Chicken massaman curry
Thailand’s mildest, coziest curry: chicken and potatoes in a warm-spiced coconut sauce with crunchy peanuts on top.
- 50 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.83 a serving
- 890 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
- 1 can coconut milk
- 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1½ lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
- ⅓ cup peanuts
- ¼ cup cilantro, leaves (optional)
From your pantry
- 2¼ cups water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1½ tbsp brown sugar
Each serving has about 890 calories, 47 g protein, 94 g carbs and 38 g fat, and costs about $3.83 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
- No coconut milk? Light coconut milk works.
- No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
- No Yukon Gold potatoes? Russet potatoes or red potatoes work.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice, put it in a medium with the water, and bring it over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and keep the lid on.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Spoon 3 tablespoons of the thick cream from the top of the coconut milk into a large pot with the oil and heat over medium until it bubbles.
Medium heat
Stir in the curry paste, cinnamon, cumin and coriander and fry 2 minutes, , .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min
Dolly’s tip: Frying the paste in the coconut cream is what gives the curry its deep flavor.Add the chicken, to coat it in the paste, and cook 3 minutes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
in the rest of the coconut milk, the broth, potatoes, onion, fish sauce and brown sugar and .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Medium-high heat
Turn the heat to low, partly cover, and 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the biggest piece of chicken reads 165°F.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 22 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
in the lime juice and taste. Add a little more fish sauce for salt or sugar for sweetness.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Serve over the rice with the peanuts and cilantro scattered on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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