30-Minute Skillet Thai Red Curry Chicken

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A weeknight red curry that tastes like it simmered all afternoon. The trick is splitting the coconut cream in a hot skillet until the oil separates, then frying the curry paste in that fragrant fat until it darkens and smells toasty — that single step is the difference between flat curry and one with real depth. Chicken thighs poach gently in the sauce, and a last-minute handful of Thai basil and sweet peppers keeps everything bright.

Ingredients

• 2 14-oz cans full-fat coconut milk (not light, not shaken)
• 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste (Maesri or Mae Ploy preferred)
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, if needed
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp palm sugar or light brown sugar
• 3 makrut lime leaves, torn (optional)

• 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup green beans or snap peas, trimmed and halved
• 1 small red Fresno or Thai chile, thinly sliced (optional)

• 1 cup Thai basil leaves, loosely packed (Italian basil in a pinch)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice, hot
• lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Open both cans of coconut milk without shaking them. Spoon the thick cream from the top of each can into a large skillet or straight-sided sauté pan — you want about 1 cup of thick cream. Reserve the thin liquid left in the cans separately. Season the sliced chicken with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and set aside.
2. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and cook the coconut cream, stirring often, for 5 to 8 minutes. It will bubble hard, then the bubbles will get smaller and louder and you'll see clear coconut oil pooling at the edges with thick curds in the middle. That separation — called cracking or splitting the cream — is what you're after. If your brand refuses to split, add the 1 tablespoon of neutral oil and move on.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the curry paste directly into the hot coconut fat. Fry it, mashing and stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes until the paste darkens a shade, thickens into a glossy jam, and smells toasty rather than raw. Add the garlic and ginger and fry 30 seconds more.
4. Add the chicken and stir to coat every piece in the paste. Cook 2 minutes, turning, just until the exterior turns opaque — don't try to brown it.
5. Pour in the reserved thin coconut milk plus 1/3 cup water, scraping the bottom of the pan to dissolve every bit of paste. Add the fish sauce, sugar, and torn lime leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer (small lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil) and cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through to 165°F and the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon.
6. Stir in the bell peppers, green beans, and sliced chile. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes only — the vegetables should stay bright and snappy.
7. Turn off the heat. Stir in the lime juice and taste: it should read salty-sweet-rich with a citrus edge. Adjust with a splash more fish sauce, a pinch of sugar, or more lime as needed. Fold in the Thai basil so it just wilts from the residual heat, about 30 seconds.
8. Serve immediately over hot jasmine rice with lime wedges, spooning the pooled orange curry oil over the top.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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