Thai Red Curry Chicken
Thai red curry chicken - A quick and delicious Thai red curry soup with chicken, onions, peppers and fresh Thai basil leaves, cooked in creamy coconut milk.
Thai red curry chicken - A quick and delicious Thai red curry soup with chicken, onions, peppers and fresh Thai basil leaves, cooked in creamy coconut milk.
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2-4 tablespoon red curry pasta (love maesri brand
- 1.5 pound thin chicken breasts (cut into 1-inch strips)
- 13.5 ounces low-fat coconut milk unsweetened (1 can, love tra
- 1-2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 jalapeno or thai chili (sliced (optional for spicy
- 1 cup yellow onion (sliced)
- 1 cup red peppers (sliced)
- 1 cup yellow peppers (sliced)
- 1 cup orange peppers (sliced)
- handful thai basil leaves
- Carbohydrate 5.39495000231358 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 2.72 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0.00660000000283035 g
- Saturated Fat 0.3521856 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (221g)
- Sodium 1.54000000066042 mg
- Sugar 5.39495000231358 g
- Trans Fat 0.1305328 g
- Calories 45 calories
Step-by-step
- Set Instant Pot to Saute(more) mode. Once the hot sign displays add oil and 2 tablespoons of red curry paste. Saute for 30 seconds.
- Add Chicken and mix it well with the red curry paste.
- Add coconut milk (Note for a less soupy curry, add only half the can).
- Close Instant Pot with the pressure valve to sealing.
- Cook on Manual(Hi) for 2 minutes followed by Natural Pressure Release. (Increase cook time for thicker chicken breasts to 4 mins)
- Open Instant Pot, stir in fish sauce and brown sugar.
- For spicier curry add remaining red curry paste and hot peppers.
- Add onions, red, yellow and orange the peppers. Stir in well.
- Set Instant Pot to Saute mode and bring the curry to a gentle boil (about 2-3 minutes). This will allow the veggies to stay crunchy. Garnish with the Thai basil leaves.
- Enjoy hot with Jasmine rice.
Frying curry paste directly in oil before introducing liquids is essential for unlocking the fat-soluble aromatic compounds present in galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime peel. Without this initial high-heat frying step, these flavors remain locked within their cellular structures, resulting in a flat and muddy sauce. Traditional Thai kitchens rely on wok heat to achieve this, but enclosed electric pressure cookers utilize direct sauté functions to replicate the necessary thermal environment.
Achieving balance in a Thai red curry requires managing the interaction between capsaicin, acid, and lipids. Coconut milk provides the necessary fat matrix to carry fat-soluble chili compounds, while fish sauce introduces umami and sodium that elevate the natural sweetness of sliced bell peppers and onions. Precise timing prevents overcooking poultry under pressure; thin chicken breasts require exactly two minutes at high pressure to retain moisture, whereas thicker cuts demand four minutes to avoid a rubbery exterior texture.
Vegetables added after the pressure cycle retain structural integrity when subjected to a brief subsequent boil. Onions and multicolored peppers should maintain a crisp bite, contrasting with the soft protein. Fresh Thai basil, stirred in off the heat just before serving, provides volatile essential oils that degrade rapidly under sustained high temperatures. Standard stovetop adaptation requires simmering chicken and paste in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven for fifteen minutes before folding in vegetables and coconut milk.
