Basil Chicken Coconut Curry

A delicious basil coconut chicken curry made with chicken thighs, basil, ginger, jalapeño, and coconut milk!

The beauty of curries is that they come in many forms. From thick and creamy to soupy. From mild to spicy, and the various colors (red, green, yellow, or brown) there’s an option for all.

This is a traditional basil chicken coconut curry that is yellow in color and combines a coconut milk base with chicken thighs, basic, jalapeños, onions, and plenty of fresh basil. 

The chicken thighs choice for the protein offers a stronger flavor than using chicken breast. It also makes this dish faster and easier to cook! 

This recipe will give you a mild curry but if you want to spice things up you can just add more cayenne pepper and/or jalapeños. 

While you can speed things up by using a ready-to-go spice for the curry flavor, the finished product will always be better if you buy the pure curry powder and add the other spices independently to make a blend that you enjoy. It’s best if you experiment a little with the spices to get that taste you like best.

Basil Chicken Coconut Curry

Recipe by therecipestack

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

A delicious basil coconut chicken curry made with chicken thighs, basil, ginger, jalapeño, and coconut milk!

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or more

• 1 large sliced onion

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

• 5 minced garlic cloves 

• 1 to 2 crushed jalapeño peppers

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

• 1 tablespoon lime juice

• 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

• 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

• 12 to 20 fresh basil leaves

• Hot cooked rice for serving

• Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

• Prepare your spices mix:
  Mix all your spices in a small bowl: the salt, cayenne and black pepper, ground coriander, ground garlic cloves, cumin, cinnamon, ground cardamom, and turmeric. 
• Lightly fry the onions, jalapeños, ginger, garlic, and spices:
  Heat the oil over high heat in a deep pan or wok. When the oil begins to smoke, add the jalapeños and onions and stir to coat them well in oil. Stirring enough to keep them from burning until the onions are translucent. Once ready, add the ginger, garlic, and the mix of spices and cook together for another minute.
• Coconut, chicken & simmer:
  Add the chicken thighs and coconut milk, and stir until everything is nicely mixed together. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat, cover with a lid and cook for another 20 minutes. 
• Add the lime juice & basil:
  When the chicken is nicely cooked and tender and the sauce has a creamy texture you can add the lime juice and basil and leave to cool. 
• For the perfect serving, pour the curry over rice and let the rice soak the creamy sauce. 
• Enjoy!