Red chicken curry

Red curry chicken recipe

There’s something so warm and comforting about a big bowl of curry for dinner and one of the best has to be red curry with chicken. The Thai takeaway favourite is popular around the world and has the classic balance of sweet, spicy, salty, sour and umami that Thai food is known for. As the name suggests, Thai red curry originated in Central Thailand and the popular coconut-based curry is one of the most-ordered dishes in Thai restaurants and takeaways across Australia.

Red curry paste gets its distinctive colour and flavour from a combination of dried red chillies, shrimp paste, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, lime and onion. It’s easy to pick up a ready-made curry paste to save you time and effort. Red curry pastes are generally mild to medium, but the heat level varies between brands. You might think of Thai curry pastes, traffic-light style, as indicating their heat level from red-hot through yellow to green, but in fact yellow curries are generally mild, followed by red and then green is usually the hottest Thai curry thanks to its fiery Thai green chillies.

How to make red chicken curry

This red curry chicken is so simple to make. With only five ingredients and less than 30 minutes you can create this simple mild chicken curry for the family. Start by browning your chopped chicken in a frying pan or wok. Do this in two batches, then remove from the pan. Next cook off the capsicum in the same pan and add curry paste to release the flavours. Once it’s aromatic – you should be able to really smell those flavours coming through – return the chicken to the pan with the coconut milk and bring the mixture to the boil. Once the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and stir through the spinach until it wilts.

Steamed jasmine rice is the classic side to serve with a red curry, but it’s also delicious with noodles if you want to mix things up. Either way, a sprinkle of coriander sprigs and a squeeze of lime are great to freshen up the dish – add a sprinkle of peanuts for extra texture too.

Now get cooking

Once you realise how simple and tasty this red chicken curry is you’ll put it on high rotation on your meal plan. If you want to try your hand at making your own base, check out our DIY curry pastes including penang curry paste, which is similar to red curry paste with the addition of peanuts – for a simple twist, leave out the peanuts and add some dried red chillies. For a richer, slow-cooked curry, give our Massaman beef and potato curry a go. If you prefer to go lighter and meat-free then we have a collection of vegan curries to try. Want a different chicken curry? Take your pick from our chicken curry recipes.