One-Pot Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes and Carrots

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A weeknight version of the golden, gently sweet yellow curry that shows up on nearly every Thai menu in America. The whole thing hinges on one move: scooping the thick cream off the top of the coconut milk and frying the store-bought curry paste in it until the fat separates and the kitchen smells like turmeric and lemongrass. From there it's a single pot — chicken, potatoes, carrots, twenty minutes of simmering — and you have something that tastes like a $20 restaurant plate.

Ingredients

• 2 13.5 oz cans full-fat coconut milk (do not shake)
• 3 tbsp Thai yellow curry paste (Maesri or Mae Ploy)
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, if needed
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander

• 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 12 oz Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch coins on a bias
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 tbsp palm sugar or light brown sugar
• 3 makrut lime leaves, torn (optional)

• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 tbsp fried shallots or thinly sliced red chile
• 4 cups hot cooked jasmine rice

Instructions

1. Open both cans of coconut milk without shaking or tipping them. Spoon the thick white cream from the top of each can into a large Dutch oven or deep skillet — you want about 3/4 to 1 cup of cream. Pour the remaining thin coconut liquid into a measuring cup and set aside. Season the chicken pieces with the 3/4 teaspoon salt.
2. Set the pot over medium heat and cook the coconut cream, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 8 minutes. It will bubble, thicken, and then 'crack' — you'll see clear coconut oil pooling and separating from the white solids. That separated oil is your frying medium. (If your brand refuses to split, add the tablespoon of neutral oil and move on.)
3. Add the curry paste, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and coriander to the cracked cream. Fry, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat. The paste should darken a shade, tighten around the oil, and smell strongly fragrant rather than raw. This is the single step that separates flat curry from restaurant curry — don't rush it, but don't let the paste scorch either. Lower the heat if it starts to stick.
4. Add the chicken and stir to coat every piece in the bloomed paste. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, just until the outsides turn opaque.
5. Add the potatoes, carrots, and onion and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the reserved thin coconut liquid, the chicken broth, fish sauce, palm sugar, and lime leaves if using. Scrape the bottom of the pot to lift any stuck paste.
6. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat so the surface barely bubbles. Cover partially and cook 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the potatoes are tender to a knife tip and the carrots are soft. The curry should coat a spoon; if it looks thin, simmer uncovered for the last 5 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust: more fish sauce for salt and depth, a pinch more sugar if it tastes sharp, another squeeze of lime if it tastes heavy. Let it sit 5 minutes off the heat so the oil rises and the curry looks glossy.
8. Spoon over jasmine rice and top with cilantro and fried shallots or sliced chile.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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