A creamy coconut milk based sauce is flavored with Thai curry paste, garlic, and ginger, and then chicken and vegetables are gently simmered in it for a full meal deal when served over rice or quinoa. This flavorful dish has become a favorite of mine these last few months because not only is it delicious but is is so incredibly easy and quick to make! Plus you get the health benefits of coconut milk, chicken stock, ginger, garlic and lots of vegetables, too.
With this recipe I can quickly make our own Thai food at home, which is great considering that there is the danger of having gluten hidden in our sauce when eating out, plus they generally use coconut milk that contains preservatives and sweeteners in restaurants.
Mother’s Day is coming up this weekend, so I dedicate this recipe to all of your hardworking mothers who need a easy and healthy recipe to serve to your family. (But of course, this recipe works for everyone! I mean, mothers aren’t the only ones who need a quick healthy meal to make. 😉 )
The thing that I have really enjoyed about making Thai curry is how versitile it is. During the colder months I was making a yellow Thai curry with potatoes, carrots and onions, for a hearty version. Now that spring is really here, I am making a bit of a lighter version with broccoli and zucchini (more summer vegetables, granted, but delightful now anyways).
Once you have the basic concept down, you can do a wide range of variations! There are few dishes I actually enjoy making every week, but this is one of them. A few notes about ingredients. I have been using two curry pastes recently. Thai Kitchen‘s*(an old standby) and a curry made by a local company, Thai and True* (they are gluten-free and gmo-free!). This is a sauce-y version, so I actually generally serve it in bowls with a fork and a spoon. I will even eat it as a sort of soup, at times, with just a little rice sprinkled in. Pretty yummy!
- 1 14 ounce can of full fat coconut milk
- 2 cups of chicken stock
- 1-2½ tablespoons curry paste (red, green, or yellow)- I used red in this version
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated fresh ginger (peeled)
- 3-5 garlic cloves, finely minced or put through a garlic press
- Fish Sauce and/or unrefined salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, or sweetener of ch
- 1 pound of chicken breasts or chicken thighs, cubed (or about 2 cups of shredded leftover chicken meat)
- 1 medium head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut into ¼ inch wedges (separate the layers of the onion after cutting)
- 1 red, yellow, or orange sweet bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
- 2 small zucchini, ends removed and cut into ¼ inch thick matchsticks
- To serve: White or brown rice, or quinoa, chopped cilantro for topping
- In a large pan or saucepan with a lid, pour the coconut milk and broth. Whisk in the curry paste (lower amount to keep it mild, or to taste). Salt with fish sauce (starting with 2 tablespoons) or with unrefined salt (start with 1 teaspoon), and add sweetener. Bring to a simmer, and taste test and adjust salt and sweetener.
- Add chicken, broccoli, onion, red pepper, and simmer, with lid on, for 7 minutes.
- Add the zucchini matchsticks (if using leftover chicken, shredded, add at this point), and cook another 3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked through all the way.
- Taste test and adjust with more fish sauce/salt, and sugar, as needed.
- Serve over rice or quinoa and top with fresh cilantro, if desired.
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thai basil is probably one of my absolute favorite herbs. this dish would go spectacular with all of the in-season cilantro everywhere. cheers kimi XO
This curry looks delightful! I am always on the lookout for new curry recipes as everyone in my family will eat them and ask for seconds.
The only ingredient I’m missing is the red bell pepper and I think I’ll try fresh cilantro as well. I have fresh coconuts so I’m going to blend coconut water and a little meat to make the “milk”, I hope it will taste as good.
Thanks for posting!
Your Thai recipe looks tasty & nutritious, with an interesting variety of ingredients geared
toward summer veggies. For the record, there is no such word in correct grammar usage as “anyways”. Check it out & you’ll discover that “anyway” is the accepted standard usage.
Thank you for this awesome recipe! I have had it pinned for some time and finally made it tonight! My 3 and 5 yr olds ate their entire bowl fulls. I used cauliflower, Japanese eggplant, onion and bell pepper and it too was a great combo. Finished with a nice sprinkle of Thai basil. This will be a go to recipe whenever I roast a chicken to use up leftover meat and some homemade broth! Keep ’em coming Kimi!
I just have to say I have been making this recipe for a while and I LOVE the flavors- salty, sweet and spicy! Just perfect and I love filling it with fresh veggies and homemade broth. Thank you for the delicious recipe!!