Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes! Chicken, golden potatoes, onion, coconut cream, and an absolutely incredible homemade yellow curry paste sauce.
Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes
This yellow curry with chicken and potatoes is one of my favorite recipes on the whole site – so comfy and cozy and full of flavor. That homemade yellow curry paste is bomb.com!
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**applause** I have never left a comment for a recipe before, but good GOLLY Ms. Molly this deserves the highest of fives. Make the paste. Just do it.
Jessica
Super creamy and lush, thanks to the coconut cream, level the spice just where you want it and then let your Thai-inspired yellow curry dreams come true. Impeccably savory with a teensy bit of sweet, scooped over a bed of steamy rice. Yes, yes please right now.
Okay, so, there is a tiny 45-minute detour TOTALLY WORTH TAKING here, to make your own yellow curry paste first. Please trust us. Don’t run away! Because here is the thing, it will freeze beautifully and then be ready for you for the next, like, five times you want to make this super easy creamy, silky bowl of yellow chicken curry comfort. And you’re going to want to make it. Like, a lot.
In This Post: Everything For Yellow Chicken Curry
- VIDEO for how to make Yellow Curry
- Ingredients you’ll need
- How to make this curry
- All about homemade curry paste
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Ingredients You’ll Need
You can find everything needed to whip up your very own homemade batch golden yellow curry paste here [link]. After that, the ingredient list is beautifully short! Like, aaaalmost 5-ingredient short.
- curry paste
- boneless skinless chicken breasts (chicken thighs can also work)
- golden potatoes
- onion
- coconut cream
- fish sauce & brown sugar (optional but SO good!) and rice & cilantro for serving! (We just made this all one point so you could see we were *so close* to 5-ingredients)
How To Make This Yellow Curry
Once you’re in curry paste business, this lil’ treasure is so so easy to make. Like, weeknight dinner easy. Yes please, here for it.
- Sauté. Grab a skillet or a large pot and get your onions going first over medium heat until nice and fragrant. Then, toss in your chicken and curry paste and let that do it’s thing. Finally, toss the potatoes in there.
- Simmer. Pour that luscious coconut cream in there with a bit of water and let it simmer away until the chicken and potatoes are cooked.
- Stir. Add in a little splish splash of fish sauce and a sprinkle of brown sugar to really make it sing.
- Serve. On a pile of steamy rice. Fall in love forever.
About Homemade Curry Paste
We don’t know about you, but sometimes that yellow curry paste is hard to find in our go-to stores. Green, red, yep yep…but that beautiful golden deliciousness, where art thou?! Well, homemade yellow curry paste it is then. It takes a little time to come together, but it’s a big batch and then that is on hand for the next time your yellow curry craving strikes. Like, maybe tomorrow for breakfast? (Seriously, don’t knock it until you try it. We’ve been known to scrape a pan or two of cold curry in the morning as, like, a pre-breakfast. Worth it, every time.)
You’ll roast up some aromatics first, like a whole bunch of garlic, some ginger and some shallot. You’ll rehydrate some Thai chilis, you decide on the spice level. And then it’s just blend up and store in a jar and ta-da, curry paste at the ready!
How To Add Extra Veggies
If you want a little nutritious boost to add to this powerhouse, you have options!
- Add some frozen veggies right to the pan with the chicken, potatoes, and sauce – like frozen peas or carrots.
- Roast or sauté some veggies on the side – like fresh green beans or broccoli.
- Serve it alongside a side salad like this one!
We love that this recipe is also pretty flexible. The chicken/potato combo is such a delicious win but you could absolutely sub tofu or throw in any other veg you might have hanging out in the fridge. And if you only have coconut milk on hand, that can totally work, you’ll just adjust the liquid amounts accordingly to get the right consistency. But if you are ready to swim in a sea of lush, rich, unbelievably smooth creaminess – then coconut cream it simply must be! You will not regret it.
Such a beautiful bit of rich, creamy, surprisingly easy, takeout-vibe comfort food which we can get behind any day of the week. Yum.
Thai Yellow Chicken Curry: Frequently Asked Questions
How spicy is yellow curry?
What I love about this recipe is that if you make the homemade curry paste, you have control over how spicy it is. All you’ll need to do is reduce the number of whole dried Thai chili peppers in the paste (maybe doing 5 vs. 20).
What’s the difference between yellow, red, and green curry?
Traditionally, it all came down to the chilies – yellow curry made with yellow chilies, red curry made with red chilies, and green curry made with green chilies. Over time they each have changed to be even further apart (like adding lemongrass and kaffir leaf to green curry, or turmeric to yellow curry), but traditionally, the difference was in the chilies!
Can I use coconut milk instead of coconut cream?
Coconut milk would work fine in this recipe, if you just adjust the amount of water based on the consistency you want for the sauce. But if you can find it, coconut cream will make this REALLY delicious.
What other protein options would work well here?
This beef curry recipe is similar and beef would be great! For a vegetarian-friendly option, you could use tofu or chickpeas.
How could I add more vegetables to this?
Adding some frozen peas directly to the pan with the chicken would be delicious, or sautéing some green beans to serve on the side.
Can I make this vegetarian or vegan?
Absolutely! Tofu would be a great substitute in place of the chicken. If you’re going for vegan, omit the fish sauce as well.
Source notes: Kaeng Kari is the yellow curry dish commonly found in Thai restaurants outside of Thailand. It usually incorporates the use of yellow curry powder (“kari” referencing “curry powder”), which came to Thailand via the spice route. It is the result of British military presence bringing the Indian powder spices like turmeric and, according to Wiki, the “Anglo-Indian invention, curry powder.” It’s usually milder and less oily than traditional Thai curries. The bones of this recipe came from The Saveur New Classics Cookbook (affiliate link). The recipe in the book was created and contributed by chef Andy Ricker, who owns the Thai restaurant PokPok in Portland. This version has some adjustments to taste and for some more readily available ingredients for the paste! You can do so many things with this curry paste / method – like the chicken and potatoes that you see here, but the beef version is also super delicious!
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Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes! Chicken, golden potatoes, onion, coconut cream, and an absolutely incredible homemade yellow curry paste sauce.
Ingredients
Units
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For the yellow curry:
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- half a yellow onion, sliced thinly
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup yellow curry paste
- 10 baby golden yukon potatoes, cut into halves or bite-sized pieces
- one 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut cream or coconut milk (see notes)
- 1/2 – 1 cup water or broth
- a heavy pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce (optional)
- 1–2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)
For serving:
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro for serving
- 2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the onions and saute for a few minutes until the onions are fragrant and softened. Add the chicken and curry paste; saute for 3-5 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir to coat with the curry paste.
- Add the coconut cream and 1/2 cup water or broth to the pot. Season with salt. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked, adding more liquid depending on the consistency you want for the sauce. While the chicken and potatoes cook, cook rice according to package directions.
- Stir in the fish sauce and brown sugar to really take it up a notch. Add until it tastes amazing. Seriously – so good. Serve over rice.
Equipment
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Notes
For store-bought yellow curry paste, I like the Maesri brand (affiliate link) which I buy on Amazon. If you use this, you likely will only need 2-3 tablespoons rather than 1/4 cup of the homemade paste.
Coconut cream is like a richer, thicker version of coconut milk. I have used both over the years.
If you are wanting a bit more thickness to your sauce after simmering, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water to the bubbling pot to thicken it up slightly.
The nutrition label does not include the rice.
Need some tips on how to thinly slice that onion? Check out this guide on how to cut an onion.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
Keywords: yellow curry recipe, yellow curry chicken, chicken curry, thai yellow curry
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Filed Under: All Recipes Dairy-Free Dinner Gluten-Free Main Dishes Meat and Chicken Most Popular Quick and Easy Rice Spring
January 25, 2022
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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I was the most impressed that I made my own curry paste. This is a game changer as I live in an area where it is hard to access in stores or by mail. It was so delicious and easy to make.
This was so easy to make, and tasted great. I used tofu instead of chicken, and the swap worked perfectly.
I did have to simmer the potatoes for longer than expected, so keep that in mind if you’re short on time!
Very much enjoyed this, we made it fairly mild, and then each person added the heat they wanted. My pro tip is make this and then stick it in the fridge for 24 hours. The flavors meld overnight and really come out so much better after a day. Excited to have the extra paste in my freezer.
This was good! I enjoyed it, especially the sauce!
Obsessed with this curry paste! Wanted to do a veg version so made it with potatoes, cauliflower, and chickpeas. So good!!!
I doubled this recipe to make as meal prep for the week for myself and my husband, and it was delicious! It’s so little work for how yummy it tastes, especially since I used store bought curry paste. Next time I might add some other vegetables to the mix. Will definitely be putting this in the regular rotation!
Added cauliflower, some more spice and then it was delicious.
So unexpected & my new favorite type of curry!
Super yummy, but I should have read the notes while making the recipe. Used a 1/4 cup of store bought curry paste and my husband and son both said it was too spicy! Perhaps in the recipe you can put 1/4 cup homemade yellow curry paste or 2-3 TBS store bought right in the ingredient list?
I really liked this recipe for it’s homemade yellow curry paste (which is another recipe in itself) because it makes it taste so real! I also like it for all it’s good cold fighting ingredients during the winter months. I used coconut milk to make it a little healthier but the cream must be so yummy.
Perfect weeknight winter dinner! The spices are warming and potatoes and coconut cream make this the ultimate comfort meal. This recipe will be on repeat in our house.
Loved this!! I added a ton of veggies ( red pepper, snap peas, baby bok choy and mushrooms) to mine and doubled the sauce part so the veggies would have plenty of sauce too.
Very tasty! Made a couple modifications for the ingredients I had (wild rice instead of jasmine and green curry paste instead of yellow) but neither detracted from the taste. Also added a little chili garlic paste for some heat
Just made this tonight. Perfect cozy dinner for a winter night. Comforting and filling. Yum!
This is so tasty, comforting and complex! I used the lower range of recommended chilies in the curry paste and it was mild enough for my young kids. The fish sauce and brown sugar definitely add a lot to the flavor profile. Yum!!
Delicious!!!
Yummy and easy to make. I was unable to get yellow curry paste locally so used red curry instead. I would have liked more sauce for the rice but overall a solid recipe.
What a great medley of flavors! The curry paste takes some time, but super easy and worth it. Delicious dish!
This was a very simple recipe to make – especially if pressed for time. I had to make a number of substitutions based on my dietary system pantry staples. So, I used tofu instead of chicken; a green curry paste instead of the yellow curry paste; a combination of tamari sauce and rice vinegar instead of the fish sauce; and a drizzle of maple syrup instead of the brown sugar. I also added roasted cauliflower and zucchini to the curry.
This was so easy and delicious! Perfect meal for a cold winter night. I had a hard time finding the Thai chilis for the curry paste so I used a store bought paste, but it was still great.
Perfect lunch meal. I added extra veggies at the end.
Super fast and simple recipe. I used a store bought curry paste and wish I had added more. This recipe is whole30 friendly if you get a sugar free curry paste!
This was a hit! Definitely worth the time to make the curry paste. My only regret is making a half batch. We sauteed some peppers, carrots, and broccoli and added at the end for more veggies. Delicious!
I added peas and red bell pepper
This was absolutely delicious. I couldn’t find yellow curry so I used red and doubled the recipe because of the amount of potatoes and chicken I had, and added frozen peas. So good, will definitely make again.