Love Thai Chicken Curry? It’s super easy to make as a one-pan casserole in the oven. This Thai Chicken Curry Casserole is a fast and easy Southeast Asian inspired Whole30 supper that the whole family will enjoy!
Some people stockpile emergency rations like pasta and beans, but in my pantry, you’re more likely to find a stash of Thai curry paste and coconut milk. When an emergency hits (like ravenous dinner guests), I can combine these ingredients to create a potent one-two flavor punch. And with this recipe, prep time is negligible: I just stir together the curry paste and coconut milk with a few pantry staples, toss in some meat and veggies, and bake. Crisis averted!
COOKING TIPS, SUBSTITUTIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS
Can I use a different color Thai curry paste, like green or yellow?
Yes! I use whatever color Thai curry paste I have available in my fridge or pantry. Normally, I use yellow or red because those two varieties are usually less spicy than the green kind, and my kids don’t love super spicy food.
Favorite Thai curry paste brands?
My two favorite brands are Aroy-D and Mae Ploy because they don’t contain any weird ingredients and they taste the most authentic. Warning: these curry pastes are a bit spicier than the Thai pastes you can buy at American grocery stores. Use a little less if you don’t like spicy! You can find them at your neighborhood Asian grocery store or online.
What other protein can I use?
I’ve used sliced beef sirloin and sliced pork with great success. I don’t recommend adding a quick cooking protein like shrimp or fish—they’re more likely to get overcooked in the casserole.
Can I change the vegetables?
Definitely! I’ll throw in chopped bok choy or cauliflower in place of the broccoli to add some variety. The vegetables tend to get a little softer in this casserole, so pick a veggie that you don’t mind getting saucy and tender in the curry sauce.
How do you make this ahead?
You can toss all of the ingredients into a casserole dish and keep it in the fridge for up to a day or two before baking.
What can I do with the rest of the Thai curry paste?
Make more Thai dishes! I have a more traditional stovetop quick and easy recipe for Thai Curry Chicken here. Also, if you’re going with a Thai theme for dinner, you might as well make my Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) as well! Got beef? Make my Instant Pot Thai Beef Curry recipe! All three are Whole30-friendly.
Time to make Thai Chicken Curry Casserole!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup Thai red curry paste (or whichever color you prefer), use only 2 tablespoons if you’ve got a spicy Thai paste and you want it more mild
- 1 (14-ounce can) full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt (use ¾ teaspoon salt if using Morton’s kosher salt or fine grain salt)
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and thinly sliced
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- 1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
- Juice from 1 lime
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Equipment:
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Large bowl
- Measuring spoons
- 9-inch by 13-inch casserole dish
- Aluminum foil (or an oven-safe lid for casserole)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle position. Prep the ingredients as the oven heats up.
In a large bowl, combine the curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, coconut aminos, and kosher salt.
Whisk well.
Add the sliced chicken…
…and the onion, carrots, broccoli, and bell pepper. Toss well.
Transfer the contents to a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole or baking dish.
Cover tightly with foil…
…and shove it in the oven.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cooked through and bubbly.
Stir in the lime juice and herbs, and serve immediately. This Thai Chicken Curry Casserole pairs perfectly with Simple Cauliflower Rice!
Want more inspiration from my past January Whole30s? Check out my Day 14 posts from 2018 and 2017!
- 2018 Whole30 Day 14: Big-O Bacon Burgers
- 2017 Whole30 Day 14: Prosciutto-Wrapped Mini Frittata Muffins
A note to my Nomsters: This is one of a series of daily blog posts I’m writing in the month of January 2019 to help those doing a Whole30 to kick off the New Year. Not sure what the Whole30 is, or want info on how to get started? Read my Whole30 prep post—and then come back to Nom Nom Paleo every single day for recipes to inspire, delight, and sustain you on your Whole30!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Thai Chicken Curry Casserole
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Thai red curry paste or whichever color you prefer, use only 2 tablespoons if you’ve got a spicy Thai paste and you want it more mild
- 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt use ¾ teaspoon salt if using Morton’s kosher salt or fine grain salt
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and thinly sliced
- 1 small yellow onion thinly sliced
- 3 large carrots peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- 1 medium red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
- Juice from 1 lime
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle position. Prep the ingredients as the oven heats up.
- In a large bowl, combine the curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, coconut aminos, and kosher salt. Whisk well.
- Add the sliced chicken, and the onion, carrots, broccoli, and bell pepper. Toss well.
- Transfer the contents to a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole or baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and shove it in the oven.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cooked through and bubbly. Stir in the lime juice and herbs, and serve immediately. This Thai Chicken Curry Casserole pairs perfectly with Simple Cauliflower Rice!
Katie Younkin says
If I want to make this for a friend who just had a baby, should I freeze cooked our uncooked? If I freeze cooked, what would you recommend for re-heating?
Pat Morgan says
Does this freeze well?
Jason says
This is great, but takes way more than 35-40 mins in my oven.
RobinK says
Made this for dinner tonight and used about 3 TBS curry powder and sautéed some fresh ginger, onion and garlic to mix in. I also used bone in thighs so cook time was at least 20 mins longer. Hubby wanted a little more heat since it was curry but I prefer mild and edible and recognizable 😉, which this was. I always get yellow curry noodles with chicken at our favorite Thai restaurant.
I will make again but I think I will try it with the red curry paste to see if the spice level is still tolerable for me. I wasn’t a fan of the veggie texture (carrots were the only thing not “mushy”) so I think I will add them later in the cooking process at next try. I will also let this marinate a little longer in the curry sauce before cooking.
Thank you so much for an easy one dish meal that is customizable!
Janet Carmichael says
The ease of the recipe and the flavor was awesome. It took longer than 40 minutes for me as well and I’m not sure that cooking it covered for the whole time is best. The sauce was very watery and yes, I did use full fat coconut milk. I’m very new at the Instapot but I wondered if this would be better in there? I don’t know how to “convert” a recipe to the IP yet and would love any comments regarding same!
Nancy Kenaston says
I made this & the flavor was GREAT! I used 2 Tbsp red curry paste, as I like the flavor, but not the heat. It was perfect. Not too spicy for my daughter who is picky too. I used boneless/skinless thighs cut up into 1/4-1/3″ strips. Took a few minutes longer to cook, maybe 6? Chicken looked done, but the carrots were still almost crunchy-firm at 40 minutes (and I cut them 1/4″ just like the video showed). I agree with previous commenter, sauce looked watery, but tasted wonderful. Maybe I’ll leave foil off for last 10-15 minutes next time? Or at least open at the end, to let some steam out? I didn’t use bell pepper, as hubby can’t stand them. Tossed in some sugar snap peas at the end, so they were just barely steamed. I also used carmelized onions. WONDERFUL!!!
Janine B Snyder says
Like other reviewers have commented, this was very watery and took much longer than 35 min. More like an hour. I used a whole can of full fat coconut milk. The flavors were good…I just expected a much more creamy, thicker sauce.
Emily says
Just made this last night and loved it! I used a yellow curry paste and the spice level was perfect. My veggies didn’t soften quite as much as I expected – I may have overindexed on the broccoli so everything was a bit crowded, but I actually prefer the crunch. Will definitely keep this one in the rotation – simple and tasty!
Christina G. says
Converted this recipe for the IP and it was great! I used frozen chicken breasts AND frozen produce, so I cooked at high pressure for 8 minutes with an immediate quick release. (That was too long and I’ll try 7 minutes for frozen or 5 minutes for raw next time.) Then I removed the chicken for slicing and reduced the liquid on the ‘sauté’ setting for maybe 10 minutes. Served over cauliflower rice, rice bowl style. Delish! (Not as pretty as the photos, but delicious and kids ate it without commentary 😉.)
Tracey G says
Loved the flavor of the sauce! After reading other reviews, I wanted to see about thickening the sauce, so I dipped the chicken in arrowroot powder, sautéed the chicken and onion together on the stovetop, then added the sauce. Simmered for a bit, (15-20 min) then added steamed veggies. So the way I made it really isn’t a one-pot recipe, but It made for a sauce that was awesome, not watery, and the veggies weren’t mushy cuz I added the at the end, pretty much already cooked. Will definitely make this again!
Louise Samson says
Fabulous.
As for the sauce: the chicken creates its own broth and gives the dish a fantastic flavour. This is not a creamy type of Thai curry, rather more like a soup with lots of meat and veggies. But extremely tasty. With a minimum of time/effort.
We have loved every single recipe we tried from your blog. Thank you, Michelle.