• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Fitsian Food Life
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Fitsian Tips
  • My Story
  • Contact Me
    • Subscribe
    • Work With Me
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Fast Fit Recipes
  • Recipes
  • My Story
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Me
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Fitsian Food Life » Hot Thai

    Authentic Thai Red Curry Recipe

    Published: Apr 10, 2023 · Modified: Feb 9, 2024 by Clara · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This authentic Thai Red Curry recipe will spice up your weekly meal prep. From fragrant herbs to bold spices, this dish is truly mouthwatering. And by using a couple of ingredient swaps, we can make it at a fraction of the calories.

    Overhead shot of the red thai chicken curry garnished with red peppers and lime leaves.
    Jump to:
    • ✅ Why This Recipe Works
    • 💭 What is Red Curry?
    • 🍎 Calories and Nutrition – How to Make It Healthy 
    • 📋 Ingredient Notes
    • 📖 Substitutions and Variations
    • 🔪 Step by Step Instructions 
    • 💭 Recipe FAQs
    • 💡 Expert Tips
    • 🍽 Related Recipes
    • 🍳 Recipe

    ✅ Why This Recipe Works

    Easy to make – No hours of prep in the kitchen or chopping needed. This dish will come together in about 30 minutes.

    Restaurant quality taste from home – I used the key Thai curry–making techniques from my cooking class at the Blue Elephant cooking school to develop this recipe, so you can make an authentic Thai red curry from home

    Healthy and nutritious – Tweaked to be lower in calories and fats and bulked up with protein, this is a great macro-friendly red chicken curry recipe, optimized to help you achieve your fitness goals. This makes a great healthy Thai food recipe.

    💭 What is Red Curry?

    Thai red curry is a popular dish from Thailand made with a blend of fragrant herbs and spices, including lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and red chilies, which give it its distinct red color. 

    The curry is typically cooked with coconut milk, vegetables, and meat or seafood, resulting in a rich and creamy texture with a spicy and savory taste. It is often served with rice or noodles and is a favorite among Thai cuisine lovers around the world. You can also pair it with some egg noodles to make a delicious Khao Soi recipe.

    🍎 Calories and Nutrition – How to Make It Healthy 

    In this recipe, I used key ingredient swaps from my Tips to Make Healthy Thai Curry guide to make this a more macro-friendly and calorie-conscious meal. A serving of this authentic Thai red curry recipe runs at 398 calories with 32 grams of protein, 15 grams of fat, and 46 grams of carbs.

    Here's what I did to achieve this:

    • Chicken thigh – Chicken thigh is a great lean protein source. I used 4 ounces of this as the protein base for the dish.
    • Coconut Milk – Use light coconut milk - a serving of light milk is 45 calories vs 120 calories from normal coconut milk due to less fat content as the light version has less coconut cream. 
    • Portion sugar and seasonings mindfully – Used 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Both are essential to the curry flavor and 1 teaspoon of sugar is only 15 calories of sugar. 
    • Portion the rice – I used 1 serving of Jasmine rice at 160 calories
    • Use cooking spray – Instead of traditional oil for everything that was sautéd or fried. 1 tablespoon of olive oil adds a whopping 120 calories to the dish, whereas cooking spray is 0 calories.

    For a detailed breakdown of each ingredient, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of the authentic Thai red curry recipe, you may refer to the table below:

    Calorie and macro breakdown of each ingredient of this recipe.

    📋 Ingredient Notes

    Ingredients for the recipe laid out on the table.

    To make the authentic Thai red curry recipe, you’ll need the following.

    Chicken – I used chicken thighs as it's a lean protein that is still juicy. You can also opt to use chicken breast if you prefer. 

    Thai Red Curry Paste – The essential ingredient for this dish. Red curry paste is typically made from red chilies, which give the curry paste its distinct red color.

    You can make your own curry paste, but given the spiciness that comes with Thai chilies, I would recommend using a pre-made curry paste to better account for spice levels.

    Among Thai curry pastes, the Mae Ploy brand is a favorite among Thai cooks given that it’s one of the few brands that contain shrimp paste (an essential ingredient for authentic Thai curry). 

    Light Coconut Milk – Used 1 serving of light coconut milk. This gives the curry its signature flavor at a fraction of the calories. Your typical local grocery store should carry this.

    Seasonings – The curry sauce is often seasoned with fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice to give it a balanced flavor. Palm sugar is what's traditionally used but both brown sugar and white sugar also work.

    See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

    📖 Substitutions and Variations

    Use shrimp or seafood – Shrimp and seafood, such as white fish, are other lean protein options that would go well with this recipe. My Thai green curry recipe is an example of one that uses fish.

    Add more vegetables – Bamboo shoots and red bell peppers are common favorites for this dish.

    Adjust spiciness – If you prefer a more intense spice, you can add more Thai chilies when sautéing the aromatics.

    Switch up the rice with Brown rice, white rice, mixed grain rice, or cauliflower rice – Health-wise, they are all similar in calories and macros, with mixed grain rice slightly higher in calories (190 calories vs 160 calories for one serving). Cauliflower rice is a good option for those who prefer a low-carb diet.

    Make your homemade curry paste – Use a food processor to blend kaffir lime leaves, galangal, fresh lemongrass, garlic, ginger, red chilies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and shrimp paste. Be sure to use fresh ingredients for the best flavor.

    🔪 Step by Step Instructions 

    Prepare the rice – Cook the rice beforehand to save time. 

    Prepare the aromatics – Slice lemongrass into small pieces, mince the garlic and onions, and remove kaffir lime leaf stem.

    Sauté the curry paste – In a large saucepan or deep-set frying pan, saute the aromatics for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant, alongside the curry paste with cooking spray.

    Saute the curry paste and aromatics in a pan.

    Add coconut milk – Turn the stove to low heat and pour in coconut milk. Mix thoroughly.

    Pour in the coconut milk and stock.

    Cook the chicken – Add the chicken pieces into the curry and cook fully, 2-3 minutes on each side.

    Add the chicken pieces into the curry.

    Add seasonings – Add the fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Add stock if desired to adjust the thickness of the curry. Stir until combined. 

    Garnish and serve – Serve with rice and garnish with shallots, chopped cilantro, kaffir lime leaves and/or Thai basil leaves. Enjoy your flavorful authentic Thai red curry!

    Side view of the Thai red curry chicken garnished with limes and red peppers.

    💭 Recipe FAQs

    What is typically in red curry?

    Red curry is typically made of a mixture of red chilies, coriander, cumin, shrimp paste, lemongrass, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and shallots. This is pounded by a mortar and pestle into a paste.

    What is the secret to good Thai curry?

    The secret to good Thai curry is to use fresh ingredients. Thai curry is a mixture of a variety of herbs and spices that is grounded into a paste. Using fresh ingredients will result in the best flavor. 

    How do you prepare this dish in advance?

    You can make the curry paste and the jasmine rice in advance to speed up the cooking time. Store the curry paste in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks and the rice in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.

    💡 Expert Tips

    Water or stock to deglaze as needed – If the coconut milk seems to be evaporating too much, make sure the heat is lowered and deglaze the pan with water as needed

    How to use lemongrass – For the curry paste, we will use the lower white half of the lemongrass stalks. Slice the lemongrass widthwise, until the purple rings begin to disappear.

    🍽 Related Recipes

    If you liked this recipe, check out these other Thai curry recipes.

    • An overhead shot of Thai green fish curry with rice on the side.
      Thai Green Fish Curry Recipe
    • An overhead shot of Thai yellow curry with rice on the side.
      Authentic Thai Yellow Curry Chicken
    • Close up view of Thai yellow curry chicken recipe.
      Is Thai Curry Healthy? (How To Make It Healthy)
    • Thai Butternut Squash Curry
      Thai Butternut Squash Curry with Chicken (Low Calorie)

    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY like this recipe, consider a review further down the page. Thank you!

    🍳 Recipe

    Overhead shot of the red thai chicken curry garnished with red peppers and lime leaves.

    Authentic Thai Red Curry Recipe

    Developed by Clara
    This authentic Thai Red Curry recipe will spice up your weekly meal prep. From fragrant herbs to bold spices, this dish is truly mouthwatering. And by using a couple of ingredient swaps, we can make it at a fraction of the calories.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Thai
    Calories 398 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Red Curry Sauce

    • 1 tablespoon Red Curry Paste (Recommend Mae Ploy Brand)
    • 1 clove Garlic
    • ¼ Shallot
    • 1 stalk Lemongrass
    • ⅓ cup Coconut Milk
    • ¼ cup Chicken Stock (Veggie stock works too)
    • 1 tablespoon Fish sauce
    • 1 teaspoon Sugar

    Chicken and Garnishes

    • 4 oz Chicken thigh
    • Kaffir Lime Leaves
    • 1 Red Chili
    • 3 sprigs Cilantro

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare the rice – Cook the rice beforehand to save time. 
    • Prepare the aromatics – Slice lemongrass into small pieces, mince the garlic and onions, and remove kaffir lime leaf stem.
    • Saute the curry paste – In a large saucepan or deep-set frying pan, saute the aromatics for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant, alongside the curry paste with cooking spray.
    • Add coconut milk – Turn the stove to low heat and pour in coconut milk. Mix thoroughly.
    • Cook the chicken – Add the chicken pieces into the curry and cook fully, 2-3 minutes on each side.
    • Add seasonings – Add the fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Add stock if desired to adjust the thickness of the curry. Stir until combined. 
    • Garnish and serve – Serve with rice and garnish with shallots, chopped cilantro, kaffir lime leaves and/or Thai basil leaves. Enjoy your flavorful red chicken curry!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 398kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 32gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 1603mgPotassium: 691mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2936IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 5mg

    Notes

    Substitutions and Variations
    Use shrimp or seafood – Shrimp and seafood, such as white fish, are other lean protein options that would go well with this recipe.
    Adjust spiciness – If you prefer a more intense spice, you can add more Thai chilies when sautéing the aromatics.
    Expert Tips
    Water or stock to deglaze as needed – If the coconut milk seems to be evaporating too much, make sure the heat is lowered and deglaze the pan with water as needed
    How to use lemongrass – For the curry paste, we will use the lower white half of the lemongrass stalks. Slice the lemongrass widthwise, until the purple rings begin to disappear.
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @fitsianfoodlife or tag #fitsianfoodlife!
    « Thai Green Fish Curry Recipe
    Thai Pineapple Fried Rice with Shrimp »

    Reader Interactions

    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Fitsian Food Life!

    Photo of myself on top of Lanikai hike in Oahu Hawaii.

    Hi, I'm Clara! I cook calorie-conscious, macro-friendly recipes to help achieve your fitness goals.

    Learn more >>

    Let's Stay Connected

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    🍲 Soup Season

    • Overhead shot of a bowl of ramen.
      Shio Chicken Ramen
    • A bowl of khao soi with chopsticks twirling the noodles.
      Chicken Khao Soi Recipe
    • healthy butternut squash soup
      Is Butternut Squash Soup Healthy?
    • Bowl of tom yum noodles with chopsticks twirled around the noodles.
      Tom Yum Noodle Soup
    • A bowl of chicken pho with chopsticks twirled around the noodles.
      Healthy Chicken Pho Recipe (Is Pho Healthy?)
    • healthy chao ga
      Chao Ga (Vietnamese Rice Porridge) Recipe

    ⭐ Popular Posts

    • An assortment of healthy Thai dishes on a tray.
      20 Healthy Low Calorie Thai Foods
    • Healthy Kimchi Fried Rice
      Is Kimchi Fried Rice Healthy? (Healthy Kimchi Fried Rice Recipe)
    • Pepper Lunch Recipe
      Is Pepper Lunch Healthy?(A Low Calorie Pepper Lunch Recipe)
    • Protein Japanese Curry
      Is Japanese Curry Healthy? (A Low Carb Japanese Curry Recipe)
    • Close up of an assortment of sashimi.
      Is Sashimi Healthy? (5 Types of Sashimi and Their Benefits)
    • Healthy Korean Food
      24 Low Calorie Healthy Korean Foods (Is Korean Food Healthy?)

    Footer

    • Facebook profile
    • Instagram
    • Mail
    • Pinterest

    More Info

    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Buy Me A Coffee

    Browse

    • All Recipes
    • Fitsian Tips

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Fitsian Food Life

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.