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Home  ›  Recipes  ›  Course  ›  Lunch & Dinner  ›  Bowls

Thai Inspired Coconut Chicken Curry

See Recipe Review

Posted:

01/30/17

Updated:

09/10/24

By:

Ashley Walterhouse

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.

A one-pot Thai Coconut Chicken Curry is simple, creamy and flavorful. It’s a healthy weeknight meal with tons of flavor and hearty vegetables made in under 30 minutes. Swapping out the rice for cauliflower rice makes this Paleo and Whole30 compliant, too!

Thai Coconut Chicken Curry with cauliflower rice and cilantro in bowl with blue towel

  • One-Pot Curry Recipe
  • How To Make Thai Coconut Chicken
  • Coconut Cream vs Coconut Milk
  • Red Curry vs Green Curry
  • Cooking Tips
  • How To Store
  • More Curry Recipes You’ll Love
  • Thai Coconut Curry with Chicken & Vegetables

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Okay, as I start out writing this post I am sitting at my dining room table CLEARLY avoiding cleaning up the mess that is this Thai coconut chicken curry. And it’s not even the dishes that are bothering me (HOLLA to 1-pot meals, my friends!). It’s the fact that cauliflower bits are lingering all over the place.

If I weren’t trying to keep this chicken curry Whole30 compliant, I probably would have just used plain rice or quinoa. I mean, I like cauliflower rice and it is a great grain-free option for dishes such as this. And it makes an amazing healthy meal for weekly meal prep, too!

One-Pot Curry Recipe

one pot Thai coconut chicken curry gif in pot with broccoli red peppers onion

Yeah, you read that right: just one pot for this Thai style dish.

It’s simple, delicious, and takes just about 30 minutes! AH I know, a one-pot, 30-minute dinner. How pumped are we right now? PUMPED.

Ingredients List

  • ghee or coconut oil 
  • garlic
  • onion
  • chicken breast
  • broccoli
  • bell peppers
  • canned coconut milk
  • unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk
  • red curry paste
  • fish sauce, optional but adds that “authentic” flavor
  • turmeric
  • pink salt
  • cayenne 
  • cauliflower
  • cilantro, for garnish

How To Make Thai Coconut Chicken

  1. Cook the Chicken. In a large pot over medium heat, add the ghee or coconut oil, garlic and onions, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken, cover the pot and cook until white on the outside.
  2. Add the vegetables, milk and seasonings. Add in the broccoli, bell peppers, coconut milk, nut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, turmeric, salt and cayenne. Cook to simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
  3. Make the cauliflower rice. Chop the cauliflower head into florets and process in your food processor or blender into bite-sized pieces, in batches if necessary.
  4. Serve. Spoon the cauliflower rice into serving bowls. Top with the Thai coconut chicken curry, garnish with cilantro and enjoy!
Thai Coconut Chicken Curry with cauliflower rice and cilantro in bowl with blue towel

Coconut Cream vs Coconut Milk

Coconut cream is much thicker than coconut milk. To replace the coconut milk with coconut cream, simply use half the amount (half a can) and dilute it with 1 cup water to reach the desired consistency.

Do not purchase cream of coconut, however, which is a sweetened version of coconut cream.

Red Curry vs Green Curry

Let me tell you – I like this Thai Coconut Chicken Curry extra spicy, which is why I use red curry! The difference in color in the curries is the chiles that are used.

Red curry is made with the much hotter dried red chiles whereas green curry is made with milder, fresh green chiles, with the addition of fresh herbs.

Cooking Tips

  • Replace the coconut milk with nut milk. If you want to make a Thai chicken curry without coconut milk, simply replace it with an equal amount of almond or cashew milk. Note it will not be as creamy as the original recipe.
  • Use green curry to make it mild. Red curry is much hotter than green curry, so you can always use the green variety to tame down the spice.
  • Purchase frozen cauliflower rice. If you want to save yourself a step, purchase two 16oz bags of cauliflower rice from the frozen foods section of your grocery store and thaw – no one will ever know!
Thai coconut chicken curry with cauliflower rice and fork in white bowl

How To Store

The chicken curry recipe will keep in an airtight container stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To get ahead on meal prep, portion out the chicken curry recipe with a serving of cauliflower rice in individual airtight containers for a healthy lunch or dinner throughout the week.

More Curry Recipes You’ll Love

  • Thai Red Curry with Vegetables
  • Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry Turkey Meatballs [Paleo, Whole30]
  • Thai Slaw with Cashew Curry Dressing

If you make this Thai Coconut Chicken Curry recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review on the blog! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley

5 from 3 votes

Thai Coconut Curry with Chicken & Vegetables

Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 20 minutes minutes
Total: 30 minutes minutes
A one-pot Thai Style Coconut Curry Chicken is simple, creamy and made in under 30 minutes. A healthy weeknight meal that's Paleo and Whole30, too!
Thai coconut chicken curry with cauliflower rice and fork in white bowl
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Author: Ashley Walterhouse
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Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1/2 TBS ghee or coconut oil
  • 1/2 TBS minced garlic
  • 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
  • 1.5 lbs chicken breast, cut into chunks
  • 1 medium head broccoli, chopped, about 3-4 cups
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped, about 1 cup
  • 1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped, about 1 cup
  • 1 13.5 oz canned coconut milk*, full-fat is best, but lite also works
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond or cashew milk, Whole30 compliant
  • 3 TBS red curry paste
  • 1 tsp fish sauce, optional but adds authentic taste
  • 1 heaping tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp pink salt
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne, or to taste
  • 1 large head cauliflower
  • cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

  • In a large pot over medium heat, add in ghee or coconut oil, minced garlic and diced onion. Stir frequently about 2 minutes. Next add chicken breast chunks to pot and stir. Cover with lid and allow chicken to cook until white on the outside (it doesn’t need to be fully cooked).
  • Once chicken breast is slightly cooked, add chopped broccoli and bell peppers. Next, gently pour in canned coconut milk, unsweetened almond or cashew milk. Then add curry paste, fish sauce, turmeric, salt, and cayenne. Gently stir until evenly combined. Allow mixture to come to a simmer on medium-high heat, then simmer on low for 15-20 minutes. Veggies should be slightly soft and chicken cooked through when done.
  • While pot is simmering, make cauliflower rice: Chop head of cauliflower into large pieces, then add to blender or food processor. Process until cauliflower is in bite sized pieces. You may need to do this in batches depending on size of appliance used.
  • Transfer cauliflower rice into serving bowls. Use large serving spoon to serve red curry into bowls and garnish with cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!
★ Last step! If you make this, please leave a review letting us know how it was!

Recipe Notes:

*If you don’t have coconut milk on hand, replace it with half a can coconut cream diluted with 3/4 cup water. You can also omit the coconut milk all together and use all nut milk. Just note the curry will not be as creamy.
Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker Nutrition approximate, based on 6 servings. Does not include cauliflower rice.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/6, Calories: 245kcal (12%), Carbohydrates: 16g (5%), Protein: 31g (62%), Fat: 8g (12%), Saturated Fat: 4g (25%), Cholesterol: 67mg (22%), Sodium: 552mg (24%), Fiber: 4g (17%), Sugar: 14g (16%)
Like this?Leave a comment below!

NOTE: This post contains affiliate links, with no extra cost to you. Should you choose to purchase through those links, I will receive a small commission. Thank you so much for supporting Fit Mitten Kitchen!

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About

Ashley Walterhouse

Ashley Walterhouse is the founder of Fit Mitten Kitchen, based in the Greater Lansing Area of Michigan, AKA “the Mitten.” Ashley grew up as a picky eater but later discovered that eating healthy was actually easy and fun. She started FMK in 2015 as a way to share her newfound love of developing healthier recipes for all to enjoy.
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5 from 3 votes

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Recipe Rating




28 responses

  1. Laura
    February 16, 2022

    Can you use olive oil instead of ghee or coconut oil?

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      February 16, 2022

      Yes that’s fine too! I do that as well if I don’t have coconut oil or ghee on hand.

      Reply
  2. Allison
    December 9, 2018

    Hi- have you ever tried this recipe with green curry paste? My grocery only had the green paste. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      December 10, 2018

      I haven’t but I’m sure it would be good! Will likely just have more basil flavor depending on the curry paste you got.

      Reply
  3. Amy
    October 17, 2018

    Can I use regular dairy milk instead of nut milk if I am trying to keep this safe for my nut allergy son? I don’t care if it’s Paleo or not it just looks tasty!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      October 18, 2018

      Hi Amy, I haven’t tried this using a regular dairy milk but I think just to be safe it would be best if you could use a soy milk or maybe a hempseed milk if you need it soy free.

      Reply
  4. Rochelle Cramer
    October 4, 2018

    5 stars
    Just made it and ..AMAZING!
    I modifed it a bit. I added shredded carrots, grated ginger,and i used organic chicken broth instead of almond/cashew milk. It was seriously to DIE for. Better than I’ve had in any restaurant that’s for sure. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      October 5, 2018

      Thank you so much for sharing, Rochelle! Your subs sound amazing and I appreciate you sharing them here as well! And for your review 🙂 So glad you loved it!

      Reply
  5. Wendy
    June 27, 2018

    5 stars
    Delish!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      June 27, 2018

      So glad you like, Wendy! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review 🙂

      Reply
  6. Gabriela
    March 23, 2018

    I just made this and it’s pretty epic. I didn’t have sugar free fish sauce so I omitted it and I did add ginger. Thanks for the recipe! It’s a keeper!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 25, 2018

      So glad you enjoyed it Gabriela! Thanks for your comment and feedback 🙂

      Reply
  7. Heather
    January 10, 2018

    If I use zucchini noodles, do I toss them in the pot with everything else or cook separately?

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      January 10, 2018

      Hi Heather! I would personally sauté them separately so they don’t get soggy in the pot.

      Reply
  8. Roger
    November 17, 2017

    Two things to note: many ready made Thai curry pastes and fish sauce have sugar in them; might want to add a note throwing caution to the wind. Don’t forget the fresh Thai basil if you can find it. Some stores now carry it in the fresh herb section. If one prefers noodles, there is a Korean noodle that is made from the starch of sweet potatoes. korean noodles

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      November 19, 2017

      Thanks Roger!

      Reply
  9. Jenna
    July 21, 2017

    Hi! Is there an alternative for the almond/cashew milk? Having a very hard time finding one that is compliant and don the have the time to make my own. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      July 21, 2017

      Hi Jenna! You can technically use all coconut milk, but maybe use a lite version if you want to keep the fat a little lower. Califia and Silk have unsweetened milks that are technically compliant. They have gums in them but they’re compliant still. 🙂 hope that helps!

      Reply
  10. Leo Tat
    February 3, 2017

    5 stars
    Hi Ashley,

    The curry looks delicious. All very healthy ingredients, ghee/coconut oil, garlic, turmeric.

    I’ll add more cayenne as I like mine extra spicy.

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      February 7, 2017

      Thanks so much Leo! I hope you enjoy 🙂 Let me know what you think!

      Reply
  11. Heather
    January 31, 2017

    I can totally relate to standing over a pot and thinking “well, shit, that’s not what I meant to do”. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      February 7, 2017

      Lol right?! Happens way too often for me 😉

      Reply
  12. Nicole | The Professional Mom Project
    January 30, 2017

    This looks awesome! I’ve made veggie curry at home but never chicken curry. Maybe something to try later this week! Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      January 30, 2017

      I love all kinds of curry! I hope you get to it 🙂 Thank you!

      Reply
  13. Chrissa – Physical Kitchness
    January 30, 2017

    You’re totally cracking me up. No corn = UGH worst rule ever. I love popcorn, tortilla chips, etc etc etc. And yes totally twinning last week. TOO FUNNY!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      January 30, 2017

      Watch them add corn in two more years… 😉

      Reply
  14. Emily Swanson
    January 30, 2017

    Ok. Wow. I just was in awe at the fact that you picked out the corn cobs; that’s some real dedication right there. And one pot meals are just the best ever. Have you heard of the Instant Pot? It’s like a pot that makes your meals in one pot in a really really short time. I made curry in it yesterday.

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      January 30, 2017

      lol I was very dedicated until the non-compliant dinner I had a wedding over the weekend 😉 But I am still finishing out the next couple days!

      And I have been seeing lots of buzz on the Instant Pot! That sounds so awesome 🙂

      Reply

Hey there!

I’m Ashley – I started Fit Mitten Kitchen in 2015 to share healthier recipes. Here we balance real food with desserts and healthy snacks making life easy, nutritious and delicious.

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