This Thai Peanut Chicken Curry is a quick and easy weeknight meal that’s perfect for the whole family. It's a new favorite in our house, and will be on repeat in our meal rotation for the foreseeable future! The chicken, red bell peppers, and onions are simmered in a creamy, flavorful peanut sauce. Along with chopped peanuts for some crunch and served over rice, it’s a filling dish that comes together in 30 minutes or less!
How to Make Peanut Chicken Curry
First, cook the jasmine rice according to the package instructions so that it cooks while preparing the curry.
Chop the onion and red bell pepper into thin slices. In a large frying pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Then add the chopped onions and bell peppers with a sprinkle of salt. Saute the vegetables for about 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent and the bell peppers are softened. Move the cooked vegetables to a plate and cover them with tin foil so that you can use the pan for the chicken.
Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, then toss them with salt, garlic powder, and ground ginger until coated. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan on medium-high heat and cook the chicken until it's cooked through and golden. Stir frequently so that the chicken cooks evenly on all sides, then move the cooked chicken to a plate and cover with tin foil to keep it warm.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic, fresh ginger, and chili powder to the frying pan, and saute the spices for one minute. Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt, then bring the sauce to a boil. Stir until the sauce is smooth.
In a small bowl, stir together one tablespoon of cornstarch and one tablespoon of cold water to make a slurry. Add it to the boiling sauce, and stir until the sauce has thickened. Then turn the heat down to low and stir in cooked vegetables, chicken, and chopped peanuts.
Immediately serve the curry on top of rice, along with cilantro, lime wedges, and red pepper flakes.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Jasmine rice: Feel free to sub the jasmine rice out for brown rice or rice noodles.
- Red bell pepper: I love the flavor that red bell pepper adds to this meal, but you can sub it out for a yellow or orange bell pepper, or a different favorite vegetable.
- Fresh ginger: This recipe calls for fresh ginger in the sauce, though I usually skip the step of grating my own ginger and use ginger paste. If you have to use ground ginger however, the conversion would be ⅜ teaspoon.
- Unsweetened light coconut milk: I prefer to use light coconut milk because the extra fat in regular coconut milk isn't necessary in this recipe. You can use it if you prefer, but you may not need cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I wouldn't recommend using sweetened coconut milk, however--it would make the sauce too sweet.
- Low sodium soy sauce: If you use regular soy sauce, make sure to eliminate some of the salt in the sauce so that it's not too salty.
- Red pepper flakes: The red pepper flakes add a little bit of kick, but if you don't like spice, feel free to leave them out.
Other Curry Recipes
I love curry, and have several other curry recipes on my blog! Make sure to check out the massaman chicken curry or the slow cooker tikka masala.
If you try out this peanut chicken curry or any of my other recipes, I’d LOVE to hear about it. You can leave a comment below the recipe, or if you post a picture on Instagram, be sure to tag me! Getting any feedback on my recipes is both rewarding AND helpful as I write and edit recipes in the future.
Now get cooking, and enjoy!
Thai Peanut Chicken Curry
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 ½ cup uncooked jasmine rice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- ½ yellow onion sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper (or two small ones) sliced
- 2 lb chicken breast cut in bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger (or ginger paste*)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 can unsweetened light coconut milk (14 oz)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts**
- cilantro for serving
- lime wedges for serving
- red pepper flakes for serving
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan, cook the jasmine rice according to package instructions.1 ½ cup uncooked jasmine rice
- Chop the onion and bell pepper into thin slices. In a large frying pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and bell peppers with a sprinkle of salt. Saute for about 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent and the bell peppers are softened.2 tablespoon olive oil, ½ yellow onion, 1 large red bell pepper (or two small ones)
- Move the cooked vegetables to a plate and cover with tin foil.
- Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, then toss with salt, garlic powder, and ground ginger until coated.2 lb chicken breast, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan on medium-high heat and cook the chicken until cooked through and golden. Stir frequently so that the chicken cooks evenly on all sides. Move the cooked chicken to a plate and cover with tin foil.
- Turn the heat down to medium, and add the garlic, fresh ginger, and chili powder to the frying pan, and saute for one minute. Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt, and bring to a boil. Stir until peanut butter is completely incorporated.3 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger (or ginger paste*), 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 can unsweetened light coconut milk (14 oz), ½ cup creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- In a small bowl, stir together one tablespoon of cornstarch and one tablespoon of cold water. Add it to the boiling sauce, and stir until the sauce has thickened.1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Turn the heat down to low, and stir in cooked vegetables, chicken, and peanuts.¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts**
- Serve immediately on top of rice, along with cilantro, lime wedges, and red pepper flakes (optional).Enjoy!cilantro for serving, lime wedges for serving, red pepper flakes for serving
Notes
Equipment
- large sauce pan
- cutting board
- large knife
- rubber spatula
- medium-sized bowl
- small bowl
- large frying pan
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Hope says
Had this for dinner tonight. Absolutely delicious and easy to follow!