Thai Green Chicken Curry with Jasmine Rice
Chicken thighs simmered in a creamy, spicy green curry sauce with green beans and red bell pepper, served over jasmine rice.
- Total
- 35 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 25
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Blooming spices · Simmering
- Standard
- Savory
- Asian
- Creamy
- Spicy
- Stovetop
Instructions
-
Rinse 150 g jasmine rice under cold water until it runs clear. Combine with 300 ml water and 0.25 tsp salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
~15 min
Rinsing removes surface starch so the grains cook up separate and fluffy rather than gluey.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the rice cooks, cut 300 g chicken thigh into 2 cm pieces. Trim 150 g green beans and cut into 3 cm lengths. Core and slice 1 red bell pepper into 1 cm strips. Pick 10 g thai basil leaves. Cut 1 lime into wedges.
~8 min
-
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp green curry paste and fry, stirring constantly, until fragrant and darkened, about 1 minute.
~1 min
Frying the paste in oil blooms its aromatics and drives off raw flavor, deepening the curry's taste.
Do not let the curry paste burn: keep the heat at medium-high and stir constantly until it smells nutty and darkens, which takes about a minute.
Blooming spices Fry the paste in oil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it smells nutty and darkens, about one minute. Stop before it burns, which turns it bitter.
-
Add the chicken thigh pieces to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides, about 4 minutes.
~4 min
Browning the chicken builds flavor through the Maillard reaction before it simmers in liquid.
-
Pour in 400 ml coconut milk, 1 tbsp fish sauce, and 1 tsp brown sugar. Stir to combine, scraping up browned bits. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 74°C/165°F, about 8 minutes.
~8 min
A gentle simmer keeps the coconut milk from splitting and cooks the chicken evenly to a safe temperature.
For a thicker sauce, simmer the curry uncovered for the last few minutes; the coconut milk will reduce and coat the chicken.
Simmering Keep the liquid at a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, so the coconut milk stays smooth and the sauce thickens without splitting. Stir occasionally and watch for the sauce coating the chicken.
-
Stir in the green beans and red bell pepper. Simmer until the vegetables are tender-crisp and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, squeeze in juice of half the lime, and fold in the thai basil leaves. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
~5 min
Adding lime juice off the heat preserves its bright acidity, which balances the rich, spicy coconut sauce.
Simmering Keep the liquid at a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, so the coconut milk stays smooth and the sauce thickens without splitting. Stir occasionally and watch for the sauce coating the chicken.
-
Fluff the jasmine rice with a fork. Spoon the curry over the rice and serve with remaining lime wedges.
~1 min