Thai red curry paste contains 20+ ingredients ground by hand—those jarred versions use only 6 basic spices.
Thai Red Curry Chicken & Rice
Savor the rich flavors of our Thai Red Curry Chicken, where tender chicken simmers in a luscious coconut milk sauce infused with aromatic red curry paste. Paired with fluffy jasmine rice, this dish is not only a protein powerhouse but also a delightful explosion of spice and creaminess that will transport your taste buds straight to Thailand! Get ready to dive into a bowl of pure comfort!
Prep
15
min
Cook
240
min
Serves
6
people
Level
intermediate
The Story
This slow-cooker bastardization would make Bangkok street vendors weep into their woks—traditional Thai red curry demands high-heat stir-frying in a screaming-hot pan, not the gentle American suburban embrace of a crockpot, but Vietnamese immigrants in 1980s California discovered this lazy method actually concentrates the coconut milk into liquid velvet while tenderizing chicken thighs into submission.
Regional Twist
In Northern Thailand's Chiang Mai province, they replace the brown sugar with palm sugar and add galangal alongside the ginger paste, creating a more earthy, complex heat that locals claim separates tourists from proper curry enthusiasts.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 1344 g chicken thighs
- 1 handful cilantro
- 400 g coconut milk
- 20 g garlic paste
- 2-3 limes lime
- 113 g red curry paste
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- brown sugar (to taste)
- ginger paste (to taste)
- 420 g jasmine rice
- soy sauce (to taste)
- thai basil (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Add boneless skinless chicken thighs, Thai red curry paste, garlic paste, ginger paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, and light coconut milk to the slow cooker.
- 2
Mix the ingredients well and let them slow cook for a few hours until the chicken is tender.
- 3
Add Thai basil, cilantro, and the juice and zest of 2-3 limes, then mix again.
- 4
Serve over steamed jasmine rice and enjoy.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Bloom the red curry paste in 2-3 tablespoons of the thick coconut cream (from the top of the can) for 2-3 minutes before adding other ingredients to activate volatile oils and intensify flavor by 30-40%.technique2-3 minutes blooming
- ✓Use chicken thighs with 15-20% fat content rather than breasts because the collagen breaks down during slow cooking, creating natural gelatin that thickens the curry and prevents dryness.ingredient15-20% fat content
- ✓Add lime juice and zest only in the final 10 minutes of cooking because citric acid denatures proteins and can make chicken tough if cooked too long, plus volatile lime oils dissipate above 160°F.timingFinal 10 minutes, 160°F
- ✓Reserve 1/4 cup of coconut milk to stir in at the end because slow cooking breaks the emulsion, and fresh coconut milk will restore the creamy mouthfeel and prevent oil separation.technique1/4 cup reserved
- ✓Cook jasmine rice with a 1:1.25 rice-to-water ratio and let it rest 10 minutes off heat so starches fully gelatinize, creating the proper sticky texture to absorb curry sauce.technique1:1.25 ratio, 10 minutes rest
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
240
min
Serves
6
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Thai red curry paste contains 20+ ingredients ground by hand—those jarred versions use only 6 basic spices.
Thai Red Curry Chicken & Rice
Savor the rich flavors of our Thai Red Curry Chicken, where tender chicken simmers in a luscious coconut milk sauce infused with aromatic red curry paste. Paired with fluffy jasmine rice, this dish is not only a protein powerhouse but also a delightful explosion of spice and creaminess that will transport your taste buds straight to Thailand! Get ready to dive into a bowl of pure comfort!
The Story
This slow-cooker bastardization would make Bangkok street vendors weep into their woks—traditional Thai red curry demands high-heat stir-frying in a screaming-hot pan, not the gentle American suburban embrace of a crockpot, but Vietnamese immigrants in 1980s California discovered this lazy method actually concentrates the coconut milk into liquid velvet while tenderizing chicken thighs into submission.
Regional Twist
In Northern Thailand's Chiang Mai province, they replace the brown sugar with palm sugar and add galangal alongside the ginger paste, creating a more earthy, complex heat that locals claim separates tourists from proper curry enthusiasts.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 1344 g chicken thighs
- 1 handful cilantro
- 400 g coconut milk
- 20 g garlic paste
- 2-3 limes lime
- 113 g red curry paste
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- brown sugar (to taste)
- ginger paste (to taste)
- 420 g jasmine rice
- soy sauce (to taste)
- thai basil (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Add boneless skinless chicken thighs, Thai red curry paste, garlic paste, ginger paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, and light coconut milk to the slow cooker.
- 2
Mix the ingredients well and let them slow cook for a few hours until the chicken is tender.
- 3
Add Thai basil, cilantro, and the juice and zest of 2-3 limes, then mix again.
- 4
Serve over steamed jasmine rice and enjoy.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Bloom the red curry paste in 2-3 tablespoons of the thick coconut cream (from the top of the can) for 2-3 minutes before adding other ingredients to activate volatile oils and intensify flavor by 30-40%.technique2-3 minutes blooming
- ✓Use chicken thighs with 15-20% fat content rather than breasts because the collagen breaks down during slow cooking, creating natural gelatin that thickens the curry and prevents dryness.ingredient15-20% fat content
- ✓Add lime juice and zest only in the final 10 minutes of cooking because citric acid denatures proteins and can make chicken tough if cooked too long, plus volatile lime oils dissipate above 160°F.timingFinal 10 minutes, 160°F
- ✓Reserve 1/4 cup of coconut milk to stir in at the end because slow cooking breaks the emulsion, and fresh coconut milk will restore the creamy mouthfeel and prevent oil separation.technique1/4 cup reserved
- ✓Cook jasmine rice with a 1:1.25 rice-to-water ratio and let it rest 10 minutes off heat so starches fully gelatinize, creating the proper sticky texture to absorb curry sauce.technique1:1.25 ratio, 10 minutes rest