This delicious Thai Red Curry is filled with chicken and sweet potatoes and is so flavorful making it better than takeout!
Our family loves curry, and this red version is delicious! If you’re also a fan of curry, be sure to check out our Yellow Curry and Massaman Curry.
Thai Red Curry Chicken
Have you ever tried red curry before? It’s one of those dishes we’ve always enjoyed getting at our favorite Thai restaurants.
I’ve always wanted to try a homemade version, and am so glad I did because this dish was delicious and easier than I thought.
We have a few different curry recipes on this site (like Massaman Curry, Yellow Coconut Curry and more). This version is made with red curry paste which is typically made using dry red chillies (green curry typically has coriander roots and green chillies in its paste).
I used Thai Kitchen, which is a more mild curry paste. If you want a spicier curry, try adding ½ tsp. of chili garlic paste or sriracha. 😉
How to Make Red Curry
This recipe has several ingredients, but don’t let that scare you! Just follow the simple steps and you’ll be enjoying this red curry in no time.
CHICKEN. Set a large deep skillet or a dutch oven over medium heat, add oil. Once oil is hot, add chicken and cook until lightly golden brown, about 4 minutes.
COOK UNTIL FRAGRANT. Add ginger, green onions, and garlic, saute for 2 minutes, then add sweet potatoes and curry paste. Cook for 2 minutes or until curry paste is fragrant.
SIMMER. Add fish sauce, brown sugar, lime zest and juice, chicken broth, salt, and Thai basil (regular basil works too). Turn heat up to medium-high and bring to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer, cook until potatoes and squash are fork-tender, about 20-25 minutes.
COCONUT MILK. Whisk in coconut milk (we like full fat coconut milk) continue cooking for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. **If you don’t have coconut milk, heavy cream works well too.
Serve warm, garnish with fresh cilantro and peanuts, if desired.
Change it Up
Almost any veggies can be added to this curry, they should be added prior to the chicken broth being added.
Some great additions include: broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, butternut and bell pepper. NOTE: We recommend keeping them small and all about the same size.
To make this curry “meatless,” swap the chicken for chickpeas. Simply saute for 1 minute, then proceed as recipe follows. For a true meatless recipe, use veggie stock instead of chicken broth and omit the fish sauce.
Serving Options + Sides
This dish is great on it’s own, but we LOVE to serve it with rice or even noodles. Other options include: brown rice or rice pilaf.
And be sure to check out some of our sides that go great with this red curry:
Thai Red Curry with Chicken Recipe
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Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil - OR canola oil OR peanut oil
- 1 lb chicken breasts - cut into thin slices
- 1 teaspoon ginger - freshly minced
- 2 green onions - (white part only), thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes - or 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 tbsp red curry paste*
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
- zest of 1 lime
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 (14.5 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 Thai basil leaves**
- 1 (14.5 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
- fresh cilantro - for optional garnish
- chopped peanuts - for optional garnish
Instructions
- Set a large, deep skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook until lightly golden brown, about 4 minutes.
- Add the ginger, green onions, and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and curry paste. Cook for 2 minutes or until the curry paste is fragrant.
- Add the fish sauce, brown sugar, lime zest and juice, chicken broth, salt, and basil. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20–25 minutes.
- Whisk in the coconut milk. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- Serve warm. Garnish with fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts, if desired.
This dish is great my family and I really enjoyed it is so flavorful!
I know what I will be making for dinner tonight! What a flavorful recipe! Yum!
I love simple recipes! Especially when they are so good!
This looks absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try!
I had never tried red curry either but it was so good! Thanks for such a simple recipe!