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Thai

Gaeng Phet (Thai Red Chicken Curry)

A classic Thai red chicken curry with coconut milk, red curry paste, bamboo shoots, makrut lime leaves and Thai basil.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 7 September 2026Updated

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Gaeng Phet (Thai Red Chicken Curry)

40 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Medium
Spice
Medium
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Twenty-five minutes. Frying the paste properly at the start takes a few minutes and is what separates a good red curry from a thin one.

Method

  1. Heat neutral oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the red curry paste until fragrant and slightly darker.

  2. Add a small splash of coconut milk and stir until the paste looks glossy.

  3. Add chicken and stir until the outside turns opaque.

  4. Pour in the remaining coconut milk, add makrut lime leaves, fish sauce and palm sugar, then simmer gently.

  5. Add bamboo shoots and cook until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce is creamy.

  6. Loosen with water only if the curry becomes too thick.

  7. Turn off the heat and fold in Thai basil and sliced bird's eye chile before serving.

How to tell it's done

The sauce should be creamy and pourable, the chicken tender, and the bamboo shoots lightly crisp.

Getting it right

Tip

Fry the red curry paste before adding most of the coconut milk so the curry tastes rounded instead of raw.

What to serve it with

Serve hot with jasmine rice to catch the red coconut curry sauce.

Common mistakes

The curry is thin and tastes raw.
Fry the paste in the oil until it darkens and smells cooked, then let the first splash of coconut milk reduce until the oil separates. Paste stirred straight into a pan of coconut milk never loses its raw edge.
The basil turns black and bitter.
Fold it in off the heat, at the very end. Thai basil wilts in the residual warmth in seconds, and anything longer than that blackens it.

Substitutions

  • Use Chicken Breast instead of Chicken Thigh if preferred, but cook gently because it dries faster.
  • Use Green Beans instead of Bamboo Shoots if bamboo shoots are unavailable; the curry will be less classic but still balanced.
  • Check Red Curry Paste labels for shrimp paste, fish sauce, soy or gluten depending on the brand.
  • Use Thai Basil if possible; regular basil gives a softer, less peppery flavor.

Storing and reheating

Keeps three days in the fridge and the flavour deepens. Reheat gently — a hard boil splits the coconut milk. It freezes for two months, though the sauce separates on thawing; whisk it back together as it warms.