Thai Green Chicken Curry

Vibrant, spicy and fragrant, this Thai Green Curry with chicken is a great use for leftovers from the Sunday roast. I’ll show you how to make the most of ready-made curry pastes to create a fabulous Thai chicken curry at home.

Leftover chicken Thai green curry

If you like a little spice in your life, then a fabulously fragrant Thai curry makes a great midweek meal and a wonderful way to use up leftovers.

See Also

• Another great use for leftover chicken this easy leftover chicken curry
• Leftover chicken tagine is a easy to make twist on the classic tagine
• Frittatas are fantastic for picnics and road trips – try a leftover chicken frittata!

This chicken Thai green curry recipe is quick and easy to make, using ready cooked roasted chicken and a shop-bought curry paste.

Choosing the right curry paste is crucial to getting a really appetizing curry. Most of us are not going to make our own curry paste most of the time. Fortunately, there are some great pastes that you can buy and you just need to choose well and take a little care to get the best from them.

Pick the right ingredients and your homemade Thai curry can be both fabulous and fuss free, so let me show you how!

Why make leftover Thai chicken curry?

• Fragrant and delicious

• Quick and easy to make at home

• Perfect for using up leftovers

• Flexible recipe

Chicken Thai curry ingredients

• Onion – or alternatively, three shallots if you have them.

• Vegetables – I like green beans and a mix of red, orange and yellow peppers for a colourful dish, but this recipe is very flexible and you could use other vegetables in season. Mange tout (snow peas) and baby corn are a good combination too, and you could add broccoli or cauliflower to the mix.

• Thai green curry paste – Choose carefully! Always opt for a brand where the main ingredients are the chili, lemon grass, garlic, herbs etc. If oil and water are present, they should not be near the top of the list.
  
  I always look for an authentic Thai brand, as I have found the supermarket own brands disappointing and lacking in flavour. If you have a local South-East Asian shop, shop there and take advice from the staff on which to buy.
  
  Curry paste keeps well the fridge, but you can freeze it if you don’t use it often. Divide it into portions in an ice cube tray for ease of use.

• Coconut milk – Again, not all brands are the same and the coconut content varies a lot. Read the ingredients list before you buy.

• Roast chicken – chopped

• Fresh coriander (cilantro) – If you can’t buy coriander growing in a pot, it can be hard to keep fresh.
  To buy cut coriander, select a bunch that still holds its leaves up and is not floppy.
  
  Once home, remove any ties or elastic bands and trim the bottom of the stalks. Then stand your coriander in a jar of water. Cover it with a plastic bag and store in the fridge.
  
  When you are ready to cook, put the coriander in a mug or bowl and snip it with a pair of scissors to avoid mess and waste. Be sure to use the stems as well as the leaves, because they are full of flavour.

• Lime – juiced. Roll it under your hand with a little pressure before squeezing to release the juices.

Choosing your coconut milk

Most of the coconut milk that you buy will separate in the can. Don’t be alarmed by this. It can work in your favour.

I use the coconut solids first and then add the more watery contents slowly to get the right consistency. In fact, I often shake the tin and put it in the fridge for a while to encourage the separation before use!

Having said that, I actually prefer working with coconut cream, which is thicker. You can dilute it as necessary.

Alternatively, you can use coconut milk powder and make it up to the consistency you like with water. I actually prefer this, as it is less wasteful than a tin that may not be quite the right quantity for your recipe. I also like coconut cream, which is thick and cohesive, and can be diluted to taste.

Not all supermarkets carry these alternatives, but you can find them in bigger branches, or in more specialised grocers.

How to make Thai chicken curry – step by step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this Thai green chicken curry perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Step One – Peel and chop the onion and slice peppers evenly to ensure even cooking.

Step Two – Fry the onion in a tablespoon of vegetable oil for a few minutes. It should release the aroma and begin to turn golden.

Step Three – Add the peppers to the pan and continue to fry for another couple of minutes.

Step Four – Add the coconut milk and curry paste. If the coconut milk has separated in the can, use the solids first, reserving some of the thinner liquid to adjust the sauce to the consistency you like later.

Taste and adjust the curry paste to suit, remembering that the flavours will develop with cooking. Mix well.

Step Five – Add the chicken, a generous handful of chopped coriander and the juice of one lime. Stir thoroughly and cook fover a low heat for ten minutes.

Step Six – Prepare the green beans by topping, tailing and cutting in half, and add to the curry. You could also add mange tout or mini corn at this point too. Cook for another 4–5 minutes. If you reserved some of the coconut milk, you can use it to loosen the sauce if you choose.

I like to add a generous pinch of sugar at this stage to balance the flavours, but this is optional.

Serving suggestion

Serve your leftover chicken Thai green curry with rice garnished with coriander, chopped spring onions and a squeeze of lemon.

If you like noodles with your Thai chicken curry, you can either serve the curry on top or stir the noodles through.

For a diet alternative, serve with cauliflower ‘rice’.

Variations

• Use fresh meat. Cut the chicken into small cubes and fry it with the onion.

• Red Thai chicken curry – choose a red Thai curry paste and leave out the coriander.

• Add different herbs. The leaves of makrut lime (otherwise known as Thai or kaffir lime leaves) are delicious and you can buy them dried in supermarkets. You can also add a little sweet and peppery Thai basil or just a little holy basil (tulsi) if you have it.

• Add some extra red chillies and grate in a little extra ginger or galangal if you like a hot Thai curry. Shop bought pastes are rarely authentically hot. If you like that citrussy taste, you can add lemongrass paste.

• Add more vegetables to stretch the curry if feeding more people. Throw in some frozen peas or corn with the coconut milk if you like. If you have vegetable leftovers from the roast, you can add them towards the end of cooking so that they just have time to heat through.

Storage

Fridge – You can keep any leftovers covered in the fridge for a couple of days, though it is better freshly made.

Freezer – This Thai green chicken curry freezes well as long as your leftover roast chicken was not frozen after cooking (in which case, don’t refreeze it).

Simply pack it into sealable freezer containers or clean takeaway trays and freeze as soon as it is cool. You may find that the sauce separates when defrosted. If this happens, make a slurry from a teaspoon of cornflour and a little cold water, and use this to thicken the sauce.

If you are making a big batch for the freezer, it is best to add the green beans (mange tout or baby corn) when you reheat the curry.

Hints and tips

• Start slowly with the curry paste and taste as the curry cooks – you can always add a little more.

• Chop your vegetables evenly so they cook at the same rate.

• If you like a hot curry, you may need to add some extra chilli. Supermarket curry paste is rarely really hot.

FAQs

More leftover chicken recipes

• Leftover roast chicken biryani – a tempting Indian treat

• Easy leftover roast chicken frittata – simple and delicious

• Leftover chicken fajitas – dig in and pile high with toppings