Recipe VIDEO above. A Thai Red Curry with Chicken is one of the world's most popular curries! Make this with store bought curry paste (we give it a freshness boost) OR homemade red curry paste (the fresh flavour can't be beaten!). SPICE Level: Mild to hot BUT if using store bought paste, depends on what brand you use (Note 5).
350g / 12 oz chicken thighs ((boneless and skinless), cut into 0.75 / 1/3" thick slices (Note 5))
150g / 5 oz pumpkin or butternut squash, ( cut into 1.5cm / 3/5" cubes (~1 heaped cup))
120g / 4oz green beans (, trimmed and cut into 5cm/2" pieces)
12 Thai basil leaves ((Note 6))
Fresh red chilli slices ((small chilli - spicy, large = less spicy))
Fresh coriander / cilantro leaves
Steamed jasmine rice
Categories
Mains
Cuisine
Thai
Steps
Heat oil in a large heavy based skillet over medium high heat.
Add curry paste and Extras (if using jar paste) and cook for about 2 minutes so it "dries out" (See video)
Add chicken broth and stir to dissolve paste. Simmer rapidly for 3 minutes or until liquid reduces by half.
Add coconut milk, lime leaves, sugar and fish sauce. Stir, then add chicken.
Spread chicken out, bring to simmer, then turn heat down to medium. Simmer for about 8- 10 minutes or until Sauce reduces, the chicken is cooked and the sauce is almost at the thickness you want.
Do a taste test. Add more fish sauce (or even shrimp paste) to add more saltiness, sugar for sweetness.
Add pumpkin and beans, stir. Cook for 3 minutes or until pumpkin is just cooked through and Sauce is thickened - see video for Sauce thickness.
Remove from heat. Stir through a handful of Thai basil leaves.
Serve over jasmine rice, garnished with fresh red chilli slices and fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, if desired.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 530 kcal
Reviews
AMBER FALASCHI on 2026-08-25 (5 stars): This is the first recepie from you I have followed and it was beyond perfection! Finally made resturant quality thai at home. Thank you!
Michaela Smith on 2026-08-24 (5 stars): My family and I really enjoyed this! Only used 3/4 of the maesri can and it was just right for us. Not usually a pumpkin fan but it worked really well and just used regular basil. So yummy!
Thanks again Nagi, I literally cook your recipes most nights of the week x
Vera on 2026-08-07 (5 stars): I've made this recipe so many times and it's always so good!
Deb Beaumont on 2026-08-06 (5 stars): All I can say is YUM YUM!
BrianW on 2026-08-06 (4 stars): I used tsp not tbsp of the Maesri and it still has a nice zing of heat.
braidie on 2026-08-03 (4 stars): i love this recipe! the flavours are really good! i used the ayam thai red curry paste and it tastes perfect. My only complaint is i set the recipe for 8 servings and i barely got 5 and each serve is quite small. i see the recipe says a serve is 294g - my serves at 230g to make 5.
Annie on 2026-05-18 (5 stars): This was so good! It came out great. I screwed up and bought coconut cream instead of milk. So, I used 8 oz. of coconut cream and 6 oz. of who milk. I substituted 3/4 tsp. lime zest for the kaffir leaves ... it was perfect! I enjoyed the spiciness of the Maesri! Wow, yum! I chose Momofuku noodles instead of jasmine rice, which was super filling. I cannot wait to make it again! Thank you so much for such a straight forward recipe.
Grace on 2026-05-12 (4 stars): Made this today. Some things I did differently:
- Used chicken breasts
- Used kaffir leaves that I placed in freezer and I thought it still was okay.
- Didn't have lemongrass paste as it was out of stock so I used fresh lemongrass stalk and minced it (make sure to remove the thick layer of it first!)
- I added chopped onions
- Added pakchoi with the string beans as I didn't have pumpkin
- Added extra around 1 tsp fish sauce and 1 tsp sugar.
- Used less amount of red curry paste (even turned out spicier than expected lol)
I would have to say it's still a lovely dish paired with rice. I have to admit I'm not a fan of too spicy food. Perhaps I need to try more authentic Thai dish to identify how I like mine next time, so I can adjust it perfectly to my liking. I thought the spiciness kind of "overpowered" the whole flavor. Nevertheless, this was still good!!! Thanks Nagi <3
Namita Joshua on 2026-04-27 (5 stars): I just made this 6X for a large crowd. It came out soo soo well scaled up. I’ve made the regular quantitity a few times and that gave me the confidence to scale up. It was gobbled up with little leftovers and lots of compliments. Thank you Nagi!
Recipe choices/changes :
I used MAE PLOY curry paste because I could just use a full container instead if several tins. I used lemon grass paste from a tube. For veggies, I used kobucha squash and green beans and snap peas.
100/10
Narelle on 2026-04-18 (5 stars): Excellent recipe, tasted just like what we would get at a Thai restaurant. I used half a jar of Maesri curry paste - nice zing but not too hot. One of my friends has a seafood allergy so I subbed light soy sauce for the fish sauce, tasted great 👍
Narelle on 2026-04-18 (5 stars): Excellent recipe, tasted just like what we would get at a Thai restaurant. I used half a jar of Maesri curry paste - nice zing but not too hot. One of my friends had a seafood allergy so I subbed light soy sauce for the fish sauce, tasted great 👍
ADange on 2026-04-14 (5 stars): I made this tonight for my husband and he said it was the best thing I've ever made! I made it with butternut squash, and I didn't have thai basil leaves or lime leaves so I just used 6 bay leaves and it came out so flavorful!
Colleen on 2026-03-30 (5 stars): I made the curry sauce almost exactly as printed (I couldn’t find kefir lime leaves so I put in a few strips of lime peel, not sure if it made a difference). I did sub monk fish for the chicken and used red bell pepper, zucchini & snow peas for the veg - just used what I had on hand. It came out amazing! So I guess my 5-star rating is for the curry sauce alone😉 Making it again today with shrimp, sea scallops, mussels & squid, it’s an awesome base recipe for seafood!
AT on 2026-03-27 (4 stars): I love Nagi’s recipes! This was so tasty but the measure for Maesri curry paste is off. I only put 3 tablespoons of paste (used measuring spoons) and it was blow your head off spicy. Like couldn’t eat it andI can handle a solid medium heat curry from a restaurant.
If I do again I’ll try 1 tablespoon.
Is it meant to be teaspoons??
Melanie on 2026-03-14 (5 stars): This was amazing!!! Like actually perfect thank you
Chez on 2026-03-13 (5 stars): Used this recipe for skinless bone-in chicken thighs (approx 230gms each) in the slow cooker for 6 hours ...amazing!! Easy dinner with max flavour!!! Another winner from Nagi ...Thanks 🙂
Carolyn El on 2026-03-09 (3 stars): Honestly, I didn't think it was all that good. Just a lot of sauce that could've been seasoned more to actually taste like curry. Very little chicken and maybe 4 green beans. I was not impressed. I thought it was going to be good over basmati rice. I could not complete the meal because it was the blandest curry I've ever tasted.
Angie on 2026-03-09 (5 stars): Absolutely delicious and enjoyed by all. This truly is a forgiving recipe as I made use of the vegetables I had available- potatoes, carrots, red bell peppers and green beans. My family also likes well seasoned food so I seasoned my chicken cubes before adding it to my recipe
Natasja on 2026-02-21 (5 stars): Amazing recipe! It tastes just like in Thailand. Thanks for sharing.
