I found the cutest baby eggplants at a recent trip to the marché in Antibes that inspired this Thai green curry chicken. It’s one of those recipes that’s easily tweaked—add or don’t use what you like or have on hand. Serves 4:
Thai Green Curry Chicken
- ¾ cup coconut milk, divided
- 3 ½ tablespoons green curry paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1” pieces
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 makrut lime leaves
- 1 can straw mushrooms, drained (optional)
- 1 can bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed
- 1-2 small Japanese eggplants cut into 1” chunks (optional)
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves
- ¼ red or green bell pepper, julienned
- Jasmine rice for serving
In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, reduce ¾ cup coconut milk until thick. Add curry paste and sauté, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Add chicken thighs and stir to mix with the paste.
Add the chicken stock, the remaining cup of coconut milk, palm sugar and 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce. Twist the makrut lime leaves to bruise and release aroma, then tear them into chunks and add them to the pot, discarding the center stems. If you’re adding bamboo shoots, peppers, eggplant or straw mushrooms, add them now.
Bring the pot to a simmer and let simmer gently for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is fork tender
Taste and add more fish sauce and/or sugar as needed. Top with the Thai basil, serve with jasmine rice and enjoy!
My verdict:
This was a little more complicated than my usual way of doing green curry chicken, but it was definitely worth the extra work. I don’t use bell pepper and do use canned straw mushrooms if I have them on hand, fresh ones would be fine too. If you don’t have lime leaves, some lime zest and maybe a little juice will work. If you can find them, they keep forever in the freezer and are handy to have for Thai and Indian dishes.
The green curry can be made from scratch, I’ve done it, but most people use a paste, like the one pictured. If you don’t like spicy food, go easy on the curry paste, you can always add more if you want a bigger kick.
Coconut milk really varies, but whatever you do, do not use low fat coconut milk! It is guaranteed to ruin whatever it touches.
