Thai Green Curry (Chicken Curry)

Thai Green Curry, Gaeng Khiao Wan, is a beautifully aromatic dish that’s both sweet and spicy, and comes together in about 30 minutes! It’s an easy recipe featuring homemade green curry paste (or store-bought curry paste if you prefer), coconut milk, aromatics, chicken, and vegetables. The bright flavors and aromas come from the curry paste and the addition of kaffir lime leaves, fresh Thai basil, lime juice, and fish sauce.
5 from 1 vote
2
Comments
Jump to Recipe
spooning some green curry out of the bowl

What Is Thai Green Curry?

Gaeng Khiao Wan (directly translates to sweet green curry), or Green Curry, is the most popular Thai curry dish. It is green curry with chicken. This is a dish from southern Thailand that combines spicy curry paste with fresh vegetables, chicken, and coconut milk.

I love this curry because it’s weeknight-friendly and totally customizable. In under an hour you get a balanced bowl that’s a little sweet, plenty spicy (you decide how hot), and loaded with whatever veggies you have on hand—think Thai eggplant, bell pepper, peas, or bamboo shoots. Quick, vibrant, and deeply comforting… it’s the perfect “Thai takeout at home” dinner!

ingredients for Thai green curry on the cutting board

Important Ingredients, Tips, and Substitutions

Green Curry Paste – while I prefer and recommend homemade green curry paste, in a pinch, you can certainly use a store-bought curry.

Coconut Milk – Make sure to use “unsweetened” coconut milk meant for cooking. (Sweetened coconut milk is meant for frozen cocktails).

Kaffir Lime Leaves – Most Asian markets offer these leaves, but you’ll likely only find them frozen or dried. Either option will work just fine. (Remember, you can also grown your own!)

Chicken – Use boneless, skinless chicken breast meat or chicken thigh meat, per personal preference. Remove as much fat as you can.

Thai Basil – Always try to use holy basil or Thai basil in Thai recipes. Pepper basil is another option, it’s variation of Thai basil. (You can use Italian basil if you can’t find Thai basil, but there will be quite a difference in flavor.)

Thai Chili Peppers – These red peppers bring the heat, so use more or less of them depending on your preferences. Remember that curry paste will already be spicy.

What Vegetables Can Be Used in Thai Green Curry?

  • The most common vegetable you’ll find served in this curry dish is Thai eggplant, although it’s not always easy to come by in the Western supermarkets.
  • You can use small Japanese or Indian eggplants if those are more readily available for you. Some other options include bamboo shoots, bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms, sweet snow peas, baby corn, and/or green beans.
collage of five images of mixing green curry paste, coconut milk, chicken, and other ingredients to make Thai green curry.

How to Make Thai Green Chicken Curry

  1. Prepare all of your ingredients ahead of time.
  2. Bring it to a simmer about 3/4 of the coconut milk in a pot, while stirring.
  3. Once it starts to thicken, stir in the green curry paste.
  4. Stir in the chicken, chicken stock, and remaining coconut milk. Lower the heat and cook until chicken is almost done.
  5. Stir in remaining ingredients and veggies. Cook until the veggies have softened.
  6. Finish with Thai basil, scallions, and sliced Thai chili peppers.
  7. Cook for just a few more minutes.
closeup of Thai green curry with chicken in a bowl

Using Store-Bought Green Curry Paste

In the interest of saving time and make it easier of yourself, you may choose to use store-bought Thai curry paste. There are some brands that are better than others and if you want the best tasting one, I recommend that you buy it at an Asian food market. You may have to try a few to see which brand you like best.

To enhance the flavors of the jarred curry paste, you will need to try it and possibly add more aromatics. Feel free to add more lime juice, more fresh grated galangal or ginger, more garlic, or more lemongrass paste.

top view of Thai green curry in a bowl

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below or share and tag me on social media @willcookforsmiles. DON’T FORGET to subscribe to my newsletter!

spooning some green curry out of the bowl

Thai Green Curry Recipe (Chicken)

Thai Green Curry, Gaeng Khiao Wan, is a beautifully aromatic dish that’s both sweet and spicy, and comes together in about 30 minutes! It’s an easy recipe featuring homemade green curry paste (or store-bought curry paste if you prefer), coconut milk, aromatics, chicken, and vegetables. The bright flavors and aromas come from the curry paste and the addition of kaffir lime leaves, fresh Thai basil, lime juice, and fish sauce.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 556kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup green curry paste
  • 1 cup chicken stock or broth
  • 13 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tsp pure cane sugar
  • 1/2-1 tsp coarse salt to taste
  • 6-8 kaffir lime leaves*
  • 1.25-1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat fat removed and chopped into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup fresh Thai basil packed
  • 2 tsp fresh lime juice
  • 1-2 red Thai chili peppers
  • 3-4 scallions stalks

Optional vegetables (about 5 oz)**:

  • Thai eggplant, or Indian eggplant, or Japanese eggplant,
  • Bell pepper
  • Sweet peas or snow peas
  • bamboo shoots

To serve:

  • 2 cups cooked Jasmine rice

Instructions

  • Prepare all of your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready. Some ingredients are added in the beginning and some at the end, you can separate the ingredients so it's easer to add them at the right time.
  • Preheat a 2.5-3 quart sauce pot over medium heat.
  • Add about 3/4 of the coconut milk to the pot and let it simmer, while slowly and constantly stirring, until the coconut milk reduces and starts to thicken. (It will take just a few minutes.)
  • Add green curry paste, stir, and let it simmer for a few seconds.
  • Stir in chicken, chicken broth, and remaining coconut milk. Lower the heat to medium low and let it cook until chicken is done.
  • Once chicken is done, stir in salt, sugar, half the fish sauce, kaffir leaves, and vegetables you're using. Let it cook a few more minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
  • Stir in Thai basil, scallions, and sliced Thai chili peppers. Let it cook just a couple of minutes and take off heat.

Serving:

  • The best way to serve Thai Green Curry is with jasmine rice. Don't attempt to thicken the curry, because it's supposed to be soupy, not a thick sauce!
    (Note: people find kaffir lime leaves too think and tough to eat so you can discard those from your bowl.)

Notes

*Kaffir lime leaves: you can find kaffir lime leaves in many Asian markets but they are not widely available. Frozen or dried kaffir lime leave will be available in most markets and you can use those instead.
**Vegetables: You will be about 5 oz. of vegetables of your choice. The most common vegetable used in this curry dish is Thai eggplant, although it’s not always easy to come by. You can use small Japanese or Indian eggplants if those are available to you. Some other options include bamboo shoots, bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms, sweet snow peas, baby corn, and/or green beans.
Coconut milk: make sure you are using unsweetened, 100% coconut milk, not the sweetened one used for blended cocktails. 
Pure cane sugar: if not available, you can also use granulated white sugar.
Storing leftovers: store any leftovers in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 556kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 1579mg | Potassium: 758mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4953IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles or tag #willcookforsmiles!

More Thai Recipes To Try At Home

Categories:

, , , , , ,

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

5 from 1 vote

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 Comments

  1. Chef John says:

    5 stars
    This recipe is so easy to follow and creates the most authentic at home Green Curry!! Thank you for your amazing recipes.

    1. I am so glad you liked it, Chef John!

More Recipes...