Thai Green Chicken Curry featured on BBC Good Food Show
"If you want big flavour and a go-to Thai Curry recipe, this is the one. The beauty of making your own Thai green curry paste is that it will always beat the supermarket variety for flavour, heat and freshness – and you can easily adjust the strength - if you want it hot and punchy you can add more chillies, if you prefer a zestier paste you can increase the lemongrass or add in a squeeze of lime. It’s entirely up to you. A vegetarian version can be made by swapping the chicken stock for veg stock."
- Remove the ends and discard the outer one or two leaves from the lemongrass. Chop the rest into 2cm pieces and add to a deep bowl.
- Add the coriander, ginger, onion, garlic and chillies to the bowl.
- Throw in the butter, 3 tablespoons of water and salt and then blitz with a stick blender until a paste has formed.
- Keep the fresh paste in a jar in the fridge for 5-7 days, or freeze portions in an ice-cube tray for up to 3 months. Defrost in the microwave, or on a low heat in a pan.
"Ready in 30 minutes or less, this is one of those meals that is a serious crowd pleaser. Perfect as a week night pick me up, or centrepiece to a weekend feast. If you've made a batch of paste and frozen it, simply defrost a couple tbsp in a warm pan before adding the chicken and coconut milk. You can make a meat-free version by swapping the chicken for vegetables or firm tofu."
- Using a sharp knife, carefully cut away the fat, skin and bones from the chicken thighs. You can either discard the skin, or make the best crispy chicken crackling you will ever taste. Simply trim and discard the excess fat, stretch the skin flat on an oven rack (on top of an oven tray to catch the drips), season with salt and pepper and oven bake at 180C for 10-15 minutes until golden and crispy. When golden, remove from the oven and leave to cool whilst finishing the curry. *See Notes for bones.
- Slice the chicken into 2 cm strips and add to a large saucepan along with 2-3 tbsp curry paste. Mix together and fry over a medium heat until the chicken changes colour and locks in the moisture, approx. 2-3 mins.
- Pour in the coconut milk and crumble in the chicken stock cube. Stir together then place a lid on the pan and simmer gently for 10 minutes. At this point put the rice to cook in a pot of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice the courgette into 1/2 cm rounds and roughly chop the pepper into 3-4 cm pieces. Add the veg to the curry and cook until the meat is ready.
- Drain the rice and mix through a tbsp chopped coriander and a pinch minced chilli if you like things hot. Serve in bowls and ladle over the curry. Break the crispy chicken crackling into pieces and sprinkle over the top. Enjoy!
Have you made this and would you make it again?
Your go-to thai green Chicken curry
Lunch, Dinner
