Thai cuisine is wildly popular worldwide, and for good reason. This dish is one of our favorites.
Of course, Thai food has some heat to it, but it’s the kind of heat that is just so satisfying.Making the green curry paste from scratch is what puts this dish over the top. Most ingredients can be found nowadays in the Asian section of most well-stocked supermarkets. Serve over noodles, Jasmine rice, or perfectly steamed rice.
How To Make Thai Green Curry Chicken
Watch Us Make It!
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The Ingredients You Will Need
Of course you can purchase a decent quality green curry paste and have a delicious dish, but, making it from scratch is not difficult and truly puts it over the top. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand:
For the Green Curry Paste
Green chilies – This is where you’ll get the heat. We use serrano chiles, but you could also go with Thai green chiles or jalapeños. For medium heat, we use three serrano peppers and remove about 90% of the seeds.
Shallot – Chopped. Regular white or yellow onion can be substituted.
Ginger – Fresh is best, minced.
Lemongrass – You’ll use the stalk only. Remove the exterior skin and chop the interior. Lemongrass can be found at Whole Foods and vegetable markets. If you can’t find it, just leave it out.
Coriander – Dried. This can be found in the spice section of most well-stocked supermarkets, or online.
Pepper – White pepper is recommended. Found in the spice section of many supermarkets, gourmet markets, or online. If you can’t find it, substitute black pepper.
Soy sauce – Regular or low-sodium both are great choices.
Fish sauce – Found in the Asian section of many well-stocked supermarkets, at Asian food markets, or online.
Sugar – Granulated.
For the Green Curry Chicken
Oil – Vegetable or canola.
Coconut milk – Unsweetened (don’t get the sweetened coconut milk used for pina coladas). Found canned in the Asian section of most supermarkets, or online.
Chicken – Skinless, boneless thighs are recommended, however, skinless, boneless chicken breasts will work well, too. Cut into bite-size pieces.
Zucchini – Cut into bite-size pieces.
Kaffir lime leaves – This ingredient is traditional in Thai cooking and can often be found in the Asian section of supermarkets, or online. If you can’t find it, just leave it out.
Thai basil – This is used as garnish, but adds a wonderful layer of authentic flavor. Thai basil can usually be found in the U.S. at Whole Foods and Sprouts, or at Asian markets. Regular basil is a perfectly fine substitution.
Lime wedges – For garnish.
EXPERT TIP: The green curry paste can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Tips for Making Perfect Thai Green Curry Chicken
Use Fresh and Authentic Thai Ingredients – For best flavor, seek out as many of the called-for ingredients, from the green chilies, ginger, lemongrass, and fish sauce to create an aromatic and flavorful green curry paste from scratch.
Incorporate Traditional Thai Ingredients – Coconut milk, Kaffir lime leaves, and Thai basil add depth and balance to the curry’s flavors. The coconut milk tames the heat and is essential for creating the best flavor. Have extra on hand for drizzling over the top.
Simmer the Curry Gently – This will allow the flavors to meld together and the chicken to become tender
Serve with Perfectly Steamed Jasmine Rice – Jasmine rice is the perfect match for the flavorful sauce and creates an authentic and satisfying meal.
EXPERT TIP: You can sear the chicken pieces first, if desired. This will give a little crispy exterior, but we find the chicken pieces are extra tender when they simmer gently in the sauce without being seared.
How To Serve
This dish is best served piping hot right from the wok. By the way, if you don’t have a wok, no worries, simply use a large (12-inch) skillet. If you are using a wok, we recommend using a wok ring to keep it nice and steady on the stove.
This curry chicken is delicious on its own, but we find the steamed rice is a nice match to the spice of the dish. Remember, the dish can be as mild (or as spicy) as you wish. For a mild version, only use one pepper and remove all of the seeds. If you want it extra spicy, then leave all of the seeds in, and for intense heat, go with a total of four peppers.
We love to have plenty of cool unsweetened coconut milk available to pass at the table. This combined with the chopped Thai basil (or plain basil) gives the most amazing authentic flavor.
EXPERT TIP: Add the zucchini in the last couple minutes of simmering. You want it to be tender, but not mushy. The finished dish can easily be reheated in the wok (or in a saucepan) over medium heat until bubbly and warmed through.
Other Amazing Thai Recipes to Try at Home
There are many reasons to love Thai cuisine. It’s deeply flavorful, fresh, and gives your scalp a nice warm tingling, as well as your tastebuds. Making it home doesn’t have to be daunting, and actually quite fun and fulfilling. Here are a handful of our favorites that we’re sure you and your friends and family will love, too:
Chicken Pad Thai
Shrimp Pad Thai
Thai Beef with Red Curry Sauce
Thai Beef Salad
These are all amazing and so perfectly Thai, but, in the meantime, isn’t this amazing dish calling your name?
If you like Thai food (or even if you’re unsure), you are going to absolutely love this dish.
As mentioned, the homemade curry paste really brings the dish to amazing Thai culinary heights. You can go with store-bought green curry paste and still have a delicious chicken dish, but, again, the homemade takes it to another level.
This is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner, but, it’s so impressive, that it’s wonderful to serve to guests for a spectacular Asian-themed dinner party. And leftovers are absolutely amazing!
Ready to stir up a little heat with this amazing Thai dish? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it to Instagram, tag @HowToeFedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Thai Green Curry Chicken
Equipment
- Wok, or large sturdy skillet
Ingredients
For the Green Curry Paste
- 3 green chilies such as Serrano, or Thai Green, or Jalapeno, stems and most seeds removed
- 1 shallot diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger fresh, minced
- 1 lemongrass fresh, chopped
- 1½ tsp coriander ground
- 1 tsp white pepper ground
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp fish sauce plus more, to taste
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
For the Green Curry Chicken
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk there will be some left from the can for garnishing
- 1½ lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless, roughly chopped
- 1 zucchini cut into thick chunks
- 8 kaffir lime leaves cut into thin strips
- ½ cup Thai basil fresh, roughly chopped, for garnish
- 2 limes cut into wedges, for serving
Jasmine Rice
- 1 cup Jasmine rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place all green curry paste ingredients in a food processor. Process until fragrant and smooth. Set aside.3 green chilies, 1 shallot, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 lemongrass, 1½ tsp coriander, 1 tsp white pepper, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
- Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat and add the oil. Swirl the heated oil around.2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Add all of the green curry paste and stir-fry briefly to release the fragrance, about 1 minute.
- Add about ¾ of the remaining coconut milk (about ½ cup), leaving the rest for later.½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
- Stir-fry together with the paste, blending the two.
- Add the chicken, stirring to incorporate. When the curry sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer.1½ lbs chicken thighs
- Let simmer for about 8 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
- Add the zucchini and the strips of lime leaves, stirring well to incorporate.1 zucchini, 8 kaffir lime leaves
- Simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Portion out into individual serving bowls, topping each one with a generous sprinkling of the basil and lime wedges on the side.½ cup Thai basil, 2 limes
- Finally, drizzle over 2-3 tablespoons (per bowl) of the reserved coconut milk.
- Serve with jasmine rice (see instructions below).
Jasmine Rice
- Rinse rice.1 cup Jasmine rice
- Combine the rice and water in a pot, add the butter and salt and bring to a boil.2 cups water, 1 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tsp salt
- Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 18 - 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat, fluff with fork and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
POST UPDATE: This was originally published in February 2015, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous new video in February 2024!
Just wondering if no time to make the paste- how much would I need of bought Thai green curry paste? I’d like to try this using equivalent pre made. Will make from scratch when I can find ingredients and have more time!
Hi Anne! So sorry for the delayed response! You could go with about 1/2 cup of store-bough green curry pasta and be in good shape. Let us know how it turns out!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Oh, the cup and half instead just about killed us lol… but half a cup would’ve been perfect! I find your recipes easy, flavourful and always a twice a week appearance in our house. Big fans- thank you so much!
LOL!! Well, it’s better to have too much sauce than not enough! That’s what we always say! Thank you so much and please stay in touch!! xoxo Kris & Wesey
The green curry paste was excellent. However, I might add less Coconut milk so it will be thicker. I also added bean sprouts and snow peas instead of zucchini. And I also used rice noodles instead of rice. Very tasty- Thanks!
Awesome, Winfried!! Bean sprouts and snow peas sound amazing! And great call with the rice noodles. Thanks for sharing!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Hi Kris,
Thank you for sharing your green curry paste recipe.
Have you ever made extra and kept it in the fridge? If so how long has it kept?
I have always bought my green curry paste. I like having it on hand to throw in scrambled eggs or mix with other things.
Hi Cyndi! I love it so much, too. I do keep a batch on hand as much as possible. Keep it up to a week, week and a 1/2. Beyond that, probably would look at making a new batch, or freeze it, or use it on something delish…like scrambled eggs!