Thai green curry with chicken is the kind of dish that makes a Tuesday night feel like a restaurant dinner. The sauce is a vivid green, creamy from coconut milk, fragrant with lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves, and it comes together in about half an hour once your ingredients are lined up. It tastes bold and layered, like the version you'd order at a good Thai spot — sweet, salty, spicy, and aromatic all at once.
What sets green curry apart from other Thai curries is the paste. Green curry paste is built on fresh green chiles, which give it that bright color and a clean, lively heat. It is hotter than red curry paste but tastes fresher and more herbal. Most home cooks buy the paste ready-made, and honestly, a good jar or can of paste from an Asian grocery store gives you a curry that rivals what you get eating out. Save the from-scratch paste for a weekend project.
This version uses chicken thighs, which stay juicy even if the curry simmers a little long, plus Thai eggplant and bamboo shoots for the classic mix of textures. Sweet basil stirred in at the very end keeps the flavors bright. It is one of those recipes that forgives small mistakes — a little more coconut milk here, a splash of fish sauce there — and still lands beautifully on the table.
Ingredients
For the Curry
- 3 tablespoons Thai green curry paste (see tips below for choosing one)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or neutral oil
- 1 can (13.5–14 oz) full-fat coconut milk, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar, plus more to taste
- 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces (or the zest of 1 lime)
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
- 8 ounces Thai eggplant, quartered (about 8 small ones); or 1 Japanese eggplant, cut into chunks
- 1 cup sliced bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 cup packed fresh Thai basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
- Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
To Serve
- Lime wedges
- Extra Thai basil leaves
- Sliced red chiles (optional, for more heat)
Instructions
1. Wake up the paste. Scoop the thick cream from the top of the coconut milk can into a large wok or Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and the coconut oil, then stir and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, pressing the paste against the hot surface until it smells deeply fragrant and turns a shade darker. This step matters — frying the paste in coconut fat is what unlocks the full flavor.
2. Add the chicken. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat them in the paste. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken is opaque on the outside. It does not need to be cooked through yet.
3. Build the sauce. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk, the chicken broth, fish sauce, palm sugar, and kaffir lime leaves. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat and let it bubble softly for 8 minutes. Taste and adjust: it should be savory first, with a gentle sweetness underneath and a building heat. Add more fish sauce for saltiness, more sugar for balance.
4. Add the vegetables. Stir in the Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, and red bell pepper. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes more, until the eggplant is tender when pierced with a fork and the chicken is cooked through. If the sauce reduces too much, add a splash of water or broth.
5. Finish with basil. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the Thai basil leaves — they will wilt in seconds. Fish out any large pieces of lime leaf if you used whole ones. Serve over hot jasmine rice with lime wedges, extra basil, and sliced chiles on the side.
Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 25 minutes · Servings: 4.
Tips for a Great Green Curry
Choose a paste you trust. Not all green curry pastes are equal, and heat levels swing wildly between brands. Taste a tiny bit on the tip of your tongue before you cook: if it is fiery, start with 2 tablespoons; if it is mild, go up to 4. You can always stir in more paste mid-simmer, but you cannot take heat back out.
Fry the paste, don't just stir it in. This is the single biggest difference between flat, dull curry and vibrant, restaurant-style curry. The paste needs to sizzle in fat for a couple of minutes so the aromatics bloom. If it is sticking, add a spoonful of the coconut cream — never water.
Full-fat coconut milk only. Light coconut milk makes a thin, sad sauce that never gets that silky body. The thick cream that rises to the top of the can is your cooking fat and your finish in one.
Balance at the end, not the start. Green curry is a balancing act between salty (fish sauce), sweet (palm sugar), and hot (the paste). Every brand of paste and fish sauce differs, so season after the sauce has simmered and you can taste the real thing. A squeeze of lime at the table brightens everything.
Keep the heat simmering, not boiling. A rolling boil splits coconut milk and makes the sauce greasy. Gentle bubbles keep it creamy and smooth — the same rule that applies to any coconut-based curry, like the ones you might know from pad Thai night at home paired with Thai iced tea.
Variations
- With shrimp: Swap the chicken for 1 1/2 pounds of peeled large shrimp. Add them with the vegetables in step 4 — they only need about 4 minutes to cook through.
- Vegetarian green curry: Skip the chicken and fish sauce, use vegetable broth, and add 2 cups of cubed firm tofu plus extra vegetables like zucchini and baby corn. A vegetarian fish sauce or soy sauce keeps the savory depth.
- With beef: Thin-sliced sirloin works, but it needs a longer, gentler simmer — give it 25 to 30 minutes total so it turns tender.
- Extra vegetables: Kabocha squash cubes, baby corn, and snap peas all slot in nicely. Add dense vegetables with the eggplant and tender ones, like snap peas, in the last 3 minutes.
- Make it milder: Use 2 tablespoons of paste, add the second half of the coconut milk before the vegetables, and skip the sliced chiles at the table. The basil still keeps it tasting like green curry.
Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat gently on the stove — the flavors actually deepen overnight. The sauce may thicken; loosen it with a splash of broth as it warms up.
Thai Green Curry with Chicken
Ingredients
Method
-
Wake up the paste: heat the thick coconut cream from the top of the can in a large wok or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and oil; fry 2-3 minutes, pressing against the hot surface, until deeply fragrant and a shade darker.
-
Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat in the paste. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring now and then, until opaque on the outside (it does not need to be cooked through yet).
-
Build the sauce: pour in the remaining coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, sugar, and kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer, lower the heat, and bubble softly for 8 minutes. Taste and adjust fish sauce and sugar until savory, gently sweet, and warmly spicy.
-
Add the Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, and red bell pepper. Simmer 8-10 minutes more until the eggplant is fork-tender and the chicken is cooked through. Add a splash of water or broth if the sauce reduces too much.
-
Finish: take off the heat and stir in the Thai basil leaves until just wilted. Serve over hot jasmine rice with lime wedges, extra basil, and sliced chiles on the side.
Ingredients
Method
- Wake up the paste: heat the thick coconut cream from the top of the can in a large wok or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and oil; fry 2-3 minutes, pressing against the hot surface, until deeply fragrant and a shade darker.
- Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat in the paste. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring now and then, until opaque on the outside (it does not need to be cooked through yet).
- Build the sauce: pour in the remaining coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, sugar, and kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer, lower the heat, and bubble softly for 8 minutes. Taste and adjust fish sauce and sugar until savory, gently sweet, and warmly spicy.
- Add the Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, and red bell pepper. Simmer 8-10 minutes more until the eggplant is fork-tender and the chicken is cooked through. Add a splash of water or broth if the sauce reduces too much.
- Finish: take off the heat and stir in the Thai basil leaves until just wilted. Serve over hot jasmine rice with lime wedges, extra basil, and sliced chiles on the side.
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