Healthy Red Thai Curry {Clean Eating}

Fast and healthy Red Thai Curry made with chicken that is SO MUCH BETTER than Takeout. I guarantee you will be making this at last twice this week 'coz once just isn't enough.  

Healthy Red Thai Curry

Got to LOVE Thai food. The flavors are hard to beat and when combined with a creamy coconut sauce..... Oh my ... I'm past resisting. This cleaned up, healthier version of a classic Red Thai Chicken Curry is incredible. I know everyone says that about their recipes, but I'm kinda confident that you'll agree with me on this one.

Before we got the Clean eating bug and straightened up our eating habits, having a curry was something we all liked to do. It was a bit if a ritual, a Friday Saturday night thing and more than that, it was a time when we'd all sit down together and chat and catch up on the week. So of course, that's not something I wanted to stop.

So I learned how to make curry. This curry, among a few others to be precise, and I'm so glad I did. We still have those nights (except the kids are a bit older now and so they're less frequent than they were which makes them more precious!) and we still have all the whole 'take out' night thing going on, minus the actual take out.

Of course over the years there have been (ahem!) a few 'real' take outs, but on the whole we like to make this at home. And yep, we still have al the sides we used to: Rice, flat breads etc... except now they're all Clean!

Recipe Notes

• I purchase Organic Coconut Cream in bulk and keep the cans in my pantry so they are always there when I need them.  Make sure to check the ingredients because some brands have a lot of unnecessary additives. You want to see only two ingredients in the ingredients list: Coconut & Water. 
• You could make your own Thai Red Curry Paste, but I don't. This one is amazing, but I can only get it in bulk where I am. One bottle is enough for two meals.

Vegetables

This Red Thai curry is loaded with vegetables. If you're a Thai curry fan which I'll assume you are since you're here, you'll know the deliciousness of the sauce. As a parent of kids who also love this sauce I feel it's my duty to load this up with veg knowing the kids will eat anything that's covered in Red Thai curry sauce :)

I add spinach, carrots and baby corn as the staple veggies that go into this. All non offensive to kids and all eaten without a murmur when covered with copious amounts of curry sauce.

Feel free to swap out any vegetables your kids really dislike. I find it better to get the kids used to a vegetable before adding it to a meal and then have them refuse to eat any of it!

Coconut Cream vs Coconut Milk

I use Coconut Cream for this recipe, not Coconut milk. Essentially, they are both made from exactly the same ingredients (coconut and water). The only difference between the two is that coconut cream is thicker as it is made using more coconut. 

If you are Calorie watching (or bought coconut milk by accident), then you can choose to substitute the coconut cream with Coconut milk. Just don't add the extra water. Your sauce still won't be as thick, but the taste is the same. 

Simmering the sauce will reduce some of the liquid and thicken it up. But I would recommend adding a little more coconut milk than the recipe calls for to allow for reduction. Because, that yummy sauce is the best part! 

Storing Leftovers

If we have leftovers from this curry, I'm super pleased as this is just as good the following day for a leftovers lunch. When the curry has cooled down to cold you can transfer it to a bowl and it'll keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

The sauce will thicken up a lot when it's in the fridge but this reverses as soon as you reheat it. To reheat this curry place it back into a pan and gently bring it to a simmering boil and keep it simmering for a few minutes until the chicken is piping hot all the way through.

You could make a double batch of this (along with any rice) and keep it for lunches in the week. Pack it into glass boxes like these and you can reheat it in the microwave and voila! You're good to go!

Red Thai Curry Sides

• 2 Ingredient tortillas
• Tzatziki dip
• Cauliflower rice
• Thai fried rice

More Clean Eating Curries

• Chicken and mushroom curry
• Minced beef curry on a budget!

How To Make Healthy Red Thai Curry

Ingredients

• 1 Onion Finely sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb Chicken Breast finely sliced
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic minced, (about 2 cloves)
• ½ tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 1 tsp ground coriander spice
• 1 can organic coconut cream 400ml / 13.5 FL OZ
• ½ cup water
• 3 tbsp Red Curry Paste
• 2 Carrots sliced
• 1 cup baby corn
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

• Heat a skillet on the stove top. Add olive oil and sliced onion. Fry for around 3 - 5 minutes until softened
• Add chicken and fry on high for about 5 minutes until lightly browned
• Add seasoning - salt, pepper, ground coriander, garlic, ginger, red curry paste
• Stir thorugh and fry for a minute or two to develop flavors
• Pour in coconut milk and water
• Add carrots and corn and simmer for 3 - 5 minutes to soften slightly
• Finally, turn off the heat and stir in spinach, fresh coriander and lemon juice. Cover and leave for two minutes for leaves to wilt
• Serve with a side of brown rice or zucchini noodles

Healthy Red Thai Curry Recipe

I love how this is a normal occasion in our home. Everyone just accepts that no-one gets to eat until Mom takes her pictures. Got to love these guys:)