Green Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk

Introduction

This green curry comes together in under an hour with a freshly ground paste that delivers complex flavor from just a handful of pantry staples—coriander seeds, peppercorns, ginger, and lemongrass. The chicken simmers in coconut milk with leeks and peppers until tender, then gets finished with fresh basil and fish sauce for depth and balance.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Servings: 4–6

Ingredients

Curry paste

• 2 tbsp dried coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• Chiles
• 2 cm fresh ginger
• Fresh coriander
• 2 big cloves of garlic
• 3 tbsp chopped onion
• 1-5 pieces of lemongrass, coarsely cut

Curry

• Oil for frying
• 3-4 big leeks, coarsely chopped
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1-2 cans of coconut milk
• Garlic
• Soy sauce
• 850 g cubed chicken meat
• Basil
• Salt
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Grind all the ingredients for the curry paste together with a mortar and pestle.
2. Fry the curry paste with oil for a couple of minutes in a big pot. Add leeks and bell pepper. Shortly after, add the coconut milk, cover, and let simmer 20-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, crush garlic into a bowl with some soy sauce and mix in the chicken meat cubes. Let marinate.
4. Fry the marinated meat with oil.
5. Add the cooked meat to the curry pot, then season with basil, salt, and fish sauce to taste.

Variations

Vegetarian version: Replace the 850 g of chicken with 400 g of cubed tofu or 300 g of mixed mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake). Reduce the simmering time to 15 minutes since these cook faster than chicken. The umami from mushrooms or the neutral soak of tofu will absorb the curry flavors equally well.

Spice level adjustment: Start with just one chile in the paste and taste before adding more. If you prefer a milder curry, remove the chile seeds and white pith, which concentrate heat. For a fiercer curry, add an extra chile or a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Vegetable swap: Substitute or add snap peas, green beans, zucchini, or Thai eggplant in place of or alongside the bell peppers. Add faster-cooking vegetables (snap peas, green beans) in the last 5 minutes so they stay crisp.

Creamier finish: Stir in an extra 1/2 can of coconut milk or a splash of heavy cream at the end for a richer mouthfeel. This also mellows any sharp spice notes.

Make it a curry paste: Double the paste ingredients and store extras in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for 3 months. You can then make this curry again with just chicken, vegetables, and coconut milk.

Tips for Success

Grind the paste thoroughly. A smooth paste disperses more evenly throughout the oil and coconut milk, building flavor faster. If your mortar and pestle isn’t making progress after 2 minutes, chop the harder ingredients (coriander seeds, peppercorns, ginger) smaller first.

Don’t skip the frying step for the paste. Toasting the paste in hot oil for a couple of minutes deepens the flavors and removes any raw spice edge. You’ll notice the aroma shift from sharp to rounded.

Let the chicken marinate for at least 5 minutes. This gives the soy sauce and garlic time to penetrate the meat and keeps it from tasting bland once it goes into the pot. If you have 15 minutes, even better.

Taste before you finish. Fish sauce is optional and packs strong flavor—start with 1/2 tbsp, stir, and add more only if the curry tastes flat. Salt and basil round out the heat and coconut sweetness, so adjust both at the end rather than mid-cook.

Simmer with the lid on. This keeps the coconut milk from reducing too much and ensures the chicken and vegetables cook through evenly. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes if you prefer a slightly thicker sauce.

Storage and Reheating

Store the cooled curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The flavors actually deepen slightly overnight, so it reheats beautifully. Freeze for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container, leaving 1 inch of headspace for expansion.

Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through (5–8 minutes from fridge, 10–15 minutes from frozen). You can also microwave individual portions in a covered bowl for 2–3 minutes. Add a splash of water or coconut milk if the sauce has thickened too much during storage.

FAQ

Can I use store-bought curry paste instead of making my own? Yes. Use about 3–4 tbsp of green curry paste and skip the grinding step, reducing your prep time to 5 minutes. Quality varies by brand, so adjust salt and fish sauce to taste since store-bought pastes are often already seasoned.

What if I don’t have fresh lemongrass? Substitute 1 tbsp of lemongrass powder or the zest of 1 lime. The lime adds brightness and slight tartness instead of lemongrass’s floral note, which still works well in green curry. Fresh lemongrass is ideal, but these alternatives keep the dish balanced.

Do I need fish sauce, or can I leave it out entirely? Fish sauce is optional and adds umami depth, but the curry is complete without it. If you want extra savory notes without fish sauce, increase the soy sauce by 1 tbsp or add 1 tsp of miso paste dissolved into the coconut milk instead.

How do I know when the chicken is done? Cut open the largest piece at the 20-minute mark—it should show no pink inside and feel firm to the bite. Chicken continues to cook slightly after you remove it from heat, so pull it off when just cooked through rather than overcooked, which makes it tough.