Green curry is a very popular Thai curry, alongside yellow and red curry. Despite its name, the color isn’t entirely green. It is more of a mild yellow-green color. The slightly green tint and the name of the dish come from its Thai green chillies.
The flavor of the green curry should be a balance of spicy, sweet, and savory. You will see these flavors represented in the ingredients.
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How to Make It
This recipe only takes about 22 minutes to cook in a pot or deep skillet, with 15 minutes of prep time to chop and measure the ingredients.
Green Curry Chicken Ingredients
While there are traditional ingredients to Thai green curry, over time, it has become highly customizable. You will find many variations to this recipe, adding different proteins, vegetables, and flavors.
This recipe uses chicken as its protein and ingredients that are easy to spot in the store. Ingredients you will likely only find in an Asian market were left out, such as Thai basil, kaffir lime leaves, and palm sugar.
If you would like to use these traditional ingredients, I have added them to the notes section of the recipe.
Here is the ingredients list:
- Olive Oil
- Chicken: I recommend using chicken thigh, but you can use any cut of chicken. Chicken should be skinless, boneless, with visible fat removed and cut into bite-sized pieces. Substitute for any protein you would like, or omit for a vegetarian curry.
- Green curry paste: For quicker cooking, this recipe uses a pre-made curry paste. If you would like to make it from scratch, here is a recipe.
- Coconut milk: Use unsweetened coconut milk from a can. For a healthier version of this dish, use low-fat coconut milk.
- Chicken stock: Use vegetable stock or broth for a vegetarian curry. For a healthier version uses a low-sodium stock.
- Fish sauce
- Brown sugar: This dish can also be made with white sugar or palm sugar.
- Salt
- Bamboo shoots: Bamboo shoots are used to mimic the flavor of Thai eggplant, not available in the United States.
- Peas
- Red pepper
- Basil: This is a substitute for the traditional ingredient of Thai basil leaves.
- Lime
- Jasmine Rice: For a whole-grain twist, use brown or black rice.
You can add or substitute any vegetables you want with this dish. A couple of traditional ingredients I left out that you may consider includes Kaffir lime leaves and red chillies.
Directions
Heat the oil in a pot or deep skillet. Add the bite-sized chicken pieces and cook until browned on one side, then remove them from the pot and set them aside.
Next, add the curry paste until it’s aromatic, meaning you can start to smell it. Then mix the coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, brown sugar, and salt. Bring to boil on medium-high heat.
Once it’s boiling, it’s time to add the protein and vegetables. Add the chicken, bamboo shoots, peas, and red pepper. Lower heat to a simmer until the chicken is cooked fully, about 10 minutes. Lastly, stir in the basil leaves.
Serve immediately over rice. Garnish with a squeeze of lime juice.
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Green Curry Chicken Recipe
Thai Green Curry Chicken
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 lbs. skinless chicken thigh visible fat removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1-3 tbsp green curry paste see Note #1
- 1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk unsweetened
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup bamboo shoots
- ¼ cup peas
- ½ cup red bell pepper julienne (cut into strips)
- ¼ cup basil chiffonade
- 1 lime
- 4 cups cooked rice jasmine, brown or black rice
Instructions
DIRECTIONS
- Heat oil in a pot or deep skillet on medium heat.
- Add chicken to pot and cook until browned on one side. Remove chicken.
- Add curry paste and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Mix coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, brown sugar, and salt. Bring to boil on medium-high heat.
- Add chicken, bamboo shoots, peas, and red pepper. Lower heat to a simmer, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in basil. Serve immediately over steamed rice. Garnish with a squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
- Spiciness Level. The spiciness level is determined by the number of tablespoons of green curry paste you add. For a nice balance of spice to the other flavors in the dish, I recommend 2 tablespoons. For mild spice, choose 1 tablespoon, and for a lot of heat, use 3 tablespoons. The level of spiciness is also determined by the brand of curry paste you use. Here is a paste I use in case you do not want a chance of any surprises!
- Nutrition. Recommended substitutions for a healthier dish include low-fat coconut milk, low-sodium stock, and brown or black rice. You can also create a vegetarian version of this dish by eliminating the chicken or substituting it for tofu.
- Traditional Ingredients. For a more traditional dish, use palm sugar instead of brown sugar, Thai basil instead of basil, red chillies instead of red bell pepper, and add Kaffir lime leaves. Serve over jasmine rice.
- Food Safety. Chicken is fully cooked at a temperature of 165° F. Do not wash raw chicken. Wash hands, cutting board, and knife with soap and water after handling raw chicken. Do not let raw vegetables touch a knife or cutting board that has not been washed after touching raw chicken.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts is for 1 serving with jasmine rice and no ingredient substitutions.
- Calories: 278 kcal
- Protein: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fat: 10.9 g
- Sugar: 7.8 g
- Sodium: 481 mg
Recommended substitutions for a healthier dish include low-fat coconut milk, low-sodium stock, and brown or black rice. You can also create a vegetarian version of this dish by eliminating the chicken or substituting it for tofu.
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