yellow curry chicken with potatoes

gaeng kah-ree gai

Of course I don't speak Thai, so don't ask me how to say that. (If you want a hint at pronunciation, there are some audio food files here-kind of fun). This is what we had for dinner last night.

This delicious curry recipe comes from a cookbook I need to pull out more often, Quick & Easy Thai from Chronicle Books. (An aside, here: I don't know if you're familiar with Chronicle Books, but they are so artfully done. I love them. They are now selling my favorite, Moleskine Notebooks, and they have great clearance sales!) Is that enough links for ya?


On to the curry. We just love curry. As usual, I've made some modifications. You'll see.


2 3/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk (I just used two whole cans)

3 Tablespoons yellow (kah-ree) curry paste, OR 3 Tablespoons red curry paste plus 1 Tablespoon curry powder (We don't have yellow paste, so I used the red + powder. Next time, I will back it off to 2 Tablespoons of red paste, this was a bit spicy for the kids.)

6 boneless chicken thighs, cut into big, bite-sized chunks, or about 1 pound boneless chicken breast, sliced crosswise into 2-inch strips

2 cups chicken broth or water (I used 1can chicken broth)

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into big, bite-sized chunks (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 medium onion, cut lengthwise into thick wedges (about 1 cup)

2 Tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon palm sugar OR brown sugar


In a medium saucepan or heavy skillet, bring 1 cup of coconut milk to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it begins to thicken and becomes fragrant. Add the curry paste and cook 2 to 3 minutes, pressing and stirring to dissolve it into the coconut milk. Add the chicken and cook another minute or two, tossing to coat it with the sauce. (I cooked my chicken a bit longer here because some of it was still frozen--oops! And, I had to put in a couple "in process" pictures because the color is so vivid and beautiful!)


Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups coconut milk, the chicken broth, potatoes, onion, fish sauce, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook, stirring now and then, until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are tender but still firm, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve hot or warm.


We served ours with rice and sliced cucumbers. It was delicious.