Few dishes are as satisfying as a freshly made green curry.
The curry paste itself, made here with fresh cilantro stems, lemongrass, shallot, chilies, and ginger, is a treat to inhale.
Made into an easy rich curry dish with chicken, coconut milk, fresh herbs, and lime, you’ll have a stunning dish to admire, smell, and taste.
Fresh curry paste requires home cooks to source a few obscure ingredients, but the prep is quite simple. The reward for this work lies in the flavor – fresh green curry has a vibrant flavor that a store-bought paste just can’t match.
Makrut (aka kaffir) lime leaves will likely be the trickiest ingredient to find. They lend a ton a of citrusy pop to the curry paste. They are available in many specialty stores mixed in with the fresh spices that are sold in clam shells. There’s really no substitution for this ingredient, so just leave them out if you have trouble finding them.
For ease, this recipe uses skinless, boneless chicken thighs. Even though they are without skin, I like to sear the chicken thighs at the start of cooking to render some of the fat and give the chicken some color and flavor.
Thai Green Curry Chicken Recipe
You can substitute 2 heaping tablespoons of store-bought green curry paste for the homemade paste in this recipe.
You can also substitute regular sweet basil if Thai basil is hard to find.
Ingredients
For the green curry paste:
- 2 teaspoons cumin seed, lightly toasted
- 2 teaspoons coriander seed, lightly toasted
- 2 medium mild green chilies, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- Zest of 1 lime
- 4 fresh makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, torn
- 1 5-inch piece lemongrass, pale yellow portion only, chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro stems (reserve the leaves for the curry)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 shallot, sliced thin
- 1 can whole coconut milk, shaken
- 1 medium bell pepper, cut into strips (or use a mix of colors as I did here)
- 1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed
- 1/4 cup chopped Thai basil leaves, plus whole leaves for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 4 large lime wedges, to serve
- Cooked white or brown rice, to serve (optional)
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