If you love Thai green curry chicken (แกงเขียวหวานไก่), but don’t have the time to make fresh curry paste from scratch, there is a way. Here’s an easy hack to make delicious, easy Thai green curry chicken in minutes, and how to take it to the next level with a wine pairing.
The Dish: Thai Green Curry Chicken
Growing up, Thai green curry chicken was my dad’s favorite dish. As such, I’ve tasted it in many iterations – from the streets of Thailand, at Thai restaurants in America, and home made. Usually, Thai green curry is made with chicken, but you can also have it with other meats like pork or beef. For me, some of the defining characteristics of a truly authentic Thai green curry include its vibrant jade color, more herbaceous aromatics than other curries, and also a peppery flavor imparted by small green eggplants. Alas, these eggplants are very hard to find in the United States, so usually we find other somewhat similar substitutes like green bell peppers, green beans, or even peas.
The Problem
The beautiful fragrance and color of Thai green curry comes from freshly-made paste. However, most of us don’t have time to make this paste from scratch. The curry paste requires ingredients that aren’t easy to find in most grocery stores, from galangal to kaffir lime peel. Meanwhile, store-bought curry paste doesn’t have the vibrant green color of fresh curry paste. It has a dull, yellowish hue that looks just plain washed out once you add in the coconut milk.
The Solution
Just add basil! Throw some fresh green basil leaves and the coconut milk you will be using into a high-speed food processor. Be sure to process until the leaves are as finely pulverized as possible. Once the mixture is processed to a green consistency, add it to your curry, cook for a few minutes, and you’ll get a richer green hue that makes this dish so beautiful. I used the above paste made by Mae Ploy as it has higher concentrations of lemongrass than some of the other brands available.
The Wine Pairing with Thai Green Curry Chicken
California Sauvignon Blanc has the lemongrass and lime notes to match the herbs in the curry perfectly. Sauvignon Blanc also contains higher levels of pyrazines that harmonize with the bell peppers and other chili peppers in this dish. If you have a spicy curry, its ripe stone fruit flavors help tame the heat. It is light enough to not overpower the fresh, vegetal flavors in the dish, but also has the acidity to cut through the richness of the coconut milk. Unlike New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which often can be quite in-your-face with the tropical fruit flavors, California Sauvignon Blanc is a bit more subtle, but still has enough fruit and acidity to work with the multitude of flavors.
Of course, food and wine pairing has many possibilities. Other great wines for Thai green curry include Chenin Blanc, off-dry Riesling, Alsace Pinot Blanc, or New World-style Pinot Grigio.
Easy Thai Green Curry Chicken
Ingredients
- ¼ cup green curry paste
- 1 lb chicken thigh or breast meat, cut into small pieces or thin strips
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves (or regular basil if you can’t find Thai basil)
- 16 oz coconut milk (1 can)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ red bell pepper
- 1 cup bamboo shoots
- ½ cup chicken broth or stock of your choice
- Optional: small Thai eggplants, sliced green chili peppers, sliced French beans
- Cooked white jasmine rice for serving
Instructions
- Pulse basil leaves and 1 cup of coconut milk in a food processor, until the leaves are finely pulverized and barely visible.
- In a pan over medium heat, saute curry paste for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add in chicken and coconut milk (including the coconut milk with the processed basil) and simmer for 10-15 minutes. You can add in the vegetables sooner if you want them softer, or in the last 5 minutes of cooking if you want them more crisp.
- Serve over white rice. Enjoy with a California Sauvignon Blanc (Napa, Sonoma, Lake County, and Monterey are all great options).
Enjoyed this wine pairing with spring rolls? Check out our other The Wine Daily-tested-and-approved wine pairings with Asian cuisine:
