These Coconut Curry Chicken Thighs are super flavorful and easy to make in just one pot! All you need for this recipe are simple ingredients and less than an hour of your time.
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This coconut curry braised chicken is rich, creamy, and bursting with flavor. The coconut milk and curry paste create a velvety sauce that’s perfect for spooning over rice. If you love easy rice-based meals, try my simple chicken fried rice—it’s quick, packed with flavor, and ready in 20 minutes!
It is warm, savory and comforting, just what you want and need on a cold night. This dish is full of tender chicken, lots of delicious veggies and a rich and creamy coconut curry sauce. The whole family is going to love this one!
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Easy weeknight dinner. This dish is loaded with flavor but it's still a super simple and quick meal that can be great for even the busiest of nights. Check out my Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry for another easy dinner recipe!
- Flavorful. When I first made this recipe, I was blown away. It has quickly become one of my favorite recipes to make. It is truly a flavor powerhouse. If you are a fan of curry recipes, try my air fryer Jamaican curry chicken recipe next time!
- Customizable. You can easily add in your favorite veggies to make this the perfect meal for you.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs but bone-in chicken thighs provide more flavor.
- Vegetables. This recipe uses yellow onion, zucchini, bell pepper and baby bok choy. Feel free to add your favorite vegetables such as broccoli or snap peas.
- Ginger. Use fresh ginger, frozen ginger or ginger paste in this recipe.
- Red curry paste. I always use this Thai curry paste from Thai Kitchen. If you can't find red curry paste, use green or yellow. If you prefer green curry paste, try my Thai Green Curry Meatball Soup next.
- Coconut aminos or soy sauce. I prefer coconut aminos because they have less sodium but they also add a little sweetness to the dish.
- Oyster sauce. Use fish sauce if you don't have or can't find oyster sauce.
- Coconut milk. Full-fat coconut milk will make the dish extra creamy. You won't get this if you use lite coconut milk.
See the recipe card below for quantities and remaining ingredients.
Instructions
Step 1: Season the chicken with the spices.
Step 2: Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat, add the chicken thighs and sear them on each side until golden brown. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
Step 3: Add the vegetables to the pot and cook until softened.
Step 4: Add the chopped baby bok choy, garlic, ginger and curry paste and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Step 5: Pour in the coconut aminos or soy sauce, oyster sauce and coconut milk.
Step 6: Next, add the chicken thighs back to the pot, partially cover and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat, squeeze in some lime juice and let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Braising chicken involves two steps: browning the chicken and then simmering it in a liquid or broth. It results in juicy, flavorful chicken with a nice crust.
Brown the chicken thighs by searing them for about 5 minutes on both sides. Simmer the thighs in a liquid or broth by covering the thighs about ¾ way and partially covering the pot and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks are the best cut for braising. Braising allows the meat to develop a rich flavor and become super tender.
Red curry paste is made up of dried chilies, garlic, shallots, galangal (a root in the ginger family), lemongrass, lime zest, coriander, and more spices.
Sarah's Top Tips
- Full-fat coconut milk is the only option for this curry chicken recipe. It truly will not be the same with light coconut milk.
- For a thicker sauce, make a slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into 1 tablespoon of cold water and pour this into the sauce.
- Adjust the spiciness of this curry dish by adding more or less curry paste. You can also add some chili powder, chopped chili pepper or cayenne pepper for additional spice.
Serving
Serving up the Thai curry braised chicken thighs and wondering what to pair them with? Here are some of my favorite ideas:
- I love using Jasmine or Basmati rice to soak up the broth in this dish. You can also use brown rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa.
- Naan bread is perfect for soaking up the juices in this dish and is a great excuse to eat with your hands! Pick a garlic naan for even more flavor.
- Garnish the dish with fresh cilantro or green onions and finish with a squeeze of lime juice.
Storage & Reheating
- I recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- I don't recommend freezing this coconut chicken curry as the coconut milk can curdle in the freezer.
- Reheat curry chicken thighs in the microwave for about 2 minutes.
More Chicken Recipes to Try
- Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches (Air Fryer Recipe!)40 Minutes
- Air Fryer Jamaican Style Curry Chicken45 Minutes
- Instant Pot Chicken Osso Buco30 Minutes
- Juicy Blackened Chicken Sandwiches20 Minutes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below—I’d love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
Recipe
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One-Pot Coconut Curry Braised Chicken Thighs
See the full post for extra tips and photos
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 2 baby bok choy, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tablespoon ginger, minced
- 2-3 tablespoons red curry paste
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- salt, to taste
- ½ lime, juiced
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with a ¼ teaspoon of salt, black pepper, paprika and turmeric.
- Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add chicken thighs and brown for about 5 minutes, per side.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside on a plate for later. Add the diced onion, bell pepper and zucchini to the pot and cook until the onion is translucent about 5 minutes.
- Next, add the chopped baby bok choy, minced garlic, ginger and curry paste to the pot and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in the coconut aminos or soy sauce, oyster sauce and a can of coconut milk. Stir in additional salt, to taste.
- Then, add the chicken back to the pot, partially cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Turn off the heat, squeeze in lime juice and let cool for about 5 minutes before servings.
- Serve with Jasmine rice or naan bread and enjoy!
Save this Recipe!
Get the recipe link sent to your inbox so you can come back to it later!
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Sarah's Tips
- Full-fat coconut milk is the only option for this curry chicken recipe. It truly will not be the same with light coconut milk.
- For a thicker sauce, make a slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into 1 tablespoon of cold water and pour this into the sauce.
- Adjust the spiciness of this curry dish by adding more or less curry paste. You can also add some chili powder, chopped chili pepper or cayenne pepper for additional spice.
- I recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- I don't recommend freezing this coconut chicken curry as the coconut milk can curdle in the freezer.
- Reheat curry chicken thighs in the microwave for about 2 minutes.
Nancy says
Made this tonight.. this is delicious! I didn't use bok choy, had zucc and summer squash in the fridge. So good over brown rice and some Naan.
Flavors are amazing
Sarah Holt says
This is one of our favorite meals!
Anita says
A big pot of this and a pot of rice cooking in my rice cooker = happy family meal time. 😉
Sarah Holt says
Sounds amazing Anita
Caroline says
Easy to make, lots of flavours and just perfect for a family dinner!
Sarah Holt says
Hi Caroline, it makes a great family dinner! Thanks for sharing!
Jessica Formicola says
One pot meals are my favorite, and this one is so full of flavor! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Sarah Holt says
one pot meals are the best, thanks Jessica!
Jenn says
There's some serious flavor in this dish, but I love that it uses an economical cut of meat so that it stays an affordable meal for my family. I'm making this tonight and I can taste it already!
Sarah Holt says
Love using affordable ingredients that you can find almost anywhere, thanks Jenn
Beth says
This looks so delicious and tasty! My family is going to love this recipe! Can't wait!
Sarah Holt says
hope you love it Beth!