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Ground Chicken Green Thai Curry

💚 Skip takeout and make this EASY, one-skillet green curry with ground chicken and an array of healthy vegetables! Ready in under 30 minutes, great for busy weeknights, and tastes BETTER than from a Thai restaurant! Healthy yet hearty comfort food that tastes AMAZING and is naturally gluten-free.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 216 kcal
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
  • 1 medium/large sweet Vidalia or yellow onion diced small
  • 1 pound ground chicken ground turkey may be substituted, read blog post for my thoughts on other protein substitutions
  • 2 to 8 tablespoons Thai green curry paste* or to taste (I used the whole jar for this recipe, but prefer bolder flavors)
  • 3 cloves garlic finely minced or pressed
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons ground ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely chopped, or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • one 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk (I used lite, but use full-fat for a richer/thicker result)
  • 12 ounces broccoli florets (use bagged to save time, check to make sure they're all diced small enough)
  • 1 medium/large zucchini diced into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 cups fresh spinach or to taste (about 2 huge handfuls)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • ¼ to â…“ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped for garnishing (fresh basil may be substituted)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar optional and to taste
  • red pepper flakes optional but recommended for garnishing and flavor to taste
  • red chile pepper finely minced; optional and added to taste for heat (use serrano chile for much more heat if desired)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. To a large high-sided skillet, add the oil, onion, and sauté over medium-high heat until the onion begins to soften about 5 minutes; stir intermittently.
  2. Add the chicken and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until chicken is done; crumble and stir nearly continuously to ensure even cooking.
  3. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir frequently.
  4. Add the green curry paste and stir to combine. Green Curry Paste Tips - Read the blog post FAQs as well but I don't consider it spicy and use a full jar for flavoring purposes. But if you're not familiar with green curry paste, start with 2 tablespoons, and work up from there. The Thai Kitchen brand I use isn't spicy, rather it adds flavor. Other brands may be spicier so always start small and work up so you don't accidentally overdo it.
  5. Add the coconut milk (Tip - lite or full-fat from a can are fine, do NOT use coconut cream, cream of coconut, or coconut milk sold in a carton), broccoli, zucchini, stir to combine, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet with a lid, and allow the vegetables to steam covered for about 3 minutes.
  6. Remove the lid, stir, and depending on how much liquid volume you have and want (I don't mind a soupier consistency), increase the heat to medium-high or high, and allow mixture to boil at a fast boil so that lots of steam is being produced, meaning the overall liquid level is evaporating off. Tip - If you used full fat regular coconut milk, you likely won't have to boil much if any water off. Because I used lite coconut milk, it's more watery and when combined with the natural water that seeps out of the broccoli as it steams, I had a decent amount of liquid volume in my skillet and wanted some excess to steam off so I let it boiled fast for about 3-4 minutes, uncovered.
  7. Turn the heat off, add the spinach, and stir to combine and encourage it to wilt. If desired, covering the skillet again with a lid for 1 minute will encourage it to wilt faster.
  8. Add 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, lime juice, cilantro, optional but recommended red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, and stir to combine. Taste and make any necessary flavor adjustments. If it tastes at all flat or boring, it likely needs more salt. Salt Tips - You need to add enough salt to bring out the flavor of a pound of protein and 2 pounds of vegetables. For me, this means I added 2 heaping teaspoons of salt, which I realize sounds like a lot, but given the quantity of food you need to flavor, it's really not. There's not enough saltiness that reads as salty in the green curry paste. If the food tastes at all bland, it likely needs more salt. Don't be afraid to add it. Red Pepper Flakes Tips - They really add a great kick to this dish without being overpowering. If you want the curry noticeably spicier, add a serrano chile, habanero, or a tiny pinch of cayenne and read the blog post for more info.
  9. Optionally add sugar, to taste, and stir to combine. Tip - I always add sugar to balance the acidity from the lime juice, the bitterness that the green vegetables and the spinach can have, the pungent flavor of the green curry paste itself, and to balance the boldness of the cilantro. It's similar to how many chefs add a pinch of sugar to their marinara or red pasta sauces to balance the acidity but it's optional and up to you. Add slowly, and to taste.
  10. Serve immediately as-is, or with rice such as basmati, jasmine, coconut, white, brown, or fried rice, or with naan.
  11. Storage - Extra green curry will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months, noting that upon freezing/thawing, the vegetables especially the zucchini and broccoli will lose its crisp-tender texture and become soggier, but the taste won't change.

Notes

  • *Green Curry Paste - I used the entire (small) jar, 4 ounces of the store-bought paste. I realize this may seem like a lot, and may be too much for some people so start with 1 to 2 tablespoons, and work up from there.
  • But the Thai Kitchen brand is not spicy and in order to get the robust curry flavor profile I was looking for, I need the whole jar. Other brands may be more concentrated and robust but I haven't experimented yet. Always add slowly and work up and never assume something "isn't spicy"!
  • Adapted from Green Thai Chicken Coconut Curry

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 216kcal (11%) Carbohydrates 14g (5%) Protein 16g (32%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 6g Trans Fat 0.05g Cholesterol 65mg (22%) Sodium 468mg (20%) Potassium 815mg (23%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 2193IU (44%) Vitamin C 64mg (71%) Calcium 75mg (8%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 216

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 216kcal 11%
Carbohydrates 14g 5%
Protein 16g 32%
Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 6g 30%
Trans Fat 0.05g 3%
Cholesterol 65mg 22%
Sodium 468mg 20%
Potassium 815mg 17%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 2193IU 44%
Vitamin C 64mg 71%
Calcium 75mg 8%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.