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.
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
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.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.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.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'.
Storage: 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.