Thai Red Curry Chicken Recipe
If you are craving Thai food but want something homemade instead of hitting up your local restaurant or ordering take-out, then we have just the recipe for you! This Thai red curry chicken is the perfect dish to satisfy any cravings for curry, and it's filled with a symphony of wonderful flavors that will knock your socks off.
Registered dietitian and recipe developer Kristen Carli of Camelback Nutrition and Wellness is a wizard in the kitchen, and she has a knack for coming up with healthy and flavorful dishes. This Thai red curry chicken is no exception, and there is a whole lot to love about it. "I love this dish because it is so flavorful! I cannot wait to eat this for dinner tonight!" Carli says. "When serving it over rice, it is a complete meal, meaning you do not need to make any extra sides." See? This meal is the total package, and it's great to make for your family, friends, or even just for a solo meal.
Keep scrolling to find out how to make this incredible dish!
Gather the ingredients
The first step in the cooking process to check for ingredients at home versus what you will need to pick up at the store. For starters, check your olive oil supply, which is likely in your cupboard. Next, you will need a yellow onion, minced garlic, ground coriander, and Thai red curry paste.
Be sure to look for a can of unsweetened coconut milk and some crushed ginger as well. The main protein in this dish is chicken, which you'll need to cut into strips, and for an added veggie, you will need baby spinach. The last two things on your list should be cooked white rice and fresh cilantro, both for serving.
Prep the oven and baking sheet
Before you get your hands dirty, take a little stroll over to the oven and set the temperature to 400 F. That way, it has time to get hot before you're ready to use it.
In the meantime, take out a large baking sheet and spray it with nonstick spray. Then, place the chicken strips on the baking sheet. Once the oven has finished preheating, pop them in. Set your timer for 20 minutes to cook the chicken. You can confirm the chicken is done by checking the internal temperature, which should be at least 165 F.
Make the sauce
While your chicken cooks, it's time to multitask. Grab a large skillet and put it over your burner. Turn the heat to medium-high and toss in the olive oil first. Once the pan gets hot, throw in your onions. Remember that you should have diced the onions ahead of time. Continue sautéing the onions for about 8 minutes until they turn translucent.
Then, add the garlic, red curry paste, coconut milk, ground coriander, and ginger. That's a lot of wonderful flavor packed into one small dish. Stir everything well and then turn the heat down to low and simmer the mixture.
Remove the chicken and add to sauce
By now, your chicken should be done or pretty close to being done. As we mentioned before, you can confirm that the chicken has finished cooking by inserting a thermometer and checking for an internal temperature of 165 F. That means it's perfect!
Next, grab the tray out of the oven and add the chicken into the curry sauce. Be sure to stir everything well to combine the chicken with the curry sauce. "The curry sauce should be a light red color and fairly thin," Carli shares of the consistency.
Add the spinach
After the chicken comes the star veggie — the spinach. Go ahead and toss it in with the curry and the chicken and wait for it to wilt down. Don't worry; this step doesn't take very long at all. The great part about spinach is that it's filled with health benefits. "Spinach is one of the things I always try to get patients to add to meals whenever possible," Carlie shares. "Spinach lends itself great to toss into most dishes: pasta, smoothies, bowls, salads, soups, omelets! Spinach is loaded with plant-based iron, vitamin A and vitamin K."
Remove from heat and serve
Now that the spinach has wilted, you can remove the curry mixture from the stove. Feel free to serve on either a plate or in a bowl — it's really just based on your own personal preference. Be sure to top the final dish with some chopped cilantro for some extra flavor. This dish is best served over cooked white rice and it does a great job of soaking up all that wonderful curry flavor. "I love serving this over white rice, but it is also delicious with naan bread for dipping," Carli recommends.
This is so yummy that we don't see any leftovers in your future, but if you have some, no worries. Carli tells us that "Leftovers last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days."
- cooking spray
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast, cut into strips
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon crushed ginger
- 2 cups baby spinach
- cooked white rice, for serving
- fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the chicken strips onto the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature measures at least 165 F.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion. Sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, red curry paste, coconut milk, coriander, and ginger. Stir well and simmer over low heat while the chicken continues to cook in the oven.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and add the strips to the curry sauce. Stir well.
- Add the baby spinach and stir into the sauce, allowing it to wilt down.
- Serve over rice, and garnish with cilantro.
| Calories per Serving | 429 |
| Total Fat | 30.7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16.9 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 72.8 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 13.0 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.8 g |
| Total Sugars | 1.0 g |
| Sodium | 101.0 mg |
| Protein | 26.3 g |
