This easy Thai red curry recipe with chicken is delicious and creamy from the coconut milk and the flavorful red curry paste.  

Last week, I posted an easy Thai yellow curry recipe. You can check out that recipe here. This week, I’m sharing another curry recipe and it’s an easy red curry recipe that you can put together in a very short amount of time.   

What is Red Curry and Curry Paste?

Red curry is a paste of spices and herbs blended and seasoned together in either a mortar and pestle or food processor. Red curry paste is made from spicy dried red chili mixed together with garlic, shallots, kaffir lime rind and/or leaves, lemongrass, galangal, salt, and shrimp paste amongst other spices. 

There are many types of pastes out there: Red, Green, Yellow, Massaman, Penang, and so much more. 

Key Ingredients for this Authentic Thai Red Curry Recipe:

• Kaffir lime leaves. A very specific type of citrus fruit trees grown in warm weather. The Kaffir lime rinds and leaves have a very distinctive fragrance and flavors that often sets Thai cuisine apart from other dishes. 
• Bamboo Shoots. The very young and tender shoots grown at the base of the bamboo grove. Like asparagus, edible bamboo shoots are harvested, prepped, and used when they are very young and tender. Fresh bamboo shoots are hard to find; canned bamboo shoots are a good substitute. *See note below on canned bamboo shoots before cooking. 
• Coconut Milk and Cream. I often use canned or boxed coconut milk and cream in my cooking. You can make your own coconut milk, but it is very time-consuming, though worth every minute once done. For this recipe, I used both canned and boxed coconut milk.
• Red curry paste. I always have curry paste in my pantry. My 3 go-to Thai brands are Pae Ploy, Aroy D, and Mae Sri. If you are new to Thai cooking, I highly recommend using curry pastes to start out and experiment with different brands. Later on, I will share my homemade curry paste recipes. 
• Thai Basil. There are a handful of basils used in Thai cooking. But, for most curry dishes, Thai basil is the go-to herb. Thai basil has a bold fragrance with a tint of cinnamon-like fragrance. Look for deep green colored basil leaves with dark purple stems. They are often sold in the refrigerated section of most Asian grocery stores. 

Where to Find Ingredients for Authentic Thai Red Curry Recipe?

I understand these ingredients can be hard to find for you if you are not familiar with Thai cooking. However, if you venture out to your local Asian market, you will find that these ingredients are easy to locate. Also, you will find that many of these ingredients are easily kept in the pantry and refrigerator for a long period of time. Some items you can find in your local grocery store, but for the other items pictured, you can find some of them in the links below.

Red Curry Paste, Mae Ploy Brand

Red Curry Paste, Aroy D Brand

Curry Pastes, Red, Yellow, Green

Coconut Milk

Kaffir Lime  Leaves

How to Make this Easy Thai Red Curry Recipe?

Below are the ingredient list in pictures and step by step photos of how to make Thai red curry chicken.

Open the can of bamboo, rinse out the liquid in a colander, rinse in warm water and place the bamboo slices in a saucepan filled with water and bring to a boil on medium heat for 10 minutes. Discard the water and drain the bamboo slices and put it to the side.

Heat the coconut cream in a soup pot on medium heat until boiling. Add the curry paste and garlic, break up the curry paste, stir and cook until boiled.

Add chicken, bamboo slices and coconut milk and stir together. Cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Add brown sugar, kaffir lime leaves and stir together, cook for 2 more minutes.  Turn the heat off and add the basil leaves, stir and let the curry cool off for 5 minutes. Serve with rice! 

And that’s it! Enjoy your delicious Thai red curry! 

Authentic Thai Red Curry Recipe

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Suwanee
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 5 1x

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Description

This easy Thai red curry recipe with chicken is delicious and creamy from the coconut milk and the flavorful red curry paste.  

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken, bite-sized, 1-2 inches thick

1 cup coconut cream

1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz)

1/3 cup curry paste

1 can bamboo slices (20 oz can)

2 ½ Tbsp brown sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 kaffir lime leaves, very thinly sliced

1 cup Thai basil, separate the leaves

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Instructions

Directions:

1. Open the can of bamboo, rinse out the liquid in a colander, rinse in warm water and place the bamboo slices in a saucepan filled with water and bring to a boil on medium heat for  10 minutes. Discard the water and drain the bamboo slices and put it to the side.
2. Heat the coconut cream in a soup pot on medium heat until boiled. 
3. Add the curry paste and garlic, break up the curry paste, stir and cook until boiled.
4. Add chicken, bamboo slices and coconut milk and stir together. Cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
5. Add brown sugar, kaffir lime leaves and stir together, cook for 2 more minutes.  
6. Turn the heat off and add the basil leaves, stir and let the curry cool off for 5 minutes. Serve with rice! 

Notes

Notes: 

• It’s important that you boil the canned bamboo shoot slices first to remove the metallic taste from the can.
• You can also use beef, pork, shrimp, or firm tofu for the protein in place of chicken.
• Kaffir lime leaves are crucial for the flavor profile. It’s hard for me to recommend a substitute, as there’s nothing out there close to this flavor. If possible, find kaffir lime leaves in Asian markets either in the refrigerated or in the freezer section. 
• If unable to find Thai basil, Italian sweet basil is not a bad substitute.

• Category: Easy Dinner
• Method: Curry
• Cuisine: Thai

Keywords: Authentic Thai red curry recipe, Thai red curry, Thai chicken red curry