, wok, or saute pan over medium heat. Add ¾ cup coconut milk (if using canned coconut milk that has separated, use the top, thicker portion of the milk) to the pan. Simmer coconut milk, stirring constantly, until it has reduced by half and you can see oil separating from the milk, 5 to 6 minutes. (Note: This step to “break” the coconut milk is part of the traditional process, but don’t worry if your coconut milk doesn’t show signs of separating after this initial cook time - just proceed with the recipe.)
Add curry paste and saute until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add chicken thighs and stir to coat in the curry paste.
Pour chicken stock and 1 cup coconut milk over chicken.
Stir in lime leaves, eggplants, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer and let curry simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. (Reduce heat as needed to prevent the curry from reaching a hard boil.)
Taste the curry and adjust the flavor, adding more sugar or fish sauce if needed. Remove and discard lime leaves.
Remove curry from heat and stir in Thai Basil leaves.
Serve curry over rice.

Notes

Thai Green Curry Paste - Feel free to adjust the amount of curry paste, increasing for more spice and decreasing for less spice. American-made curry paste like Thai Kitchen (which is widely available in the international aisle of regular grocery stores), tends to be much less spicy than Thai brands which can be found at international or Asian grocery stores. If you prefer to make your own Thai Green Curry Paste see below for the recipe.

Makrut Lime Leaves - These very firm, fragrant leaves come from the Makrut Lime tree. Outside of Thailand, they can be found at Asian / international grocery stores and are sold either fresh or frozen. These can be fairly tough, so be sure to remove the stems and slice them as thinly as possible before adding them to the curry.

Palm Sugar - Grate the palm sugar for the most accurate measurement. You can substitute light brown sugar, but reduce to 2 tsp.

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