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This Simple Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Spicy Garlic Butter is full of Thai flavors and so quick to make. Made with flavorful Thai red curry paste, yellow curry powder, lemongrass, and creamy coconut milk. The chicken is simmered in the sauce with potatoes and then served with spicy garlic honey butter. A side of rice soaks up all that yummy curry sauce, so delicious.
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I feel like a broken record here, but yet again, this Thai yellow curry recipe was inspired by Creighton. He’s obviously been spending much more time here in Colorado this year. It’s not that he loves the snowy climate, it’s honestly more that he just really loves being around family. I think that all of his years of being in Cleveland with no one around really helped him realize how much he loves being with the family, and more importantly these days, little Oslo.
So with Creighton here I’ve been tending to make more recipes with him in mind. I love to cook for people, so inspiration is welcomed.
When it comes to curry, Creighton loves any kind, whether it’s Indian or Thai. He requests it weekly. And while I’ve perfected his favorite butter chicken, I haven’t done much with Thai-inspired curries.
Most yellow curry is made with a Thai yellow curry paste, which you can make at home. However, lack of time and ingredients lead me to improvise a little, using a mix of Thai red curry paste and then yellow curry powder.
This ended up taking less than 30 minutes to throw together, and it was so good.
The process is simple
What I love about this dish is just how easily it comes together, nothing fancy at all. Cook the potatoes, then add in the chicken thighs and a mix of Thai red curry paste and yellow curry powder. I love to add lemongrass as well, which adds a really bright pop of freshness.
Cook the spices without any liquid for a few minutes to really activate their flavor. Then stir in the coconut milk and a small splash of fish sauce. Allow this to simmer.
On to the spicy honey butter
While the chicken is simmering in the curry sauce, make the spicy honey butter. When I made this the first time around, I felt like it was good. But, of course, I wanted it to be really great.
I thought about the recent curry I had made with salmon. We all loved the spicy butter so much, so I wanted to add that element to this curry. I also decided to add a touch of honey for a sweet and spicy element.
It ended up being just what the dish needed to make it really delicious!
For serving, keep it simple, steamed basmati rice or jasmine rice and garnish with lots of cilantro, and a side of limes.
This dish is definitely becoming a quick, weeknight family favorite. Creighton loved this, and the rest of the family enjoyed it too. Even my dad, who is not really a curry fan, thought the sauce was delicious.
Looking for other curries?
Coconut Curry Salmon with Garlic Butter
Creamy Coconut Chicken Meatball and Noodle Curry
Sweet Potato Lentil Curry with Crispy Sesame Chickpeas
Lastly, if you make this Simple Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Spicy Garlic Butter be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Simple Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Spicy Garlic Butter
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 pound baby potatoes, cubed
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cubed
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
- 2 cups canned full-fat coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce or tamari
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- juice and zest of 1 lime
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- chili flakes
- 2 teaspoons honey
Instructions
- 1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and potatoes. Cook 10 minutes, until soft. Add the chicken, curry paste, curry powder, lemongrass paste, and season with salt. Toss to coat the chicken, then cook 3 minutes. 2. Pour in the coconut milk and 1/3 cup water. Season with salt. Cover and cook 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickened.3. Meanwhile, melt together the butter and garlic. Cook until the butter is browning. Stir in the chili flakes and honey. 4. Remove the curry from the heat. Stir in the fish sauce, cilantro, and lime zest + juice. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice. Top with spicy honey butter.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I ordered the red curry paste and lemongrass paste on Amazon and was excited for the ingredients to arrive. This recipe did NOT disappoint! An easy-to-make recipe. Fantastic flavors…the lime juice and zest added a nice citrus kick and the honey chile garlic butter was amazing. I love curry and this will be #1 on my list. YUM!
Hey there,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was a winner:) ?xx
Wow delicious!!!Didn’t add the chilli flakes to the butter as curry was spicy enough also added little brown sugar to curry,the garlic butter makes this dish mmmmm a firm favourite!!
Hi Nadine,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! ☘️xx
Big hit with my family! Loved every bite of it 🙂
Hi Krista,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! ☘️Tieghan
Yummy stuff! I will definitely make this again!
Hey Angela,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Am I able to use Thai yellow curry paste instead of the red curry paste with yellow powder?
Hey Becca,
Sure, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xx
This was amazing! The sauce was rich and delicious and the butter sauce elevated it even more. I couldn’t find lemongrass, so I just used lemon zest. So good! I soaked up every bit of that sauce with some naan. It hit the spot on this cold windy day. I will definitely make again.
Hi Brett,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear that you have enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it!! xx
Think I could sub ginger for lemon grass paste??
Hi Maxi,
The lemon grass paste is going to add a different flavor than ginger, but sure if you want to go for it! I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xT
So flavorful & delicious!! I had no fish sauce or coconut milk on hand but worked just fine to replace with soy sauce & cream/whole milk mixture. I did find i needed to thicken the sauce a bit so used an easy blend flour, worked well. And a little more curry paste! ?
I made the honey butter but then just mixed it right into the sauce, so yummy! Thank you!
Hi Brenda,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xx
Tried making this but the sauce would not thicken.
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, this is not meant to be thick, it is more of a broth:) xTieghan
We thought the flavor was great but that the potatoes on rice were a bit much, so I’ll leave either one or the other out next time. Also, it’s a good thing I always read the comments before making a recipe because when I printed it, it had said “3/4 pound baby potatoes, cooked,” but after seeing your answer to several questions about it, I saw that had been changed to “cubed.” Big difference ;-). I cooked everything a bit longer than called for (and took far longer than 10 minutes for prep) and skipped the lime zest, and next time I’ll just use the juice of half a lime rather than the whole thing. All in all, a good curry that I’ll be making again.
Hi Helen,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Sorry about the potato confusion. xx
Loved this! The butter sauce sets everything off especially. By far the BEST chicken curry I have cooked! Thank you and can’t wait to try more of your delicious recipes ☺️
Hi Amy,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
This is mine and my boyfriend’s favorite recipe on your site! We’ve made it twice already 🙂
Hi Elizabeth,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
We LOVED this! So many compliments!
Hi Morgan,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
This was incredible. My husband said this was one of this top 10 meals of all time.
Hi Ana,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
This was amazing! Followed the recipe just added some zucchini near the end of cooking. My sweet loves yellow curry and he had thirds of this. Really simple to put together as well. Perfect for a Sunday night in my world. Thank you!
Hi Resa,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan