Thai Red Chicken Curry

Name: Thai Red Chicken Curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into thin 1-inch long strips; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 4 teaspoons fish sauce, divided; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided; 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 small sweet pepper, thinly sliced; 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 (4 oz) can sliced bamboo shoots, drained; 3 medium cloves garlic, minced; 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger; 1 (4 oz) jar Thai red curry paste; 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk; 3/4 cup chicken broth; 1/2 cup loosely-packed Thai basil leaves (or torn regular basil); 1/2 cup firmly-packed baby spinach; Steamed jasmine rice for serving; Fresh cilantro and lime zest for topping

By Sarah On March 12, 2015 | Updated: March 4, 2026

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Homemade Thai red chicken curry features tender chicken strips and lots of veggies simmered in an aromatic coconut red curry sauce.

There’s nothing I love more than a pan of curry simmering happily away on the stove! This red curry is truly one dinner I’ll never tire of having on my rotation.

While my local Thai restaurant has a very special place in my heart and I’ll never be able to make a curry as good as those folks do, this homemade version is the second-best option for when I get a curry craving and don’t want to leave the house!

My favorite part? You can load it up with a variety of veggies, meats, etc and it will turn out stellar EVERY time.

Lots of aromatic ingredients like garlic, ginger, Thai basil, and an entire jar of red curry paste are the secret weapons behind a curry with lots of flavor and I’m sharing all my curry tips I’ve picked up over the years with this recipe!

While I can’t claim it’s 100% authentic Thai curry, we’re getting pretty dang close with common pantry ingredients and only 40 minutes of your day.

This Thai Red Curry Features…

A rich and aromatic coconut red curry sauce
Tender chicken, sweet peppers, bamboo shoots, and green beans
Ready in 40 minutes entirely in one pan

Making the Thai Red Curry

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

Chicken thighs
Cornstarch
Fish sauce
Vegetable oil
Yellow onion
Sweet pepper
Green beans
Bamboo shoots
Garlic
Ginger
Red curry paste
Coconut milk
Chicken broth
Thai basil leaves
Baby spinach
Cilantro
Lime
Rice

Choosing Your Red Curry Paste

I made this curry with Thai Kitchen red curry paste which is a bit more on the mild side. Because of this I recommend using the entire 4-oz jar for the most flavor in this curry. If you choose to use another brand, start with 4 tablespoons curry paste and work your way up to taste.

Tips for Perfect Thai Red Curry

Cut chicken and vegetables in uniform size – aim for thin 1-inch slices for the chicken, beans, and pepper and 1/2-inch cubes for the onion. Uniformity will ensure that everything cooks at the same rate.
Marinate chicken – a quick 20-minute marinade in fish sauce and cornstarch will ensure the chicken cooks up tender.
Use fresh garlic, ginger, and Thai basil – this is where a lot of the amazing flavor comes from. I highly recommend using these ingredients fresh.
Simmer curry – a 10-15 minute simmer is where a lot of the flavor is built in the curry and it also finishes cooking the vegetables. Don’t rush the simmering process.
Use full-fat coconut milk – this adds an unmatchable richness to the sauce that you can only get from using full-fat.
Add spinach and Thai basil after simmering – this will prevent these ingredients from overcooking and the basil adds a lovely fragrant flavor to the curry.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this curry.

Try different vegetables – carrots, kale, zucchini, or summer squash will also work great in this curry.
Use another protein – try shrimp, tofu, or beef in place of the chicken.
Adjust heat level – this curry is fairly mild as is, but you can easily dial up the heat by adding red pepper flakes or a minced jalapeno or other chili pepper.

Dinner just doesn’t get any better than this, friends! The flavorful coconut curry sauce soaks into every inch of the steamed rice while the vegetables and chicken cook up perfectly tender and packed with aromatic flavor.

I’ll take that second bowl now.

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More curries to cook up next!

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