This healthy Thai chicken curry recipe may require many ingredients, but we can say without a doubt, it’s worth it!
Close your eyes a minute and imagine eating a hearty bowl of warm curry with a dash of rich coconut milk, tangy tamarind, a touch of freshness from coriander, and the subtle aroma from the spices. It’s simply the ultimate comfort food. And it only takes 30 minutes to make— perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Is Thai Chicken Curry Healthy?
We try to make this Thai chicken curry recipe as healthy as possible by limiting fat and using nutritious ingredients. Let’s see how they can be beneficial for your health.
Turmeric
Turmeric is one of the key ingredients in a curry powder mix. This spice flavors the curry with a warm peppery taste alongside a subtle hint of an earthy, mustardy aroma. Turmeric also has a constituent called curcumin, which gives curry its signature vibrant yellow color. It is curcumin that blesses turmeric with the power to fight inflammation and prevent heart diseases.
Ginger
What’s a curry without a little ginger? It’s one of the most flavorful spices in the world. This sweet, mildly hot spice is what helps give curry its warmth and comforting aroma. Like turmeric, ginger also has medicinal benefits such as decreasing blood sugars and lowering lipid levels, thus reducing the risk of heart diseases.
Carrots
Here at Healthy Kitchen 101, we love adding carrots to our recipes not just because of their flavor and versatility, but also the health benefits they bring. Carrots contain carotenes— a type of carotenoid that gives carrots their signature orange color. Studies have shown that foods that are rich in carotenoids like carrots, may have positive effects on improving skin health and preventing certain types of cancer.
With all these amazing ingredients, this simple Thai chicken curry may be the best healthy comfort food you’ve ever made. But before you do, let’s talk about side dishes.
What to Serve With Thai Chicken Curry
For today’s recipe, we want to keep it traditional and serve this curry over a bed of warm cooked rice. We use medium-grain rice, but we highly recommend using Jasmine rice. It is a type of long-grain rice that has a soft texture, sweet flavor, and subtle aromatic notes— it would both complement and complete this Thai chicken curry.
As for the side dish, a Thai shrimp and mango salad would be a perfect fit. The freshness of this vibrant, sweet, and sour salad will balance out our rich and spicy curry. Together, they make a great combo for an easy, healthy, homemade Thai-inspired meal. Here are their combined nutrition facts:
If you love curry, be sure to check out our egg curry recipe. Maybe it will become one of your favorites too. But first, let’s get back to today’s Thai chicken curry recipe.
Thai Chicken Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 12 oz skinless boneless chicken thigh
- 1/4 tsp salt divided
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper divided
- 4 oz carrots diced
- 4 oz onions finely diced
- 3 tbsp garlic finely minced
- 1 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 tbsp shallots finely minced
- 1/2 tbsp lemongrass finely minced
- 0.5 oz ginger thinly sliced
- 0.5 oz galangal thinly sliced
- 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/8 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 3 cups unsalted chicken broth
- 3 tsp brown sugar
- 2 oz frozen peas thawed
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
- 1/2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 3 cups cooked medium-grain rice
- 1/4 cup fresh coriander finely chopped (optional)
- 0.25 oz red chili peppers cut into slices (optional)
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Instructions
- Heat up 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Sear the chicken for 5 minutes or until golden-brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, diced carrots, onions, and minced garlic. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes or until the onions are slightly translucent. Add curry paste, shallots, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, white pepper, cumin, coriander powder, and curry powder. Stir constantly for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the cooked chicken, unsalted chicken broth, and brown sugar. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 15 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Bring the heat up to medium. Add peas and the remaining 1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper to the pot. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in coconut milk, then add this mixture to the pot. Next add tamarind concentrate and fish sauce to the pot. Stir constantly and cook for another minute or until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat.
- Serve hot in a deep dish or a bowl with 3/4 cup warm cooked rice per serving and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and red chili peppers.
Video
Notes
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when you sauté the chicken. If your pan isn’t big enough, divide the chicken and cook in small batches. Otherwise the chicken will lose its juices and become dry.
- You may want to use low-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt if you’re trying to stay on a healthier side. Just don’t use non-fat yogurt as we want to retain the richness of the curry.
- Try to use homemade chicken broth as you can control the amount of salt you’re adding to the curry. Or you can opt for store-bought chicken broth, but remember to look for the unsalted or low sodium ones.
- Always season to taste at the end of the cooking process. If you adjust the amount of salt to your liking before reducing the soup, the end result will likely be saltier than you expected.
Nutrition
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Excellent recipe
Thanks for the compliment! 🙂
Friendly and tasty receipe. Thanks…
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Afrer the comments about tumeric why is there none in this dish
Hi Derek, the turmeric is actually in the curry powder 🙂
What is the yogurt supposed to substitute?
good good good good
Sehr schoen.