Thai Green Chicken Curry
Green curry is the freshest and most fragrant of the Thai curries, and all its power lives in a paste of green chilli, lemongrass and galangal. We use a good store-bought paste and fry it in thick coconut cream until fragrant oil appears — that’s what separates a proper curry from coconut soup. Then come the chicken, vegetables and Thai basil, with jasmine rice on the side.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 765 kcal
Ingredients
For the curry
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What to use instead
Round Thai eggplants are hard to find, so we use a regular one. If you can’t get anise-scented Thai basil, use regular basil with a few mint leaves.
For the rice
Makes: 4 servings with rice
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Cook the rice
Rinse the rice a few times until the water runs almost clear. Add the 375 ml water, bring to the boil, cover, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 12 minutes. Take off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes.
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Step 2: Prep everything
Cut the chicken into 3 cm pieces and the eggplant into 2.5 cm cubes. Trim the beans and halve them. Slice the chilli into thin rings and tear the lime leaves.
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Step 3: Crack the coconut cream
Don’t shake the can: spoon 4–5 tbsp of the thick cream off the top. Heat it with the oil in a wok or wide pan and let it bubble for 3–5 minutes, stirring, until oil separates out and the cream starts to sizzle.
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Step 4: Fry the paste
Add the curry paste and fry for 2–3 minutes, pressing it into the fat, until intensely fragrant and the oil turns green.
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Step 5: Add the chicken
Add the chicken and stir for 2–3 minutes to coat every piece in the paste. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and the water and add the lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar.
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Step 6: Simmer with the veg
Bring to a gentle simmer, add the eggplant and cook for 8 minutes. Add the beans and cook for 4 minutes more, until the eggplant is soft and the chicken is cooked through, at 74°C (165°F).
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Step 7: Finish with basil
Take off the heat, taste and add more fish sauce or sugar if needed. Stir in the basil leaves and scatter with chilli. Serve with the jasmine rice.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Curry pastes vary wildly in heat between brands. Start with 3 tbsp, taste once the coconut milk is in, and add more if you like, loosened first with a spoonful of the sauce.
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Swap
Round Thai eggplants are hard to find, so we use a regular one. If you can’t get anise-scented Thai basil, use regular basil with a few mint leaves.
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Variation
Shrimp (added for the last 2 minutes) or firm tofu work well instead of chicken. Courgette or bell pepper are good too.
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Storage
The curry keeps for 3 days in the fridge and is even better the next day. Store the rice separately and reheat the curry gently.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 765 kcal | 3,060 kcal |
| Protein | 40 g | 160 g |
| Fat | 35 g | 140 g |
| Carbohydrates | 72 g | 288 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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