Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Thai Green Curry Chicken
泰式綠咖喱雞
Recipe overview
Thai Green Curry Chicken, or Gaeng Keow Wan Gai, uses green curry paste, coconut milk, chicken thigh, Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, kaffir lime leaves and Thai sweet basil. Its green colour comes from green chillies and herbs, not mildness; the curry should be rich but flowing, never a thick gravy, oil layer or coconut soup.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 700 g; check bones, gristle, blood and fat after thawing, cut 3 cm cubes and do not rinse Boneless skinless chicken thigh
- 800 ml; full-fat unsweetened, reserve 250 ml thick portion for paste Coconut milk
- 300 g; quarter, briefly soak then drain Thai eggplant
- 180 g, long beans 150 g (5 cm), red bell pepper 80 g (strips) Cooked bamboo shoots
- 6 (deveined and torn), Thai sweet basil 30 g (leaves), unsalted chicken stock 250 ml Kaffir lime leaves
Thai green curry base
- 4 tablespoons or about 80 g Thai green curry paste
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil
Green curry seasoning
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons or about 20 g palm sugar
Final flavour adjustment
- up to 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- up to 1 teaspoon palm sugar
02
Tools
- Deep heavy-bottomed pot with lid
- wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- raw-chicken/cooked-food tongs
- bowls
- measuring cup
- knife
- raw-chicken/vegetable boards
- tablespoon
- teaspoon
- chopsticks
- kitchen paper
- sieve
- instant thermometer
- ladle
- oven gloves and white deep serving bowl.
- bowl
03
Steps
Step 1
Inspect and cut chicken
Fully thaw, check chicken on raw board, cut 3 cm cubes, never rinse, and keep chilled.
Step 2
Prepare vegetables and herbs
Quarter eggplant, briefly soak, drain shoots, cut beans/pepper, devein lime leaves and dry basil.
Step 3
Separate thick coconut milk
Do not shake can; reserve about 250 ml thick top portion.
Step 4
Heat coconut cream
Warm 3–5 minutes over medium heat until slightly reduced with a little oil sheen.
Step 5
Fry green curry paste
Fry 2–3 minutes until fragrant and blended; add oil only if dry.
Step 6
Colour chicken
Stir chicken about 3 minutes until surface turns white, not fully cooked.
Step 7
Add liquids and base seasoning
Add remaining coconut milk, stock, 1.5 tablespoons fish sauce and palm sugar; simmer then lower heat.
Step 8
Braise eggplant first
Add drained eggplant, cover and gently simmer about 8 minutes.
Step 9
Add shoots and beans
Add bamboo shoots/beans and cook partly covered 5–6 minutes until tender but intact.
Step 10
Check chicken and sauce
Largest piece must be 75°C with no pink; thin with hot stock or reduce uncovered.
Step 11
Balance flavour
Add red pepper for 1 minute and taste before small fish-sauce/palm-sugar adjustment.
Step 12
Finish herbs and serve
Stir in lime leaves and basil 20–30 seconds, turn off heat and serve.
Common mistakes
- English: Refrigerate-thaw chicken, never rinse it, cut evenly and verify 75°C
- reserve thick coconut cream before frying paste
- avoid scorched coconut milk or unfried paste
- adjust for brand heat
- add fish sauce/palm sugar in stages
- eggplant first, shoots/beans later
- no potato, carrot, onion, curry powder, dairy or starch
- add lime leaves/basil last
- keep curry flowing pale green, not sweet soup, thick gravy or oil
- separate raw/cooked tools and chill/reheat leftovers properly.
Tips
English: Refrigerate-thaw chicken, never rinse it, cut evenly and verify 75°C; reserve thick coconut cream before frying paste; avoid scorched coconut milk or unfried paste; adjust for brand heat; add fish sauce/palm sugar in stages; eggplant first, shoots/beans later; no potato, carrot, onion, curry powder, dairy or starch; add lime leaves/basil last; keep curry flowing pale green, not sweet soup, thick gravy or oil; separate raw/cooked tools and chill/reheat leftovers properly.
