Thai Peanut Curry Chicken
This curry chicken recipe is our version of a favorite Thai restaurant dish called Praram Long Song. Made with chicken, spinach and red bell pepper simmered in a combination of coconut milk, red curry paste, peanut butter and lime, this fragrant curry is quick, easy and immensely satisfying.
Thai Peanut Curry Chicken
Made with boneless chicken and fresh spinach simmered in a combination of coconut milk, red curry paste, peanut butter and lime, this delicious Thai curry is quick and easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (or boneless pork sirloin chops)
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (light is okay - see notes)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable (or coconut) oil
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
- 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
- Zest of 1 lime or 4 Kaffir lime leaves, stemmed and very finely chopped (see notes)
- 6 ounces fresh spinach
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted peanuts, crushed
- Steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, cut them into bite-sized chunks and set aside.
- Combine the coconut milk, 1 tablespoon of the curry paste, peanut butter and lime juice in a bowl. Whisk until smooth, taste and add more curry paste if desired. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the chicken. Sauté for 2 minutes then deglaze the pan with the fish sauce, scraping up any browned bits that may have accumulated on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the red bell pepper and reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the coconut milk mixture, sugar and lime zest or Kaffir lime leaves. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach a handful at a time, letting each batch wilt completely before adding more. Add 1/2 of the scallions, taste the sauce and add a bit more fish sauce if needed.
- To serve, divide the curry between 4 shallow bowls, add a serving of rice and garnish with the remaining scallions and crushed peanuts.
Notes
Using Light Coconut Milk:
You can substitute light coconut milk for regular in this recipe, but the sauce can have a tendency to be a bit too thin. To remedy this, whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch together with 1 tablespoon cold water until smooth. Stir it into the sauce as soon as it begins to bubble and let it cook until thickened before adding the spinach.
About Kaffir (Makrut) Lime Leaves:
We recommend using Kaffir lime leaves in this recipe if you possibly can.
They have a wonderful, fragrant quality that lends unique, authentic flavor to this dish.
We're fortunate to have a local Asian grocer that carries them on a regular basis, but there's a great mail order source that will send you a good-sized batch for a very reasonable price.
They can be frozen for months without losing any flavor, so you can keep them on hand for a variety of Thai dishes.
Go to ImportFood.com to order them directly and be sure to check out their library of Thai recipes while you're there.
