Thai Green Curry Chicken with Eggplant
Green Curry Chicken
Chicken thighs simmered in a fragrant Thai green curry coconut sauce with tender eggplant, bamboo shoots, lime leaves, and fresh basil.
Thai green curry is built on contrast: a vivid curry paste blooms in coconut cream, then turns into a sauce that is rich, spicy, lightly sweet, and salty enough to season the chicken and vegetables all the way through.
Chicken thighs work especially well here because they stay tender during the simmer. Slice them thinly across the grain so they cook quickly and soak up the coconut sauce without needing a long braise.
Eggplant gives the curry its soft, savory backbone. Thai eggplants are ideal if you can find them, but small globe eggplants or Japanese eggplant also work; cut them into bite-size pieces and add them while the sauce is actively simmering so they cook before they discolor.
Finish the curry with basil and lime juice off the heat. That last minute keeps the herbs fresh, rounds out the coconut milk, and gives the finished bowl the clean aroma that makes green curry so recognizable.
Nutrition (per serving)
Directions
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1
Spoon 1/2 cup thick coconut cream from the top of the coconut milk into a wide saucepan or wok. Add the oil and warm over medium heat until the coconut cream bubbles and looks glossy.
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2
Stir in the green curry paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, pressing it into the coconut cream, until the paste darkens slightly and smells fragrant.
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3
Add the sliced chicken and stir for 3 to 4 minutes, until the outside turns opaque and the pieces are coated in the curry paste.
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4
Pour in the remaining coconut milk and the chicken stock. Add the fish sauce, brown sugar, and torn lime leaves, then bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.
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5
Add the eggplant and bamboo shoots. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
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6
Taste the sauce and adjust with a little more fish sauce or sugar if needed; it should taste savory, aromatic, lightly sweet, and spicy.
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7
Turn off the heat and stir in the Thai basil, sliced chile, and lime juice just until the basil wilts.
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8
Ladle the curry into bowls with hot jasmine rice, making sure each serving gets chicken, eggplant, bamboo shoots, and plenty of coconut sauce.
Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, thinly sliced:1 1/4 pounds
- Thai Eggplant, quartered, or Japanese eggplant cut into chunks:8 ounces
- Canned Bamboo Shoots, drained:1 cup
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk:13.5 ounces
- Thai Green Curry Paste:3 tablespoons
- Neutral Oil:1 tablespoon
- Chicken Stock:1/2 cup
- Fish Sauce:1 1/2 tablespoons
- Light Brown Sugar:2 teaspoons
- Makrut Lime Leaves, torn:4
- Red Fresno Chile, thinly sliced:1
- Fresh Thai Basil Leaves:1 cup
- Fresh Lime Juice:1 tablespoon
- Jasmine Rice, cooked for serving:4 cups
Tips & Notes
- For a milder curry, start with 2 tablespoons curry paste and add more after the sauce has simmered.
- If using Japanese eggplant, cut it into thick half-moons so it softens without falling apart.
- Do not boil the curry hard after adding the coconut milk; a steady simmer keeps the sauce smooth.
