Thai Yellow Curry with Potatoes and Chicken Recipe
Yellow curry is one of the milder Thai curries – creamy, aromatic, with soft potatoes and pieces of chicken. In Thailand it’s often served to families when there are children at the table or people who don’t like very spicy food. You can compare it to our stew, just in a version with coconut milk and exotic spices.
Yellow curry is one of the milder Thai curries, clearly influenced by Indian cuisine and the Muslim communities of southern Thailand. The presence of potatoes makes it especially popular with families and it’s often served as a hearty one-pot meal.
Yellow Thai curry with potatoes and chicken is a bridge between a homestyle stew and Southeast Asian cooking – familiar vegetables meet coconut creaminess and aromatic curry paste. It’s milder than red or green curry, so even people who are usually wary of spicy food tend to like it. It’s one of those dishes that taste even better the next day, once all the spices have had time to meld.
Why this version works
- Frying the curry paste before adding liquids brings out the aroma of the spices and gives the sauce more depth.
- Combining coconut milk with stock makes the sauce creamy but not heavy – perfect for an everyday dinner.
- Larger, evenly sized pieces of chicken and potatoes cook at the same rate and don’t fall apart in the sauce.
Chef's tips
If you’re using a can of coconut milk with a thick layer of cream on top, add that at the beginning together with the curry paste – the sauce will thicken faster and turn silkier. If the curry turns out too spicy, pour in a bit more coconut milk and add a pinch of sugar instead of salt, as salt will only emphasize the burn. If it’s too mild, it’s easy to boost the heat by dissolving an extra teaspoon of curry paste in a little hot sauce from the pan and stirring it in near the end of cooking.
How to serve
It’s best with jasmine rice, which soaks up the sauce, but you can also serve it with basmati rice or steamed cauliflower for a lighter option. Put lime wedges, fresh cilantro and, optionally, chili flakes on the table so everyone can season their portion to their preferred level of heat.
Watch out for
- Don’t let the coconut milk come to a rolling boil, as it may split and lose its smooth texture.
- If you cut the potatoes too small, they’ll fall apart and thicken the sauce to the consistency of a dense purée.
Substitutions
- You can swap the chicken for turkey or canned chickpeas for a vegetarian version.
- Replace kaffir lime leaves with finely grated lime zest added at the end of cooking.
- Instead of yellow curry paste you can use a mild red one, bearing in mind the dish will be spicier.
Ingredients
- chicken breast or boneless thighs - 600 g
- potatoes - 400 g
- carrot - 2 pieces
- onion - 1 piece
- coconut milk kokosowe z puszki - 400 ml
- water or chicken stock - 300 ml
- yellow curry paste - 2.5 tablespoons
- oil roślinny - 2 tablespoons
- fish sauce rybny - 2 tablespoons
- palm sugar trzcinowy - 1 tablespoon
- kaffir lime leaves - 3 pieces
- lime juice - 1.5 tablespoons
- jasmine rice jaśminowy do podania - 250 g
- fresh coriander or parsley - 2 tablespoons
- salt
Preparation
- Cook the jasmine rice according to the instructions on the packet so that it is ready at roughly the same time as the curry.
- Cut the chicken into larger cubes. Peel the potatoes and cut into approx. 2 cm cubes. Peel the carrot and cut into half-slices. Peel the onion and cut into thin slices.
- In a large pot or deep pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the yellow curry paste and fry for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until it becomes very fragrant and starts to foam slightly.
- Add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until it softens and becomes slightly translucent.
- Add the chicken pieces. Fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until the meat turns white on the outside, but can still be slightly raw inside.
- Add the potatoes and carrot, stir so they are coated with the curry paste and fat.
- Pour in the coconut milk and water or stock. Add the kaffir lime leaves (if using). Stir, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer the curry covered for 20–25 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and the chicken is fully cooked. Stir every few minutes so nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Add the fish sauce and sugar, stir. Cook for another 3–5 minutes uncovered so the sauce thickens slightly. Finally add the lime juice. Taste and, if needed, season with a little salt or extra fish sauce.
- Remove the kaffir lime leaves (if you added them). Serve the curry hot, sprinkled with fresh coriander or parsley, together with jasmine rice.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
I most often put this curry on when I know people will be coming home at different times – everyone can reheat a portion for themselves, and with every reheating the flavor gets even deeper.
