Easy Thai Red Curry Chicken {One Pot, 30-Minute Meal} (2024)

4.78 from 113 votes

• 2 tablespoon coconut oil (or other cooking oil)
• 1 cup onion, finely diced (white or yellow onion)
• ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced (about 2 TBSP)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 4-6 tablespoon Thai red curry paste, or to taste (I used MaesriBrand, this amount results in a Medium-hot to HOT spice level *see notes for modifications)
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk, full-fat, (14-ounce can) (I used Thai Kitchen Brand)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar or to taste
• 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips about 3" long ½" wide (can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs, or a combination of both!)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce *see notes
• 1 cup carrots, shredded or julienned
• 1 cup red bell pepper, sliced or diced (about half large bell pepper)
• 1 lime, zest and juice *see notes
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped and divided (can also use Thai Basil)

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Once hot, add onions and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook 3 minutes, or until onions are softened, stirring often.

• Add the red curry paste, garlic, ginger, and coriander. Cook about 1 minute, or until fragrant, stirring often.

• Add coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce, and chicken. Stir, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered for 7 minutes, occasionally stirring.

• Add carrots and bell peppers, and simmer 5-7 more minutes, until sauce slightly thickens and chicken is cooked through (took mine 7 minutes).

• Remove from heat, and stir in the lime zest, half of the lime juice, and half of the cilantro.

• At this point, do a taste test and add in more lime juice if needed and more: salt, sugar, or curry paste to taste. (I added ¼ teaspoon more salt, and 1 tablespoon more curry paste for added heat!)

• Top with the remaining cilantro, and serve!

• Thai Red Curry Paste Brands:The taste of different brands of Thai Red Curry Paste vary, some are more spicy some are more sweet! I prefer Maesri Brand; I find it's more flavorful and spicier than other brands. But, Thai Kitchen brand can be found at most markets, and will still work well for this dish. Maesri brand is sold at some grocery stores, but I just purchase mine off of Amazon.
  • If using Maesri Curry Paste:Starting with 4 tablespoon of the paste will result in Medium-Hot spice level. Use less if you want milder!(We like ours with 5 tablespoon for HOT).If you find it came out too spicy, add a bit more brown sugar or coconut milk to dial down the heat.
  • If using Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste:Starting with 4 tablespoon will result in mild heat. We end up using the whole jar! It's much sweeter and less spicy. So, use less brown sugar (start with 1 tsp) and add in cayenne pepper if you want to bump up the heat.
• Fish Sauce Substitute: Authentic Thai Red Curry usually has Fish Sauce, which can be found in most grocery stores. But if you don't have any on hand, or can't find it, you can sub with equal amounts of Soy Sauce.
• Lime Zest & Juice Substitute:Again, this recipe was created using ingredients that are easy to come by, or that you likely already have. Authentic Red Curry recipes usually use lemongrass and kaffir leaves, but these can be hard to find for most people. So, even though there is no perfect substitute for these, I feel the lime zest and juice gives a bit of extra flavor in their place. (Careful not to over grate when zesting the lime...only get the green part!)
  • If using Kaffir Leaves:In place of the lime juice, use 6 Kaffir leaves and add it at the same time you add the coconut milk. Remove the leaves before serving.
  • If using Lemongrass: In place of the lime zest, use 2 teaspoon finely minced fresh lemongrass or 1 tablespoon of lemongrass paste.Add it at the same time you add the coconut milk.

Sauce Thickness

This dish thickens slightly when once it cools. Thai Red Curry at some restaurants has a more watery consistency. If that's how you prefer yours, simply add about ½ cup (or more) of chicken broth at the same time you add the coconut milk.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

• Follow steps 1-2 to sauté onions and spices in a pan.
• Add a bit of the canned coconut milk to deglaze the pan and then pour mixture out into the slow cooker.
• Add the remaining coconut milk and other ingredients to the slow cooker (except the lime zest, juice, and cilantro, which should be mixed in at the end of cooking).
• Cook on High for 2-3 hours, or low for 4-5 hours.

• Stir in the lime zest, half of the lime juice, and half of the cilantro.

• At this point, do a taste test and add in more lime juice if needed and more: salt, sugar, or curry paste to taste. (I added ¼ teaspoon more salt, and 1 tablespoon more curry paste for added heat!)

• Top with the remaining cilantro, and serve!

  • Notes:
  • If you prefer crisper bell pepper, you can add them last 30 minutes of cooking (this is what I like to do).
  • If you prefer thicker sauce, mix in a cornstarch slurry (2-3 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoon water) and cook on high for 15 minutes.

(Nutrition Facts are for a 1 cup serving, using chicken breast. This recipe yields about 5 cups total.)