Succulent, flavor-packed and perfectly cooked roast chicken with a creamy green curry gravy – this simple Thai green curry roast chicken is comfort food at its most flavorful!
I once had Thai green curry chicken for dinner every day, for two weeks. True story. This was when I lived in Lismore (Australia), and I found a kick ass Thai place that made some amazing green curry chicken!
It was also my meal of choice (along with beef green curry or chicken ramen or pork ramen or pho) when I was feeling sick. The restaurant owner soon got to know me well enough that she started putting my order together whenever she saw me walking in. That too is a true story.
Eventually I stopped going there because they changed the recipe, and their green curry chicken no longer tasted authentic (boo!). They had to have changed their curry base, because it tasted artificial. So that was when I decided that I wanted to try and make my own green curry paste.
Thai green curry paste
While making your own green curry paste is very rewarding (and delicious), unless you can find the authentic ingredients, it’s really not worth it.
The paste needs to be made in a mortar and pestle for best results, so you get the most flavor out of the ingredients. I have made it in a mini processor before, and while it was faster, the results were just OK.
Definitely not the same as when you use a mortar and pestle. But if you can find a good curry paste in the store, then you can obviously save the time and effort of making it at home.
I was on a mission to find a good store-bought green curry paste, and first tried Mae Ploy Thai green curry paste. Mae Ploy is the most well-known brand, but it wasn’t to my liking.
I always end up having leftover paste in the fridge which then gets thrown out. Then my favorite Master Chef (Australia) contestant released her own brand of green curry as part of her Meal Kits – Marion’s Kitchen Green Curry Kit, and my search is over! THIS is the real deal. 🙂
The paste in this kit is SO GOOD! Plus, you can now find Marion’s Kitchen Kits in supermarkets in the USA too (as of October 2017).
Mae Anong green curry paste is another very reasonably priced Thai green curry paste that tastes amazing with natural ingredients. Nothing funky in it at all. So if you can’t find Meal Kits – Marion’s Kitchen Green Curry Kit, then I would definitely recommend the Mae Anong green curry paste.
I love making a traditional Thai green curry chicken. It’s easy to make and it’s definitely my version of comfort food. In fact, a lot of my favorite chicken dishes, like this chicken curry, chicken ramen, Vietnamese lemongrass chicken, chicken dumplings, instant pot chicken thighs etc. are most definitely comfort food for me.
But I started making green curry roast chicken when I was living in Australia, and I just can’t get enough of it now.
It does take a little longer (less longer if you use pieces of chicken rather than the whole chicken). But the chicken tastes so succulent and SO FLAVORFUL.
How to make Thai green curry roast chicken
The green curry roast chicken here is roasted after a buttery spice mix is slathered on the chicken breasts (under the skin). So the butter and the spices continue to flavor the chicken and keep the chicken breast deliciously moist. There’s no dry or bland pieces of meat with this Thai roast chicken!
Since we love our green curries (green curry roast chicken as well as regular Thai green curry chicken) extra spicy, I added some cayenne pepper to the recipe. But feel free to leave it out since this Thai roasted chicken has some good heat even without the extra spice.
When I used to make this green curry roast chicken in the past, I would first marinate the chicken (whole chicken or pieces) with the curry paste. Then I’d brush the chicken with some oil and then roast it in the oven directly (skin side up). And then add the coconut milk at the end.
But now, I rub some of the curry paste and butter on the chicken bread and thigh, under the skin. And then I mix the rest of the paste, spices and coconut milk in the roasting pan, and roast the chicken IN the coconut milk.
It prevents the chicken from drying out, and lets all of the flavors mingle together. So you end up with beautifully caramelized skin, succulent meat and a flavor-packed coconut gravy/sauce to top it all off!
You can serve this Thai roast chicken with some steamed rice and a simple salad on the side. Or you can also serve it with buttered, roasted vegetables, or steamed vegetables as well.
This Thai green curry recipe is guaranteed to make your Sunday roasts infinitely more exciting, and flavorful and spicy too! 🙂 It’s a tried and true recipe for us and we absolutely love it! The flavors, the colors, the aromas all make it a memorable dish.
If I’m pressed for time, I just use chicken thighs (bone in, with the skin) and the meal is ready in 20 – 30 minutes. I don’t even need to cover the dish with foil. I can just roast the whole dish in the oven, uncovered, for caramelized skin and flavor packed chicken. Just check out how perfectly the chicken breast is cooked in these pictures? 🙂
More roast recipes you’ll love
Recipe
Thai Green Curry Roast Chicken
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 1.5 kg chicken 3 – 3.3 lbs. (a whole chicken or chicken pieces – thighs, legs, breasts)
- 6 tbsp green curry paste My favorite is Mae Anong. But you can use Maesri or Mae Ploy.
- ½ tsp salt amount will vary a bit depending on the paste you use.
- 5 tbsp butter or coconut oil optional (choose coconut oil or vegetable oil as a dairy-free substitute)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 red chili sliced (de-seed the chili if you like it less spicy)
- steamed rice and salad to serve
- cilantro and Thai basil to garnish
Instructions:
- Pat-dry the chicken with paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken with ½ tsp of salt.1.5 kg chicken, ½ tsp salt
- Mix 4 tbsp of butter with half of the green curry paste. Rub this paste under the skin of the chicken breast and thighs.5 tbsp butter or coconut oil, 6 tbsp green curry paste
- Leave it to marinate overnight in the fridge (optional).
- Remove from the fridge and leave it at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Mix the rest of the green curry paste with the coconut milk and cayenne pepper in the roasting dish. Add the remaining butter as well. Place the chicken in the roasting dish (breast-side up). Cover the chicken with foil.6 tbsp green curry paste, 5 tbsp butter or coconut oil, 1 cup coconut milk, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, 1.5 kg chicken
- Transfer the pan into the oven and let it cook for 50 – 60 minutes.
- Increase heat to 425°F / 225° C.
- Uncover the chicken and baste it with the green curry gravy/sauce. Baste the chicken every 5 minutes and roast in the oven until the chicken skin caramelizes (about 10 – 20 minutes), AND the chicken thigh internal temperature registers at 165°F (or when the juices run clear when the chicken thigh is pricked).
- Remove the dish from the oven and let the chicken rest for a few minutes. Garnish with sliced red chili peppers and herbs and serve warm with steamed rice and salad.2 red chili, cilantro and Thai basil to garnish, steamed rice and salad to serve
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
If you liked this Thai green curry roast chicken (curry roast chicken) recipe, you might also like this yogurt curry dip as a delicious appetizer idea.
Or if you’re looking for something warming and flavorful, you can try this Thai green curry beef, or lemongrass noodle soup, or Vietnamese lemongrass chicken bowl.
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