Thai Green Curry Chicken (36g Protein)

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Green curry from a Thai restaurant runs on full fat coconut cream, which is why a single serving can carry 30g of fat before the rice shows up. This version swaps in light coconut milk, doubles down on chicken breast, and lands at 36g of protein and 330 calories per serving. It still tastes like green curry because the flavor lives in the paste, not the cream.

Half an hour, one pot, and the only knife work is chicken and green beans.

Why this works

The paste gets fried in oil before any liquid goes in. Raw curry paste simmered in coconut milk tastes flat and slightly tinny; two minutes of frying blooms the lemongrass, galangal, and chilies and changes the whole pot. The chicken simmers gently rather than boiling, which matters with breast meat, and the basil goes in with the heat off so it stays bright green and perfumed instead of cooking into black flecks.

Ingredient notes

Curry paste is the dish, so buy a Thai brand. Maesri (small tins) and Mae Ploy (tubs) are both widely available in the US and miles ahead of the supermarket jars; if a jar is all you can get, use an extra tablespoon. Light coconut milk separates less gracefully than full fat, so keep the simmer gentle. Thai basil has an anise edge that regular basil lacks, but the curry is still worth making with Italian basil. For more Thai flavors at these macros, Thai basil chicken is faster and hotter, and chicken satay with peanut sauce covers the grilled end of the menu.

Thai Green Curry Chicken

A lighter green curry built on light coconut milk and a generous amount of chicken breast, finished with green beans and a big handful of basil.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 330

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 700 g chicken breast sliced into thick strips against the grain
• 3 tbsp Thai green curry paste Maesri or Mae Ploy; supermarket pastes need 4 tbsp
• 400 ml light coconut milk one can
• 250 ml chicken stock or water
• 300 g green beans trimmed, cut in half
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1.5 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp brown sugar or palm sugar
• 2 cups Thai basil leaves loosely packed; Italian basil works in a pinch
• 2 makrut lime leaves optional, torn
• 1 red chili, sliced to finish

Method

 

1. Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium. Add the curry paste and fry it for a full 2 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly and smells sharp. Frying the paste in oil first is the single biggest upgrade over dump-and-simmer curry.
2. Pour in about a third of the coconut milk and let it bubble with the paste for a minute, then add the rest along with the stock and lime leaves if using.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer and add the chicken. Keep it at a low simmer, not a boil, for 8 minutes.
4. Add the green beans and simmer another 5 to 6 minutes, until the beans are tender but still have a slight bite and the chicken is cooked through.
5. Season with the fish sauce and sugar, taste, and adjust. It should lead salty-savory with a little sweetness behind it.
6. Turn off the heat and stir in the basil; it wilts in seconds. Top with sliced chili and serve with jasmine rice.

Tips and storage

This curry is better on day two, which makes it a strong meal prep candidate. Keeps 4 days refrigerated; the light coconut milk does not split on reheating if you warm it gently. Freeze it without the basil and add fresh leaves after reheating. The flavor base also takes well to swaps: prawns instead of chicken need only 3 minutes of simmering, and firm tofu plus an extra splash of fish sauce works for a meatless night.