Everyone in my family loves this yellow chicken curry! We honestly can’t get enough of it. Tender chicken and potatoes simmer in a rich coconut and yellow curry sauce. It’s incredible!
Stop what you are doing and make this yellow coconut chicken curry! I cannot recommend it enough. This Thai curry is incredibly flavorful, thanks to aromatic yellow curry paste. The mildest of all the curries, yellow curry is more about the aromatics than heat. This curry doesn’t have any chili peppers at all (not that you couldn’t add some if you wanted to).
I use my homemade curry paste (it’s so good), but store-bought will work for this recipe. Once you have your curry paste, this recipe is ready within 30 minutes. I love spooning it over coconut rice, plain jasmine rice, or cilantro lime rice.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: I love using boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this yellow curry, but chicken breasts work well too. Thighs become incredibly tender and flavorful when simmered in the sauce.
- Yellow Curry Paste: This is the mildest variety of curry paste, and we love it! It’s incredibly aromatic, slightly sweet, and perfect for everyone. My homemade yellow curry paste is packed with lemongrass, ginger, and turmeric for a fragrant and authentic flavor. I highly recommend giving it a try! If you have a store-bought option that you love, feel free to use it, but you might want to adjust the amount to taste, as this recipe is designed with my homemade paste in mind. If you’re looking for extra spice, feel free to add some chopped jalapeño with the onions and garlic.
- Coconut Milk: I use full-fat canned coconut milk for its richness and creamy texture. When shopping for cans, I like to shake them. If they sound really liquidy inside, I skip that brand and go for one filled with a thicker cream.
- Green Onions, Shallot, and Garlic: Our curry paste already has aromatics, but we love tossing a few more into the curry. I use the lighter green and white ends of the green onions for the curry and reserve the darker green tops for serving. Shallots are aromatic and sweet in this curry. You can substitute a small onion if needed.
- Potatoes: I love the combination of Yukon Gold and sweet potatoes in this curry. If you have other veggies, like carrots, greens (like kale), or bell peppers, feel free to add them! The potatoes make this dish hearty enough to serve without rice, although I love how rice soaks up all the delicious sauce.
How to Make Yellow Chicken Curry
This yellow curry comes together really quickly. You can use store-bought or homemade curry paste. I highly recommend our homemade yellow curry paste. It’s simple to make and is so flavorful. If you are up to making your own, here’s a brief overview for homemade curry paste: saute aromatics like ginger, shallot, and turmeric in a saucepan, then blend them with more fragrant ingredients, including brown sugar, lemongrass, curry powder, fish sauce, lime juice, and cilantro.
Once you have your curry paste, this recipe goes quickly. You’ll start by softening green onion, shallot, and garlic in some oil, then add your chicken and cook just long enough to add a little color. From there, stir in the curry paste and finish with coconut milk. It’s so easy and outrageously delicious!
Perfect Yellow Chicken Curry
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This mild Thai yellow curry is one of our family’s favorite curry recipes. Thanks to super flavorful, slightly sweet, fragrant yellow curry paste, we all love it. I use our homemade yellow curry paste for this recipe, but if you have a favorite store-bought yellow curry paste, feel free to use it (tips for this are below the recipe). You can also swap for green or red curry paste if that’s all that you have; just be aware that the flavor profiles will be different and likely more spicy.
You Will Need
2 tablespoons avocado oil
4 green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths, saving the darkest green tops for serving
1 medium shallot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon brown sugar
6 tablespoons yellow curry paste, or to taste, see tips
2 medium-to-large sweet potato, sliced into half or quarter moons, about 2 cups
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into half or quarter moons, about 3 cups
1 (15oz) can full-fat coconut milk
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
Directions
1Heat the avocado oil in a wide, deep skillet over medium heat. Stir in the light green parts of the green onion, shallot, and garlic. Cook for one minute, then add the chicken and brown sugar. Brown the chicken slightly, then add the curry paste.
2Cook for one minute, stirring so the curry paste coats everything in the pan, and then add the sweet potato, potato, coconut milk, and salt.
3Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the chicken is done and the potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
4Serve over rice and garnish with lime juice, thinly sliced green onions, and cilantro.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Yellow curry paste: I highly recommend our homemade version (linked in the recipe), but you can use store-bought. Our version is very mild, so if you use store-bought, taste the paste before adding it to the curry. If it’s mild, 6 tablespoons should be fine. If it’s spicy, add it to taste or use the instructions on the package for guidance.
- Add some heat: Yellow curry is traditionally mild, but if you love spice, chop a chili pepper (like a jalapeño or serrano pepper) and cook it with the green onion and shallot in the beginning. You can also sprinkle chili flakes (like Korean gochugaru) over the curry when serving.
- Potatoes: I scrub my potatoes clean and then slice. I leave the peel on. Yukon Gold potatoes hold up well in the sauce, while russet potatoes will break down a bit more.
- Storing: Leftover curry can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
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