A fragrant and creamy Thai green curry recipe with tender chunks of chicken and crunchy green vegetables. Make your own Thai green chicken curry at home with this simple recipe and this easy to make Thai green curry paste. Better than a takeaway any night of the week.
👩🏻🍳 Why make this recipe
A creamy and aromatic curry recipe that can be on the table in 30 minutes. Perfectly tender chicken coated in coconut curry sauce and finished with fiery chillies and crispy onions. Simple and delicious.
Thai green curry is also great on a week night when you want something quick and tasty, that doesn't take too much effort. This particular recipe is a Thai chicken curry but feel free to replace the meat with your preferred choice or with extra vegetables.
This Thai green chicken curry recipe is adapted from the Thai recipes I made in 2012 in Thailand when attending the Siam Rice cookery school in Chang Mai, Northern Thailand. I've closely match ingredients where I can and used pre ground spices.
🥘 Ingredients
To make this easy Thai green curry recipe you will need:
Ingredient notes
Coconut milk: The best replacement for coconut milk in terms of consistency and flavour is cream. This can be a little heavy so you can also use yogurt or milk. If using milk I would recommend adding flour as well, as described in the recipe, to help keep the sauce thick.
Fish sauce: Fish sauce is the main seasoning ingredient in Thai cooking and completely transforms the dish. I highly recommend using fish sauce in this recipe for the best flavour. If you can't get hold of any or if you are making a vegetarian curry, you can substitute with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce or seaweed paste.
Chicken: The chicken can be substitute for your preferred meat or fish. Or try a Thai green prawn curry. For a vegetarian option replace the chicken with extra veggies and remember to replace the fish sauce with either soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce or seaweed paste.
Thai green curry paste: For best results I recommend making the Thai green curry paste yourself. However, if you don't have time to make the paste the best alternative is to buy a jar of pre-made paste. Bear in mind that the homemade paste can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months.
Mangetout: I love the crisp and fresh flavour of mangetout in this creamy Thai curry. However, this can be substituted for your preferred veg. Try with tenderstem broccoli, pak choi, baby corn, red onion, finely chopped carrot, aubergine, courgette or green beans.
Flour: The flour is used in this recipe as a thickening agent. If you prefer a Thai green sauce with a thin consistency or if you are making a gluten free version then leave this out. See expert tips below for alternative ways to thicken a curry sauce.
Chillies: The chillies are used as a topping to the curry and will add extra heat to the dish. Taste the chillies first so you have a rough idea of how much heat you're adding. The curry paste already contains chillies so if you're not a fan of too much heat then don't go crazy with the extra chillies. Use the smaller, thinner finger chillies for extra heat or use the larger green chillies for a milder flavour. I like to use red chillies just for the contrasting colours on the top.
Coriander, basil and onions: This are all suggested toppings and are optional.
🔪 Step by step instructions
- Place a wok or large shallow pan onto a medium heat. Add 3 tablespoon of Thai green curry paste and cook for 1 minute to release the flavours.
- Next add a can a coconut milk and stir well until fully combined with the paste.
- Continue to stir until heated through.
- Next add a small amount of cold water to 1 tablespoon of plain flour and mix into a paste. Add this to the sauce and stir in. Continue to heat and stir until sauce starts to thicken. (Skip this step if gluten free and see expert tips below for other ways to thicken the sauce)
- Add the raw, cubed chicken to the green sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. TIP: do not boil as this will cause the sauce to thin out.
- Season with lime juice, lime zest, brown sugar and fish sauce (if you're making a vegetarian curry replace the fish sauce with a vegan fish sauce or seaweed paste). Stir well and cook at a simmer for 2-3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Next, add your choice of vegetables (I added mangetout) and heat for a further 1-2 minutes or until veg is cooked but still crisp and bright green.
- Top with fresh basil, coriander, fresh chillies and Crispy onions. Dish up and serve with rice.
💭 Expert tips
Extra spiciness: If you like your Thai green curry spicy then add chopped, fresh green chillies during cooking.
How to make curry sauce thicker: Use full fat coconut milk in the recipe. The reduced fat versions are more watery and so will ultimately thin out the sauce. Coconut milk can also lose its consistency when boiled rapidly over a prolonged period. So even though reducing a sauce does thicken it, rapidly boiling in this instance will not help. When making this recipe, ensure that the the finished Thai green curry is heated gently until just boiling before serving.
Other options for thickening the Thai green curry sauce include:
- Add full fat yogurt, but be aware that this will reduce the spiciness of the dish, so you may need to add more chillies at the same time. Only add yogurt right at the end of cooking - too much heat and the yogurt will curdle. Take the Thai green curry off the heat and stir in enough yogurt to reach your desired consistency.
- Instead of serving rice at the side, mix it directly into your curry whilst still in the pan. Then serve.
- If adding vegetables that release water during cooking (e.g. courgettes, mushrooms) roast these in the oven first and then mix into the finished curry.
- Add flour to the curry. To avoid flour lumps forming I usually mix 1 tablespoon of flour with a bit of water to form a paste. Then add the flour paste to the curry and mix well. For best results add the flour paste before its heated up to much. Then stir continually until the sauce thickens and the flour is 'cooked out'.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Out of all the Thai currys, Thai green curry is the hottest, despite the belief that Thai red curry is the hotter of the two. This is mainly down to the chillies used in the paste. Green chillies (particularly green birds eye chilli peppers) tend to be hotter than red. So whether the paste is hot or too spicy for you, is dependent on the ingredients used and the amounts. Try the paste before adding and if necessary balance out with yogurt or cream. If a milder curry is much more your thing then try Panang curry, or Massaman curry.
The main difference between Thai green and Thai red curry is the colour and the heat, both of which come from the type of paste used (Thai red curry paste or Thai green curry paste). Substituting one paste for other will ultimately dictate the type of curry you end up making.
2-3 tablespoon of paste is usually enough when making a curry for 2-4 people.
Once made, allow the Thai green curry to completely cool then transfer to a sealable container and keep in the fridge for 2 days or or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight. Reheat in a pan or in the microwave until piping hot throughout.
Yes its gluten free, as long as you don't use the above flour option for thickening. But do always check the packets of the individual ingredients you are using. Generally the main ingredients in this curry are naturally gluten free.
If you've tried this recipe, let me know what you think by leaving a star rating in the recipe card or comment section below. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram or Sign up to my email list!
📖 Recipe
Thai Green Curry Recipe
Equipment
- Wok or large shallow pan
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon of homemade Thai green paste or shop bought green paste if you’re short on time
- 400 ml can of full fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon plain flour for thickening - optional (do not use if making a gluten free version)
- 500 g Chicken breast chopped into bitesize cubes
- Juice and zest of half a lime
- 2 teaspoon soft brown sugar
- Few splashes of fish sauce
- 125 g Mangetout
- Basil leaves fresh coriander, fresh chillies and crispy onions to serve (optional)
- Rice to serve optional
Instructions
- Place a wok or large shallow pan onto a medium heat. Add 3 tablespoon of Thai green curry paste and cook for 1 minute to release the flavours.
- Next add a can a coconut milk and stir well until fully combined with the paste.
- Continue to stir until heated through.
- Next add a small amount of cold water to 1 tablespoon of plain flour and mix into a paste. Add this to the sauce and stir in. Continue to heat and stir until sauce starts to thicken. (Skip this step if making a gluten free version and see expert tips below for other ways to thicken the sauce).
- Add the raw, cubed chicken to the green sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. TIP: do not boil as this will cause the sauce to thin out.
- Season with lime juice, lime zest, brown sugar and fish sauce (if you're making a vegetarian curry replace the fish sauce with a vegan fish sauce or seaweed paste). Stir well and cook at a simmer for 2-3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Next, add your choice of vegetables (I added mangetout) and heat for a further 1-2 minutes or until veg is cooked but still crisp and bright green.
- Top with fresh basil, coriander, fresh chillies and Crispy onions. Dish up and serve with rice.
Video
Nutrition
Notes
- Add full fat yogurt, but be aware that this will reduce the spiciness of the dish, so you may need to add more chillies at the same time. Only add yogurt right at the end of cooking - too much heat and the yogurt will curdle. Take the Thai green curry off the heat and stir in enough yogurt to reach your desired consistency.
Instead of serving rice at the side, mix it directly into your curry whilst still in the pan. Then serve. - If adding vegetables that release water during cooking (e.g. courgettes, mushrooms) roast these in the oven first and then mix into the finished curry.
- Add flour to the curry. To avoid flour lumps forming I usually mix 1 tablespoon of flour with a bit of water to form a paste. Then add the flour paste to the curry and mix well. For best results add the flour paste before its heated up to much. Then stir continually until the sauce thickens and the flour is 'cooked out'.
This post was first published in May 2018. Updated in March 2021 with an improved recipe, new images, step by step photos and expert tips
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Oh yum! That looks so delicious. I nearly always make my own Thai green curry paste. It's so much tastier than shop bought. I am very jealous of that cookery school trip. I would love to do something like that one day. But I love so much how you have simplified and adapted an authentic recipe so that it's do-able too - the best of both worlds!! Eb x
Debbie Jones
Thanks so much for your comment 🙂 I love to make my own paste as well, just can't beat the fresh flavour you get. Ah yes - simple is always the best 🙂
Corina Blum
This curry sounds so tasty! I'm also a big fan of Thai flavours and this is really making me want to have a go at some Thai recipes again. Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Debbie Jones
I really love Thai flavours as well! Theres always room in our weekly menu for a quick Thai curry 🙂 Hope you get chance to have a go at a Thai recipes soon! SO worth it 🙂