Creamy Thai Green Curry Recipe with juicy chicken and sweet roasted vegetables. This dump-and-go style Thai Green Curry is super easy to assemble. Just add all the ingredients to your Instant Pot or Slow cooker. You’ll love how easy it is to have a pot of delicious Thai Green Curry Chicken at the comfort of your home!

Thai Green Curry Chicken Recipe for Paleo, Whole30 and Keto easy meal prep from I Heart Umami.

Thai Green Curry Recipe (Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Easy!)

My name is ChihYu Smith and I’m addicted to Thai food. 🙂 Growing up in Taiwan, Taiwanese people love food from all over the world, especially foods from the neighboring countries. It goes without saying that Taiwanese food is most closely related to Chinese cuisine but Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Korean cuisines are also well represented in my home country. Today’s Thai Green Curry Recipe is a modified version from the traditional Thai green curry you’ll find in Thailand.

I simplified the traditional Thai green curry cooking methods and made it easy for meal prep and suitable for all levels of homecooks. This easy curry recipe comes with two instructions – Slow Cooker and Instant Pot – and all you need to do is combining the ingredients so everyone should absolutely give this Thai green curry chicken a try!

Easy Thai Green Curry Meal Prep I Heart Umami
Just add all the ingredients. Seal and freeze for later!

What is Thai Green Curry

The name Green Curry comes from the color of the dish, which comes from the green chilies in the curry paste. The color is light milk green and the ingredients aren’t exactly fixed. Most often, you’ll see fish fillets, fish paste made meatballs, chicken, or shrimp with Thai eggplants and vegetables…etc. Homemade Thai green curry paste has brighter and more vibrant color. The store bought version is more muted green but it’s convenient for homecooks.

To keep it simple and accessible, I use chicken as the main protein, topped with roasted Italian eggplants (or globe eggplants) to replace Thai eggplants, and with carrots and butternut squash.

The reason I roasted vegetables for my Thai green curry as opposed to cook them in the same pot is because I want to maintain the shape and texture of the vegetables. The caramelized sweet carrots with slightly charred smoky eggplants, pair with creamy smooth curry chicken is super addictive!

Roasted Vegetables for Thai Curry I Heart Umami

The Best Store Bought Green Curry Paste

I use Mae Ploy store-bought green curry paste for this Thai green curry chicken recipe. The curry paste ingredients are super clean with no additives. The past comes in different sizes and once you open it, please store the paste in the fridge. If you can finish the paste in a month or 2 that will be the best before the fragrance goes away.

Thai Green Curry Paste Store Bought I Heart Umami

A Note On Store-Bought Curry Paste

One thing to caution when using store-bought curry paste – different brands have different curry flavor profiles and the salty level can be quite different, too. In general, I found that homemade green curry paste is less salty and the color is more vivid. Store bought curry paste is usually on the salty side so taste it with a small teaspoon before mixing it with other ingredients. Aim with less quantity because you can always add more later on.

What Goes In Easy Thai Green Curry p.s. Perfect for meal prep!

To keep my Thai green curry chicken easy and meal prep friendly, I simplified the traditional cooking method.

  1. Add chicken thighs or a combination with breast to a large ziplock bag or meal prep container
  2. Add the green curry paste, chicken stock, fish sauce, and kaffir lime leaves.
  3. Massage the bag so that the paste is dissolved into the liquid.
  4. Carefully squeeze out the air and seal the bag tightly.
  5. Store it in the freezer until you are ready to cook.

About Kaffir lime leaves

This is an optional ingredient so please don’t feel that you can’t make this green curry chicken unless you have the exact ingredients. Kaffir lime leaves will make your Thai chicken curry taste even more authentic. I purchased mine on Amazon from Burma Spice. You can order them directly from Burma’s website, too. Once you give them a try, you’ll know the difference.

Kaffir lime leaves have an earthy and citrus flavor. If you don’t have it handy but still want to give it a try, the closest substitute for Kaffir lime leaves are – 1 bay leaf, 1 whole lime zest, and 1-1.5 tbsp of fresh lemon thyme. Mix together and you have a very close substitute.

Kaffir Lime Leaves Dried I Heart umami
Secret ingredient to make your Thai curry extra delicious. Substitute ingredients in the recipe note card.

How To Make Thai Green Chicken Curry – Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

  1. Add the chicken, green curry paste, stock, fish sauce, and kaffir lime leaves, if using, to your instant pot or slow cooker.
  2. For instant pot, from thawed, cook for 8 minutes + 10 minutes natural release. From frozen, cook for 15 minutes + 1- minutes natural release.
  3. For slow cooker, from thawed, cook on high for 4 hours or 6 hours on low.
  4. Stir-in coconut milk cream, bamboo shoots, nut butter of choice.
  5. Top with any vegetables you like. I prefer roasted carrots, butternut squash, eggplants and raw sliced sugar snap peas or snow peas for crunch.
Thai Green Curry Chicken Recipe for Paleo, Whole30 and Keto easy meal prep from I Heart Umami.

My Paleo Thai Green Curry Is –

  • Creamy, Umami-rich, Naturally sweet – Use coconut milk cream with nut butter (or nut-free Sunbutter) to tone down the heat level and make it creamy smooth.
  • Aromatic – kaffir lime leaves really make a difference. You can order either fresh or dried kaffir lime leaves on amazon or from local Indian, Chinese grocery stores. If you don’t have them handy, follow the recipe notes for alternative substitute.
  • Easy to make, Perfect for meal prep – Just dump all the ingredients to a meal prep bag and freeze for later!
  • Super scrumptious – I wrote this Thai green curry chicken recipe with simplicity in mind for busy homecooks. It’s creamy, naturally sweet, and nutty delicious. And you can pair it with any roasted vegetables you like to add to your curry.
Thai Green Curry Recipe I Heart Umami

Make A Complete Meal With These Side Dishes

More Thai and Curry Recipes

Thai Green Curry Chicken Recipe for Paleo, Whole30 and Keto easy meal prep from I Heart Umami.
4.85 from 20 votes

Thai Green Curry Recipe (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: ChihYu Smith
Creamy Thai Green Curry Chicken Recipe is the perfect easy curry recipe for meal prep. Instant pot or slow cooker. Paleo, Whole30, Keto friendly. The cook time is based on Instant Pot (thawed chicken). For slow cooker and frozen chicken see recipe for details.
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients 

  • 1.5-2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs, or breasts or a combination
  • 2.5-3 tbsp Mae Ploy green curry paste, see notes
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 6 whole dried kaffir lime leaves , or 3 fresh kaffir lime leaves, optional, see notes for alternative
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 140 gram bamboo shoots, liquid drained
  • 1 cup coconut milk cream, or use the top cream part of a canned 14 oz. full fat coconut milk
  • 3-4 tbsp nut butter of choice, or sunbutter for nut-free
  • Half one whole lime juice or to taste, plus extra for garnish

Optional roasted vegetable choices:

  • 2 cups eggplants, diced
  • 2 cups butternut squash, diced
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 1 tsp coarse sea salt
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Serving:

  • Sugar snap peas or snow peas, sliced lengthwise, as much as you like
  • Cilantro, garnish, optional

Instructions 

For Meal prep –

  • In a gallon size freezer friendly bag, combine ingredients from chicken to fish sauce. Carefully massage the bag to dissolve the curry paste into the liquid. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also make this dish right away without marinating.
  • When you are ready to cook, dump the entire bag into the pot. Try to arrange the chicken in a single layer. Make sure each piece is in contact with the liquid.

Instant Pot:

  • Add everything to the Instant Pot. If it’s thawed, cook for 8 minutes manual high pressure + 10 minutes for natural release. If it’s frozen, cook for 15 minutes manual high pressure + 10 minutes natural release. Stir-in bamboo shoots, coconut milk cream, nut butter, and lime juice to taste. Shred or dice the chicken and add back to the pot.

Slow Cooker:

  • From thawed, add everything to the slow cooker. cook for 4 hours on high, or 6 hours on low. Stir-in bamboo shoots, coconut milk, nut butter, and lime juice to taste. Shred or dice the chicken and add back to the pot.

If adding vegetables:

  • If you are adding the roasted vegetables, season the eggplants, carrots, and butternut squash cubes with salt and olive oil. Toss well. Roast at 420F for 20-30 minutes or until tender. Check and flip the vegetables after 20 minutes.
  • You can serve the roasted vegetables on the side or add them to the curry pot. Garnish with raw sliced sugar snap peas and cilantro, if using. Serve extra lime wedges on the side.

Notes

  • The salt and spicy lever of the store bought curry paste varies. Different brands have slightly different flavor profiles and the salty level can be quite different, too. Store bought curry paste is usually on the salty side so taste it with a small teaspoon before mixing it with other ingredients. Aim with less quantity because you can always add more later on.
  • The sauce will be very thin before we add the cream and nut butter. Once we mix-in the cream and nut butter it will become creamier. Once the sauce cools down, especially the next day, it will become much thicker. When you reheat, thin with more chicken stock or coconut milk.
  • Kaffir lime leaves have an earthy and citrus flavor. If you don’t have it handy but still want to give it a try, the closest substitute for Kaffir lime leaves are – 1 bay leaf, 1 whole lime zest, and 1-1.5 tbsp of fresh lemon thyme. Mix together and you have a very close substitute.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 551kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 45g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 111mg, Sodium: 979mg, Potassium: 787mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 9597IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 86mg, Iron: 3mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: Easy curry recipe, Green curry recipe, Grilled Green Curry Chicken In Coconut Milk, Thai green curry, Thai green curry chicken, Thai green curry recipe
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @iheartumami.ny on Instagram and hashtag it #iheartumami.