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Thai Red Curry Chicken Pasta

Closeup of red curry pasta with chicken garnished with cilantro on a plate.
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This Thai Red Curry Chicken Pasta is easy to make in 35 minutes and full of aromatic and bold red curry flavors! Tender savory chicken pieces, penne pasta and veggies are tossed in a delectable lightened up curry cream sauce!

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken Marinade:

  • 8.5 ounces / 240 grams Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless – thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
  • ¼ TSP ground White Pepper (substitute ground black pepper)
  • ⅛ Fine Sea Salt
  • 1 TSP Thai Light Soy Sauce (or any low sodium light soy sauce)
  • 1 TSP Fish Sauce
  • 1 TSP Olive Oil, for cooking

Creamy Chicken Curry Pasta:

  • 5 ounces / 142 grams Whole Grain Penne Pasta (or use any small-cut shape regular pasta and gluten-free pasta if needed)
  • ¼ medium / 50 grams Red Onion – finely chopped
  • ½ medium / 100 grams Red Bell Pepper – finely diced
  • 2 cloves / 15 grams Garlic – minced
  • 4-5 pieces / 20 grams fresh Red Chilies (optional, I used Thai Bird’s Eye red chilies but any variety can be used, omit for milder dish – note 1*) – finely chopped
  • 2-3 pieces / 30 grams Baby Corn – sliced in half lengthwise, then again widthwise
  • 3 Makrut Lime Leaves (note 2) – destemmed, finely minced into a powder
  • ½ TBSP Olive Oil
  • 2 TBSP / 30 grams Thai Red Curry Paste (I use Mae Ploy brand – note 3)
  • 1 TBSP / 9 grams All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cups / 240ml Whole Milk
  • ¼ cup / 25 grams freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan Cheese)
  • 1 TSP Fish Sauce
  • ½ TSP White Sugar (or white sugar replacement or other sweetener of choice – note 4)
  • ¼ TSP Thai Chili Powder, to taste (optional – substitute with crushed red pepper flakes)
  • 1 TSP freshy squeezed lime juice (substitute with lemon juice)
  • 20 grams / 1 cup Thai Sweet Basil Leaves (note 4)
  • To Serve: chopped fresh Cilantro (Coriander)

Instructions

Prep:

  1. Marinate the chicken: Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to a medium bowl. Season with white pepper, salt, light soy sauce and fish sauce. Mix well to coat and set aside to marinate.
  2. Prepare the fresh ingredients: Chop/slice the red onion, red bell pepper, garlic, fresh red chilies, baby corn as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section. Destem the makrut lime leaves and mince into a fine powder. Pick the Thai sweet basil leaves off the stems if purchased a bunch with the leaves still attached. Wash and pat-dry.

Thai Red Curry Chicken Pasta:

  1. Cook the pasta: Cook the penne pasta 2 minutes shy of the time stated on the package instructions for al-dente pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water (or use the same deep nonstick pan you’ll use to make the rest of the pasta dish). Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside. (I like to run water cold water over the pasta to prevent it from sticking and cooking further but this is optional.)
  2. Cook the chicken: Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium-sized deep edged nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken pieces and spread the pieces out in the pan. Allow to sear for 1 minute, then flip and sear the other side for another minute. Sauté for 1-2 more minutes, until nicely browned and cooked through. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
  3. Sauté the veggies and aromatics: Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the red onion and red bell pepper and sauté for 45 seconds until slightly softened. Add the garlic and fresh red and green chilies and sauté to combine for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Add the remaining veggies, curry paste and makrut lime leaves: Add the baby corn, minced makrut lime leaves, and Thai red curry paste. Mix until everything is combined well and the curry paste starts to break down.
  5. Build the sauce: Add the all-purpose flour and cook for a minute to get rid of the floury taste. Lower the heat and gradually pour in the milk while continuing to mix.
  6. Stir in cheese: Stir in the grated Parmigiano Reggiano until fully melted and the sauce starts to thicken.
  7. Season: Add the fish sauce, white sugar, Thai chili powder and lime juice. Mix to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if you feel it’s needed.
  8. Stir through the basil: Stir through the Thai sweet basil leaves until just wilted.
  9. Add the cooked pasta and chicken: Add the cooked pasta and chicken and mix until everything is evenly coated in the sauce. If the sauce thickens too much, add 1-2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water to thin it. Mix to combine until the sauce is of your desired consistency.
  10. To Serve: Divide evenly onto plates and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.

Equipment

Notes

  1. Fresh Red Chilies. Since Thai red curry is a little spicy, you may wish to use less red chilies or omit them completely for a milder curry pasta dish. Use any type of hot red chili peppers that are easily available to you.
  2. Makrut Lime Leaves. Also known as kaffir lime leaves, this Thai herb has a citrusy aroma. It adds a sweet lime-like scent and flavor to Thai food. Find it in a Thai grocery store, or substitute with the ground dried version or whole dried makrut lime leaves. The latter two can be found in most well-stocked mainstream supermarkets.
  3. Thai Red Curry Paste. I use Mae Ploy Thai red curry paste in my home because I find the flavors to be more authentic. Other great brands I recommend are Maesri and Nam Jai. If you prefer a milder curry paste, De Siam and Thai Kitchen are both flavorful and good quality options. You can find red curry paste in most large mainstream supermarkets, Thai and Asian grocery stores and online.
  4. White Sugar. I used a small amount of Lakanto Monkfruit Classic Sweetener, a white sugar replacement, to balance out the savory and spicy flavors in this red chicken curry pasta dish. Feel free to use regular white sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey or any other sweetener of your choice.
  5. Thai Sweet Basil. Known as ‘horapa’ in Thai, this fragrant Thai basil is used in Thai dishes like Thai green chicken curry, Thai green shrimp curry, and Thai roasted chili fried rice. It has a distinct anise-like flavor and infuses any dish with an intoxicatingly fragrant herbal aroma. Find it at a Thai grocery story or Asian supermarket. Substitute with regular fresh basil leaves if unavailable.
  6. Storing and reheating leftovers. Store any leftovers in an airtight sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on high in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout. It’s best to garnish with cilantro after reheating for freshness but not absolutely necessary. 
  7. How to make this milder. Use fewer hot red chili peppers or omit them completely. Use less Thai red curry paste if you are sensitive to spice or introducing curry flavors to children. Omit the Thai chili powder (or crushed red pepper flakes).
  8. See the ‘Variations’ section in the post above to customize this recipe for your flavor preference or specific dietary needs.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thatspicychick.com/thai-red-curry-chicken-pasta/