Thai Green Curry Chicken Tortellini

Savory parcels of ricotta and spinach tortellini are combined with the classic flavors of Thai green chicken curry to create a mouthwatering fusion masterpiece! Ready in 30 minutes and exploding with flavor, this Thai Green Curry Chicken Tortellini will tantalize your taste buds!

this recipe

This stunning Thai Green Curry Chicken Tortellini combines the flavors of traditional Thai green curry with the comforting appeal of Italian tortellini! This dish features tender pieces of chicken, a flavorful Thai green coconut milk curry sauce, crisp-tender baby corn and Chinese broccoli, fragrant Thai sweet basil leaves, and delicate parcels of ricotta and spinach tortellini.

The flavorful Thai green curry sauce is full of vibrant aromatic flavors derived from green chilies, lemongrass, ginger, garlic and coconut milk. It’s perfectly balanced with savory-sweet and spicy flavors. 

The ricotta and spinach tortellini provides a comforting and creamy contrast to the bold flavors of the curry sauce. The pasta adds a satisfying texture and a touch of indulgence to this dish.

This Thai-Italian fusion masterpiece creates a unique and exciting culinary experience. It’s a harmonious blend of spicy, savory and creamy flavors that will tantalize your taste buds.

Ready in under 30 minutes, this dish is the perfect comforting meal for busy weeknights but also impressive enough for entertaining! 

Ingredient Notes and Substitutes

• Thai Bird’s Eye Chilies: Or use any other small hot red chilies that are easily available to you. Adjust the quantity to taste based on your heat level preference.
• Prik Kee Nu Green Chilies (optional): These small Thai green chilies may be tiny, but for what they lack in size they make up tenfold with their heat level! In other words, they are VERY hot! Feel free to leave them out or use less. They are listed as optional as they might be difficult to track down outside of Asia. Try finding them at an Asian or Thai grocery store. Or substitute with any other hot green chilies that are easily available to you. 
• Asian Red Shallot: Or use a regular shallot or red onion instead.
• Chinese Broccoli (‘gai lan’): Substitute with broccolini or tenderstem broccoli if unavailable.
• Makrut Lime Leaves: Also known as kaffir lime leaves, these fragrant leaves are used in Thai soups, curries and stir-fries to add a citrusy sweet lime like scent and flavor. If unavailable at your local Asian supermarket or Thai grocery story, substitute with the dried ground version which can be found in most mainstream supermarkets that are well-stocked with international ingredients.
• Thai Sweet Basil Leaves: Known as ‘horapa’ in Thai, these fragrant basil leaves are used is Thai dishes like Thai green chicken curry, Thai green shrimp curry, and Thai roasted chili fried rice. They have a distinct anise-y flavor and infuse any dish with an intoxicatingly fragrant herbal aroma. Find them at a Thai grocery story or Asian supermarket. Substitute with regular Italian basil leaves if unavailable.
• Ricotta & Spinach Tortellini: You can use fresh or frozen. Cheese tortellini could also be used instead if preferred.
• Chicken Breast: I used boneless and skinless chicken breasts but chicken thigh fillets or ground chicken can be used instead too. 
• Thai Green Curry Paste: I use Mae Ploy brand Thai curry pastes in my home as I find the taste to be more authentic and spicier than other Western brand made curry pastes. Another brand I can vouch for is Maesri. If you already have a favorite brand for Thai curry pastes, use it instead. 
• Coconut Milk: Use full-fat coconut milk for the best creamy texture and flavor.
• Swerve Brown Sugar: A sugar-free brown sugar replacement made from erythritol and allulose. Feel free to use regular light brown sugar, coconut or palm sugar instead. 
• Thai Chili Powder (optional): Thai chili powder is a blend of ground dried chilies, chili powder and flakes. You can leave it out for a milder flavor or substitute with crushed red pepper instead. 

Full ingredient list and amounts are in the recipe card below.

How to Make Thai Green Curry Chicken Tortellini

1. Prepare the ingredients. Roughly chop the garlic, red and green chilies. Use a mortar and pestle to pound into a coarse paste, then set aside. (If you don’t own a mortar and pestle, finely chop them instead.) Prepare the rest of the fresh ingredients. 

2. Cook the tortellini. Cook the tortellini in a pot of boiling water according to package instructions until al-dente. Drain into a colander and set aside.

3. Stir-fry the aromatics. Heat oil in a large nonstick wok and stir-fry the shallots and smashed garlic and chilies paste until fragrant.

4. Cook the chicken. Season with salt and stir-fry until mostly no longer pink but not fully cooked yet.

5. Stir-fry the veggies. Add the Chinese broccoli, baby corn and a splash of water. Stir-fry to combine until slightly wilted.

6. Add the Thai green curry paste and minced makrut lime leaves. Mix well to combine with everything until the curry paste has mostly broken down. 

7. Build the sauce. Lower the heat and pour in the coconut milk. Season with brown sugar, Thai chili powder (if using) and fish sauce. Mix to combine and simmer for a minute or so.

8. Add the cooked tortellini. Mix well to combine until lightly coated in the coconut milk green curry sauce.

9. Toss through the Thai sweet basil leaves. Then switch off the heat.

10. Serve! Divide evenly onto plates and serve with lime wedges for squeezing if desired.

Full detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.

Variations

• Use shrimp or other seafood. Shrimp, calamari, baby scallops etc. would taste great in this Thai green curry tortellini recipe.
• Make it vegetarian/vegan. Use crispy pan-fried tofu cubes or a plant-based meat alternative for the chicken. Make sure that the green curry paste you are using is free of shrimp paste or fish sauce. Substitute the fish sauce with light soy sauce and use homemade or store-bought vegan tortellini.
• Switch up the veggies. Mushrooms any kind, red or yellow bell pepper, bamboo shoots, Thai eggplant, snow peas, snap peas, green peas, baby bok choy, etc. would all taste great in this dish!
• Use Thai red curry paste. The flavors would be equally as delicious!
• Use a different type of pasta. Gnocchi, ravioli, nodini or other parcel type of pasta with a filling could be used instead too. You could also use any short-cut shape pasta like orecchiette, fusilli, macaroni, penne, etc.

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Thai Green Curry Chicken Tortellini

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Savory parcels of ricotta and spinach tortellini are combined with the classic flavors of Thai green chicken curry to create a mouthwatering fusion masterpiece! Ready in 30 minutes and exploding with flavor, this Thai Green Curry Chicken Tortellini will tantalize your taste buds!

• Author: Lavina
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 15
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 2 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stir-fry
• Cuisine: Thai-inspired

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 30 grams / 2-10 fresh Red Chilies (Thai Bird’s Eye or any other small hot red chilies), to taste – destemmed, roughly chopped
• 5 grams / 4-6 pieces Prik Kee Nu Green Chilies – (note 1* – or use any other small hot green chilies), to taste – destemmed, roughly chopped
• 25 grams / 5-6 Garlic cloves – peeled, roughly chopped
• 25 grams / 1 medium Asian Red Shallot – sliced
• 35 grams / 3 pieces Baby Corn – sliced in half vertically, then again in half horizontally
• 100 grams / 3-4 pieces Chinese Broccoli (‘gai lan’, substitute with broccolini or tenderstem broccoli) – stems peeled, sliced at an angle
• 3 Makrut Lime Leaves (also known as kaffir lime leaves – note 2) – destemmed, minced into a fine powder
• 16–20 grams / 1 cup Thai Sweet Basil Leaves – picked off stems, washed, pat-dried (note 3)
• 250 grams / 9 ounces Ricotta & Spinach Tortellini (or use cheese tortellini)
• 250 grams / 9 ounces Chicken Breast – cut into small bite-sized pieces
• ½ TBSP Peanut Oil (or any other neutral flavored cooking oil)
• ⅛ Fine Sea Salt
• 30 grams / 2 TBSP Thai Green Curry Paste (I use Mae Ploy brand – note 4)
• 165ml / 5.6 fluid ounces (1 small can) Coconut Milk
• 2 grams / ½ TSP Swerve Brown Sugar (or use regular light brown sugar – note 5)
• 2 grams / ½ TSP Thai Chili Powder (optional, substitute with crushed red pepper), to taste
• ½ TBSP Fish Sauce
• To Serve (optional): Lime wedges for squeezing

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Instructions

Prep:

1. Prepare the fresh ingredients: Roughly chop the garlic, red and green chilies. Use a mortar and pestle to pound them into a coarse paste, then set aside. (If you don’t own a mortar and pestle, finely chop the garlic and chilies instead.) Slice the shallot, baby corn, and Chinese broccoli as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section. Destem and mince the makrut lime leaves into a fine powder. Pick the Thai sweet basil leaves off the stems, then gently rinse and pat-dry.

Thai Green Curry Chicken Tortellini:

1. Cook the tortellini: Cook the tortellini in a pot of boiling water (or use the same wok or pan you’ll use for the rest of the dish) according to package instructions until al-dente. Drain into a colander and set aside. (I like to run water over the pasta to prevent sticking and halt the cooking process but this is optional).
2. Stir-fry the aromatics: Heat ½ tablespoon oil in a large nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and smashed garlic and chilies paste and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Cook the chicken: Add the chicken and season with the fine sea salt. Stir-fry until mostly no longer pink but not fully cooked yet.
4. Add the veggies: Add the Chinese broccoli, baby corn and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir-fry to combine until the leafy green parts of the Chinese broccoli have slightly wilted.
5. Add the curry paste: Add the Thai green curry paste and minced makrut lime leaves. Mix well to combine with everything until the curry paste has mostly broken down.
6. Build the sauce: Reduce the heat to low and pour in the coconut milk. Season with Swerve brown sugar, Thai chili powder (if using) and fish sauce. Mix to combine and simmer for a minute or so to allow the flavors to meld.
7. Add the tortellini: Add the cooked tortellini and mix well to combine until lightly coated in the coconut milk green curry sauce.
8. Toss through the Thai sweet basil: Add the Thai sweet basil leaves and mix until mostly wilted – 20-30 seconds. Switch off the heat.
9. Serve: Divide evenly onto plates and serve with lime wedges for squeezing if desired.

Equipment

large nonstick wok

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Mae Ploy Thai Green Curry Paste

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Mortar and Pestle

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Notes

1. Fresh Red and Green Chilies. Adjust the quantity of fresh chilies you use or omit completely based on your heat level preference. Substitute with any other red and green chilies that are easily available to you. Thai prik kee nu green chilies are fiery hot so use with caution. Try finding both at an Asian or Thai grocery store.
2. Makrut Lime Leaves. Also known as kaffir lime leaves, these fragrant leaves are used in Thai soups, curries and stir-fries to add a citrusy sweet lime like scent and flavor. If unavailable at your local Asian supermarket or Thai grocery story, substitute with the dried ground version which can be found in most mainstream supermarkets that are well-stocked with international ingredients.
3. Thai Sweet Basil Leaves. Known as ‘horapa’ in Thai, these fragrant basil leaves are used is Thai dishes like Thai green chicken curry, Thai green shrimp curry, and Thai roasted chili fired rice. They have a distinct anise-y flavor and infuse any dish with an intoxicatingly fragrant herbal aroma. Find them at a Thai grocery story or Asian supermarket. Substitute with regular Italian basil leaves if unavailable.
4. Thai Green Curry Paste. I use Mae Ploy brand Thai curry pastes in my home as I find the taste to be more authentic and spicier than other Western brand made curry pastes. Another brand I can vouch for is Maesri. If you already have a favorite brand for Thai curry pastes, use it instead. De Siam and Thai Kitchen brand are milder in flavor and can be used if a milder green curry sauce is desired.
5. Swerve Brown Sugar. This is a sugar-free brown sugar replacement made from erythritol and allulose. Feel free to use regular light brown sugar, coconut or palm sugar instead.
6. For a creamier dish. The coconut milk sauce is meant to lightly coat the tortellini, chicken and veggies. The intention was not to make it an excessively liquidy sauce. That said, feel free to add more coconut milk if more sauce and creaminess is desired.
7. Storing and reheating leftovers. Store any leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Add a splash of water and reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, gently mixing halfway through, until hot throughout.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
• Calories: 691
• Sugar: 5.1g
• Sodium: 2667.5mg
• Fat: 26g
• Saturated Fat: 15.5g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10.5g
• Trans Fat: 0.1g
• Carbohydrates: 67.1g
• Fiber: 8.8g
• Protein: 44.2g
• Cholesterol: 91.3mg

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