Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken

Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken is mild in spice and a one-pot meal that’s creamy and comforting with carrots, potatoes, and onion. 

Reader Lori Says: “I have been looking for a good Thai yellow curry dish for several years. I can now stop looking! Excellent flavor and so easy to prepare. It is on my monthly meal rotation menu now.” ★★★★★

 

We’re making this yellow curry dish easy with pre-made curry paste. The yellow hue comes from turmeric and a blend of other spices. If you want to try an even bolder flavor curry, check out my Massaman Beef Curry.

What Kind of Curry Paste To Use

The brand of curry paste will significantly affect the taste of the curry. I share the Mae Ploy brand in this recipe, but I have also used the Maseri Brand. I get both of these at my local Asian market or on Amazon. 

Rule of Thumb: Start with less curry paste, then taste the curry after you add the coconut milk and see if additional paste is needed or if fish sauce or sugar is needed.

Ingredients for Yellow Curry

Aside from the yellow curry paste, you can get the remaining ingredients from a local grocery store.

• Coconut Milk- I always use prefer to use Full Fat coconut milk in my curry recipes. Low fat or reduced fat will make it more watery instead of creamy.
• Potato– Use a large russet potato, then peel and dice it into even pieces. You can also use yellow or sweet potatoes.
• Chicken – Slice chicken breasts or thighs into even pieces and set aside. You can substitute any kind of protein or make it vegetarian with tofu or extra veggies. 
• Carrots- Peel and dice a few carrots, or you can use a frozen bag of sliced carrots. Another option is frozen peas and carrots go really well in yellow curry. 
• Onion-  I used half of a white onion and diced it into cubes. Yellow or Sweet onions are good options too. *Chop the other half of the onion and store it in the freezer for when you need chopped onion for a recipe. 
• Coconut Sugar- I like to use coconut sugar in curry since it goes well with coconut milk, but regular white sugar works too. We’re just going to add a little at the end to give the curry some sweetness. 
• Coconut oil– You can use any neutral oil or coconut oil for more coconut flavor.

How to Make

In a large skillet, add your coconut oil and yellow curry paste over medium heat. Take caution because the curry paste can splatter if the pan is too hot. Break up the paste and let it fry in the oil for a couple of minutes. Add the diced onions and cook for a minute to soften them. Then add the sliced chicken and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink.

Add the diced potatoes and carrots. Give the cans of coconut milk a good shake to mix the hardened cream with the liquid. Add both cans of coconut milk to the pan. While not necessary, I like to add a teaspoon of turmeric powder to give the curry a bright yellow hue.

Place the lid on and allow the curry to simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Once the vegetables are tender, taste the curry. I added about a teaspoon of coconut sugar and a few dashes of fish sauce.

Serve the Yellow Curry Chicken with Jasmine rice for an authentic Thai meal. Curry is great for meal prep since it reheats well, and tastes even better the next day. Portion out leftovers and reheat for a quick lunch or dinner. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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