This 30-Minute Thai Green Curry Chicken is a true flavor explosion! A one-pan meal that’s fancy enough for entertaining, but simple enough for an easy weeknight dinner.
I love Thai food. It’s one of my favorite cuisines. Thai food is always so fresh with perfectly-balanced flavors. I love to create budget-friendly versions of my favorite Thai foods at home, just like this 30-Minute Thai Green Curry Chicken recipe.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to visit Thailand and fell immediately in love with the people, the country, and the cuisine. Thai food itself is very varied, although, when I think of Thai food, I think of spicy red or green curries.
Did you know green curry is spicier than red?
While red and green curries are quite similar, contrary to popular belief, green curries are actually spicier than red curries. The larger green peppers used in green curries have a more powerful spice to them than the red Thai chilis, although red Thai chilis can be spicy as anything!
A 30-minute meal with an adjustable spice level!
I can’t stand a whole lot of spice, so I made this recipe with someone with a lower spice tolerance in mind. By all means, add more green curry paste if you want it spicier, just be wary of adding too much!
When I took a Thai cooking class, the most important piece of information I got from it was the importance of balancing flavors. In Thai cooking, there are typically four flavors that come from different ingredients you use – the sweet, the salty, the spicy, and the sour.
For this recipe, the spicy comes from the Thai green curry paste, the sour from the lime zest and juice, the salty from the fish sauce, and the sweet from the coconut sugar (or sugar substitute). Flavor balance is really important when cooking Thai food, and there is a delicate balance that needs to be maintained for optimal flavor.
The success of this dish is in the flavor balance!
In order to achieve this balance, it is important that you keep tasting the recipe to see if anything needs to be added to balance out the four flavors. You don’t want a curry that is too sweet or too sour, which is why tasting is a key part of making this Thai green curry.
This Thai green curry chicken is incredibly easy to make, doesn’t require any crazy ingredients (in fact, all ingredients and substitutes can be found in regular supermarkets), and comes together in under 30 minutes. That’s the great thing about Thai cooking – it’s SO quick!
This curry is bursting with flavor and is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, or a dinner party with friends. This curry is best served over rice with fresh lime, cilantro, and Thai basil. Guaranteed, everyone is going to love it!
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken thighs (or use 4 medium sized thighs)
- 1 tbsp grape seed or coconut oil
- 2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
- 2 fresh kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
- 1 can coconut milk
- 3 tsp fish sauce
- 4 tsp coconut sugar
- zest of half a lime
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 12 asparagus stalks
- 1 zucchini, sliced into half moons
- 1 cup of sweet Thai basil
- Cilantro for serving
- Rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat grapeseed or coconut oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.
- Add curry paste and stir 1 minute.
- Add chicken, stir 3-4 minutes until chicken is lightly browned.
- Reduce heat to medium and add coconut milk.
- Stir in fish sauce, coconut sugar, lime juice, lime zest, kaffir lime leaves, and white pepper.
- Taste test and adjust flavors accordingly.
- Add zucchini and asparagus.
- Simmer on medium for 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in Thai basil.
- Serve immediately over white rice.
Notes
Home Chef Tips: If these ingredients are hard to find, swap coconut oil for olive oil, coconut sugar for cane sugar, and Thai basil for regular basil.
We hope you enjoy this Thai Green Curry Chicken recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Georgina from The Home Cook’s Kitchen, as much as we do. If you love this simple and delicious recipe, you can find more like it by visiting our 30-Minute Meal Section. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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