I really did mean to post a classic pot roast chicken. But this Thai red curry version is SO MUCH MORE EXCITING!! To-die-for red curry sauce with outrageously juicy chicken, you’ll have this in the oven in 10 minutes. Effortless recipes with incredible results, this is my kind of food!
Thai red curry pot roast chicken
Consider this to be the roast chicken version of Lamb Shanks Massaman Curry, and beloved fan-favourite where you just put everything in a pan, pop it in the oven, then out comes fall-apart bronzed lamb shanks smothered in a rich massaman curry sauce.
Admittedly, this roast chicken red curry version does call for one extra step – sautéing the curry paste with aromatics (garlic, ginger, lemongrass) – before adding everything else and transferring it into the oven. Well worth a whole 2 minutes of effort for the extra depth of flavour you get in the Thai red curry sauce. And LOOK at the sauce!!
Speaking of sauce – did I mention we’re using store bought instead of homemade red curry paste today? For ease. Which brings me to an important topic:
My favourite red curry paste – Maesri
The best and cheapest. Full stop, end of story!
There is just no other than compares in mainstream grocery stores and Asian stores here in Australia. For authentic flavour – fresh, real, and not too sweet (why-oh-why are all the “western” red curry pastes so darn sweet??!!). Given the tick of approval by Thai nationals and it happens to be the cheapest curry paste clocking in at $2.10 a can.
While I highly recommend Maesri, this recipe does work with other red curry paste brands too. But the sauce will only be as good as the curry paste you use!
Where to find Maesri red curry paste
Asian grocery stores (it’s very common here in Australia)
Australia – Woolworths, Harris Farms, Amazon, asianpantry.com.au
Other countries – Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA (strangely pricey in Canada??)
Ingredients in Thai red curry pot roast chicken
Here’s what you need to make today’s recipe.
The red curry sauce
Red curry paste – As per section above, Maesri is my preferred! Cheapest and most authentic flavour.
Lemongrass, garlic and ginger – Adding these gives the store bought curry paste a flavour boost that makes it virtually like homemade red curry paste. It really makes a different!
Lemongrass – Substitute with 1 tablespoon of lemongrass paste. But one day, I hope you can make this with fresh lemongrass because it really is better!
Coconut cream – Not all coconut cream is created equal! Good ones are 100% coconut and have better flavour. Economical ones use water + thickener.
Coconut milk will also work but coconut flavour is not as intense (the sauce gets a ton of juices from chicken which dilutes the coconut flavour which is why coconut cream works better than milk).
Kaffir lime leaves – For authentic Thai curry flavour! Fairly accessible these days at large grocery stores and Asian stores. They freeze 100% perfectly which is handy.
Use leftover kaffire lime leaves in Thai red curry, Tom Yum soup, Thai meatballs, beef rendang, Malaysian chicken satay curry, green curry, golden turmeric baked fish and everybody’s favourite Asian coconut rice!
Fish sauce – This is used as the salt in red curry. More flavour than plain salt!
Sugar – For the right touch of sweetness you find in red curry sauce.
Red chilli – For optional garnish.
Vegetables and herbs
Potatoes – Small, skin on whole potatoes are best as the skin holds them together while they cook up beautifully creamy inside. If using cut pieces, add them partway through cooking else they will disintegrate.
Green beans – Just to add some vegetables into the sauce, plus a sprinkle of green. Feel free to add other vegetables!
Thai Basil has a slight aniseed flavour. Italian basil can be used in a pinch! Really adds a special touch to the finished dish so try not to skip it. But if this is the only thing you’re missing, still worth making!
Coriander/cilantro (optional) – This is mainly for garnish, though if you don’t have Thai Basil this makes a good alternative as a fresh herb addition to the dish.
Whole chicken
Oh yes, and you will need a whole chicken. Let’s not make today’s recipe like that time I forgot to include pork in a roast pork recipe!! 😂
I use a 1.8kg/3.6lb chicken. It’s fine to use one a little larger or smaller as the pot-roasting method of cooking we’re using today is very forgiving. It will keep chicken juicy even if you take it over (small chickens) and cooks evenly and fast so larger chickens will cook through.
How to make Thai red curry pot roast chicken
This all gets made in one pot, and you’ll have it in the oven in 10 minutes!
Cook off curry paste – Sauté the curry paste with lemongrass, ginger and garlic for a couple of minutes. The curry paste will dry out and caramelise which intensifies and improves the flavour. An essential step when using any store bought curry paste!
Sauce – Add the chicken stock then reduce it by half to concentrate the flavour. Add the remaining sauce ingredients – coconut cream, fish sauce, sugar, kaffir lime leaves – and stir to combine.
Put the chicken into the sauce and spoon sauce over. Then place the potatoes around it.
Bake covered for 40 minutes.
Brown the chicken – After 40 minutes, remove the lid and bake for a further 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes. Oh, and push the beans into the sauce for the last 10 minutes! Any earlier and they’ll overcook far too much.
Just use a spoon to baste the chicken (which simple means spooning the sauce over) though if you have a turkey baster, it will make your life even easier.
Final baste – Give the chicken a final baste then transfer it to a plate to rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into pieces.
Thai Basil leaves – Stir the basil leaves into the sauce just before plating up, so as to retain the freshness of the flavour.
To serve – Place the chicken pieces on a platter then pour over the sauce, potatoes and beans. Garnish with extra chilli and fresh coriander if desired, then take it to the table!
I know I’ve been going on and on about the sauce – and it really is worthy of the talk, I promise – but I shouldn’t undersell how juicy the chicken is, thanks to the pot roasting method of cooking! So much more forgiving than traditional roast chicken – which we all love, but does require more accuracy to ensure you don’t end up with a dry breast.
Ah, also, the potatoes!! Using whole small baby potatoes means we can cook them until they are really soft and creamy inside without disintegrating. If you only have large potatoes, cut them into 1.5cm / 0.6″ chunks and add them about halfway through the cook time, otherwise they will over-cook and turn into mush.
Serve over jasmine rice, to soak up all that beautiful curry sauce, and a perky side salad for something fresh. Pictured above is my Asian side salad but if I had a choice, I probably would’ve opted for smashed cucumbers or my favourite Chang’s Crispy Noodle Cabbage Salad.
I really hope you try this recipe one of these days! Something a little different but very straight forward to make that’s forgiving, with knock-your-socks-off results. It’s Amazing – with a capital A. Everybody knows when I use capitals, I really mean it! 😂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Thai red curry pot roast chicken
Ingredients
- 1.8 kg/ 3.6 lb whole chicken
- 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 115g/ 4 oz (1/2 cup) Thai red curry paste (Maesri recommended, Note 1)
- 2 large garlic cloves , finely grated (Note 2)
- 2 tsp fresh ginger , finely grated (Note 2)
- 2 tsp fresh lemongrass , finely grated, white / pale green part only (Note 2)
- 1 cup chicken stock/broth , low sodium
- 400 ml/ 14 oz coconut cream (Note 3)
- 6 kaffir lime leaves , crushed in hand (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 600g/ 1.2lb small potatoes (12 or so), skin on (Note 5)
- 120g/ 4oz green beans , trimmed and cut in half
- 15 Thai basil leaves , or more! (sub ordinary Italian basil, Note 6)
Serving + optional garnishes:
- Jasmine rice
- Red chilli , finely sliced
- Coriander / cilantro leaves
Instructions
- De-chill & salt chicken – Take the chicken out of the fridge 1 hour prior. Pat dry then sprinkle with the salt.
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan).
- Sauté curry paste – Use a large, oven-proof pot with a lid. Heat oil on medium high heat. Cook curry paste, garlic, ginger and lemongrass for 2 minutes. This step substantially improves the flavour of store bought curry paste.
- Sauce – Add chicken stock, stir, then simmer rapidly for 3 minutes to reduce by half. Stir in coconut cream, hand-crushed kaffir lime leaves, sugar and fish sauce.
- Place chicken into the sauce. Spoon over sauce. Surround with potatoes.
- Bake 1 hour – Place the lid on and bake for 40 minutes. Remove lid spoon sauce over chicken (ie. baste). Turn the oven up to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan). Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, baste, bake another 10 minutes.
- Beans, then bake 10 minutes – Push beans into the sauce (wherever they fit!). Baste again then bake for a final 10 minutes (no lid).
- Rest 10 minutes – Remove chicken onto a plate (Note 7). Rest 10 minutes. Put lid on pot to keep sauce warm.
- Serving – Carve chicken, place on platter. Stir basil leaves into sauce. Pour/spoon sauce, potatoes and beans over chicken. Garnish with chilli and coriander, if desired. Serve with jasmine rice!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Typical.
For everyone asking about thighs – I made this with cutlets last night and it was fantastic! I want to try with drumsticks next time. This is like a cheaper version of the shanks curry!
EVERYONE LOVED IT!! Thank you Nagi. Have massana curry paste – Maesri of course – what do ou think? Will it work>??
Made this last night. Fantastic!
Flavours were exceptional. My son thought the chicken was excellent (and he’s fussy!). And here I was just going to “roast a chicken”. Nagi, you couldn’t have sent this out at a better time! Definitely will make again. Thank you!
LOVE HEARING THAT! I’m so glad your son enjoyed it Joanne, thanks for letting me know! N x
I am making this now, and it smells divine! I couldn’t find the makrut lime leaves, so I threw in a quartered regular (Persian) lime. Hope it comes out okay. I do have a question. I bought the green beans as per the recipe, but the asparagus looked much nicer at the store. Do you think asparagus would go with these flavors? I don’t even know if they have asparagus in Thailand!
I HOPE YOU LOVED IT ALICE!!! N xx
OMG, Nagi, everyone wolfed it down, even my husband who is a spice wimp. We were all sitting there crying and stuffing our faces! Thank you!
Cooked this tonight and it was a winner I used four chicken Maryland pieces instead of a whole Chook as that what was in the fridge – reduced the cook time by ten minutes and sat the pieces on the potatoes out of the sauce in the last twenty minutes so they browned – worked a treat and so easy. Thanks for another great addition to Dinner!
Hi Nagi. I really enjoy your recipes and look forward to making this one.
Did you know that the term “kaffir” is a racist slur, and that many cookbook authors and chefs are starting to refer to the lime leaves by their Thai name “makrut” ? It would be worth considering.
Thanks for mentioning that Jennifer! I think it’s important for people with a wide reach to consider stuff like that too.
Great sauce as usual, but wouldn’t bother with the whole chicken again, not worth the trouble. Had to cook for longer than the recipe stipulated.The potatoes were delicious though. As was chicken eventually.
This is divine. Super spicy just as we like it so may be too hot for the more bland tastes. This is a beautiful recipe especially if you are doing a dinner party as it’s easy but feeds a lot. Best thing Nagi, your way of doing garlic without peeling!!!! Domo arigato ❤️
Hi Nagi, I love the Red Maesri paste, but my little one finds it too spicy, is there another Maesri paste that would work that is a bit milder?
Hi Gemma, I tried it with yellow curry paste which is much milder. It turned out to be delicious and was well tolerated by my two littlies who don’t like spicy foods 😉
Just put in less…
You can add a pinch or so of Fennel seeds if using Italian basil.
Would this be suitable for the slower cooker?
I don’t think a slow cooker would be successful. You need the high heat for browning.
Super yummy. Used grated lime/ juice for kaffir
Sounds yummy, can’t wait to try. I usually use snake beans instead of green beans in my curries as they are more robust.
Just a note about the lime leaves. I was told a chef once, to rip out the spine of the leaves as it releases the flavor of the leaves, and it makes them even edible since they are so tough. My husband still won’t eat the leaves, but I love the flavor so much that I do eat them.
Is Thai curry spicy hot? NEED TO KNOW IF HOT IT BURNS MY GULLET.
Totally agree with you about the Maesri curry paste. In Canada it’s typically available at T&T (grocery chain here) for between $2-3 Canadian. And, smaller asian food grocers for similar cost. Haven’t seen it under $2 since pre-Covid.
This looks awesome. However, I am a wimp for “hot” food like chile. Is the red curry hot spicy before adding the red chiles? I’m new to the various curries. The recipe looks great and my family loves Thai food. My dog is just like Dozer, but she fits under the table. During dinner, she continuously bops my knee with her nose until she gets something good.
My red curry (not Maesri) is pretty hot. I imagine they vary according to brand. When I opened the jar, I took a swipe with my finger on the underside of the lid to see how hot it was. You can then guess hiw much to use, or you can just uae more of the other ingredients to dilute the spiciness. Remember, it is meant to be served with rice as well.
I’d recommend trying it. If you don’t want to use a whole roast chicken then do everything but and maybe add some veggie and a, sliced chicken breast.
Try it with rice (it’ll take the heat down some) and if it’s too spicy feed it to the do- err family. 😉
This looks awesome. However, I am a wimp for “hot” food like chile. Is the red curry hot spicy before adding the red chiles? I’m new to the various curries. The recipe looks great and my family loves Thai food. My dog is just like Dozer, but she fits under the table. During dinner, she continuously bops my knee with her nose until she gets something good.
I love your recipes. Thank you for being so great at what you do.
This looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try it. Any chance that this would come out as juuice and tasty in a pressure cooker version? Any suggestions on how long to cook it in this manner?
Looks delicious! And just ordered the red curry paste via Amazon here in the States. Thank you for the recommendation!