I tasted Thai food for the first time when I was in college. I remember having Thai iced tea and loving how sweet and refreshing it was. Then I had tom kha gai and thought how unusual (and delightful!) it was to be sipping a spicy, tangy, coconut milk based soup. And I finished the meal with a bowl of yellow curry with chicken, which was so similar in some ways to stews that I had growing up, but was really so different.
The similarities were in the ingredients - chicken, potatoes, and onions - that form the base of a lot of western-style stews. The thickness of the curry is also similar to many stews and the spiciness of yellow curry is more subdued than many other Thai curries. I think this is why some Thai people say that yellow curry with chicken is a good dish for "farang" (the Thai word for foreigners) to start with.
Yellow curry is made in the same way that many other Thai curries are made. You start with thick coconut cream and heat it until the oil starts to separate from the milk. Then you add the curry paste and cook until it's nice and aromatic. You cook the chicken in this curry paste, then add more coconut milk, water, and the vegetables, and adjust the seasonings.
You're welcome to make your own curry paste, but the boyfriend and I have found that pre-made pastes generally work pretty well. Just be sure that you get a brand that's made in Thailand (our current favorite is Mae Anong, but you can see the full curry paste taste comparison here!). With a good paste like this, you should be able to produce a respectable restaurant-quality bowl of yellow curry.
I imagine that many "farang" are introduced to Thai food with yellow curry like I was. And it's a great place to start. It can open the doors to many other types of curries - some fragrant, some peanuty, some sour, all spicy - and from there to other combinations of flavors that Thai food is so famous for. So if you haven't made Thai yellow curry with chicken at home before, I hope you give it a try!
For some other great Thai curries, check out these recipes:
- Yellow curry with fried tofu and vegetables
- Green curry with chicken and eggplant
- Green curry with fish, eggplant, and green peppercorns
- Red curry with pumpkin
- Red curry with pork belly and water spinach
- Panang curry with thinly-sliced beef
And lastly, here is a simple tutorial for how to make Thai curries that covers everything from the most basic to the more complex. Happy curry making!
Recipe
Yellow Curry with Chicken and Potatoes | Gang Garee Gai | แกงกะหรี่ไก่
Ingredients
- 14 ounces coconut milk (1 can)
- 2 tablespoons yellow curry paste
- 1 cup chicken
- 1-2 cups water
- 2 medium potatoes
- ½ onion
- 1 cup baby corn
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients. Slice the onion, baby corn, and chicken into bite-sized pieces. Peel, cut, and parboil the potatoes for ~5 minutes. Set aside.
- Open the can of coconut milk and scoop the top thicker cream part into a pan (approximately ½ cup). Heat this cream over medium heat until the oil just starts to separate from the milk. Then add the yellow curry paste and saute with the cream until it becomes fragrant.
- Add the chicken, coat in the curry paste, and cook until it's done. Then add the rest of the coconut milk and water and bring to a boil. Let cook until the consistency of the curry is what you prefer. You can use less water if you want a shorter cooking time.
- Add the potatoes, onions, and baby corn and cook until just done, but still firm. Adjust seasonings with fish sauce and sugar to taste. Some curry pastes will not need any sugar or fish sauce, and others will need more than the amounts specified here.
- Garnish with thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves and red peppers, if you like. Serve with jasmine rice.
Jakki
Hi Rachel, I made this for my husband the other night and was surprised that it didn't seem as sweet as the yellow curry we've had at our local Thai restaurant. We used the yellow curry paste and fish sauce you recommended but bought Thai Kitchen-brand coconut milk. Just wondering if you've noticed a big difference in the flavor of coconut milks depending on the brand, and would that affect the taste? Or do Thai restaurants in the U.S. generally add a lot of sugar to their recipes (or something else?), while what you've posted here is an authentic (non-Westernized) recipe? Thanks!
Rachel
Hi Jakki, I don't think the brand of coconut milk would affect the sweetness of the curry significantly. It's more likely that your local Thai restaurant adds more sugar to their curry 🙂
Shelci
So how about the recipe for the iced Thai tea? I can never find the right tea or maybe I'm just not making it right.
Rachel
Hi Shelci, the recipe for Thai tea (with a link to the right tea mix) is here: https://www.rachelcooksthai.com/thai-iced-tea/
Best of luck!
josh
Excellent recipe, the fiancee loved it 🙂
Ketan
Hi,
I have a question. I recently bought Mae Anong green curry paste.
Since I am a vegetarian, I wanted to know if the green curry paste contains shrimp paste,fish sauce and oyster sauce ?
Thanks,
+Ketan
Rachel
Hi Ketan, many curry pastes contain shrimp paste as a base ingredient; however, this one doesn't have it listed on its ingredients section. Fish sauce is typically used more for seasoning while cooking, and oyster sauce usually isn't used in curries. You could substitute salt for the fish sauce when making your curry. Best of luck!
Marina Wong
This came out mad delicious. Thank you!
Karen
Wonderful recipe! I had been craving this dish and thanks to you, I can make it at home! Thanks for the great instructions too.
A.G.
I've been craving Yellow Curry for weeks and landed on your recipe. I used your technique and changed it greatly but it still came out great. Had no paste so I used spices to make my own and used some raw Soyu instead of fish sauce as I'm vegetarian. I do have a Kafir tree so was able to add that. Mine was potatoes, onions, garlic. I used Aritisana Cocunut Butter mixed with a little Ancient Organics Ghee to get the coconut base and cooked the spices in that for a bit before moving on. I reserved some of the coconut butter and mixed it with water to get it to the right consistency. I never follow recipes to the letter, guess I'm just wired to be creative and not follow directions 🙂 My highly improvised curry came out great. Can't believe how easy this way. The photo is mouthwatering.
Sunny
great recipe! thanks so much for sharing. Your photos are beautiful too!
Andy
Also great with Brussel Sprouts in it!
Karla
When I first found your recipe I thought you were Rachel Ray and was so surprised that you were so chatty! I soon figured out there was no connection! I made your Chicken Yellow Curry last night and it was wonderful! My family liked it too! I have never cooked Thai before so didn't know just what to expect, but your instructions were perfect and the dish is simple and something I would make again. The only substitutions I made were fresh green beans and snow peas in place of the baby corn. I also added diced red pepper with my onion! I skipped the fish sauce since I have someone on a low salt diet in my family and I still think it was delicious. Next time I may add just a little more of the curry! Thank you Rachel! I plan to try more of your recipes soon!
Sarah
How long approximately do you let the curry and chicken boil before adding the vegetables? How long to the vegetables take to cook? Do they need to be boiled?
Thanks 🙂
Rachel
Hi Sarah, I tend to let my curries simmer for ~10-20 minutes once the meat is cooked through. Because the potatoes in this curry are already par-boiled and the onions and baby corn don't need much time to cook, I add them close to the end of this time, with ~2-5 minutes left for them to cook. The best way to know when the veggies are done is to test their firmness with a fork, or better yet, to have a taste 🙂 Best of luck!
Lisa
Rachel, I can't wait to try your yellow curry recipe. I have a couple questions though. Can I omit the fish sauce because I am vegan and is there a way this can be prepared in a crock pot due to my very busy schedule? Thanks in advance for such wonderful recipes.
Rachel
Hi Lisa, thanks for the comment! Depending on the brand of curry paste you use, you could certainly omit fish sauce. Otherwise, using salt is a good substitute. Also be sure to choose a curry paste that is vegan, as many are not. I haven't tried making curry in a crock pot before, although I have seen some recipes that suggest this. It wouldn't allow for the "breaking" of the coconut milk, which helps to develop the best flavor. Best of luck!
Rachel V
Hi Rachel! Thanks for sharing this, I loooove yellow curry and always wondered how to make it. It turned out just like I get at my favorite Thai restaurant. My husband loves it as well. This is now one of our favorite dishes to make for special dinners on Fridays and for guests. Thank you!
Melissa
I love Thai food and am so glad I found your site through a google search for yellow curry. I fixed it for my husbands birthday dinner and he loved it! We live in the middle of Kansas and it's a 2 hour drive to the closest Thai restaurant as well as an Asian grocery store. With that said, I had to make a few adjustments due to lack of ingredients, but it was still very good! Thank you!!
Tonya Bloch
Rachel... I've been spending about $23 for this at a restaurant. This recipe was soo eat. I added bell peppers and shrimp along w the chicken. It was better than what ibwas eating from the restaurant. Thank u soon much for sharing. I will be checking out ur other recipes too!!
Rachel
So glad I could save you some money, Tonya! 🙂