Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes! Chicken, golden potatoes, onion, coconut cream, and an absolutely incredible homemade yellow curry paste sauce.
Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes
Major rich delicious takeout vibes but you made it your very own self and it is absolutely craveable.
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**applause** I have never left a comment for a recipe before, but good GOLLY Ms. Molly this deserves the highest of fives. Make the paste. Just do it.
Super creamy and lush, thanks to the coconut cream, level the spice just where you want it and then let your Thai-inspired yellow curry dreams come true. Impeccably savory with a teensy bit of sweet, scooped over a bed of steamy rice. Yes, yes please right now.
Okay, so, there is a tiny 45-minute detour TOTALLY WORTH TAKING here, to make your own yellow curry paste first. Please trust us. Don’t run away! Because here is the thing, it will freeze beautifully and then be ready for you for the next, like, five times you want to make this super easy creamy, silky bowl of yellow chicken curry comfort. And you’re going to want to make it. Like, a lot.
In This Post: Everything For Yellow Chicken Curry
- Watch How to Make Yellow Chicken Curry
- Ingredients for Tender Yellow Chicken Curry
- How to Make This Curry
- Big Flavors From the Curry Paste
- Thai Yellow Chicken Curry: Frequently Asked Questions
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?

Ingredients For Tender Yellow Chicken Curry
You can find everything needed to whip up your very own homemade batch golden yellow curry paste here [link]. After that, the ingredient list is beautifully short! Like, aaaalmost 5-ingredient short.
- curry paste
- boneless skinless chicken breasts (chicken thighs can also work)
- golden potatoes
- onion
- coconut cream
- fish sauce & brown sugar (optional but SO good!) and rice & cilantro for serving! (We just made this all one point so you could see we were *so close* to 5-ingredients)
Simmer, Stir, and Get Ready To Fall In Love with This Curry Dish
Once you’re in curry paste business, this lil’ treasure is so so easy to make. Like, weeknight dinner easy. Yes please, here for it.
- Sauté. Grab a skillet or a large pot and get your onions going first over medium heat until nice and fragrant. Then, toss in your chicken and curry paste and let that do it’s thing. Finally, toss the potatoes in there.
- Simmer. Pour that luscious coconut cream in there with a bit of water and let it simmer away until the chicken and potatoes are cooked.
- Stir. Add in a little splish splash of fish sauce and a sprinkle of brown sugar to really make it sing.
- Serve. On a pile of steamy rice. Fall in love forever.

Big Flavors From The Curry Paste
We don’t know about you, but sometimes that yellow curry paste is hard to find in our go-to stores. Green, red, yep yep…but that beautiful golden deliciousness, where art thou?! Well, homemade yellow curry paste it is then. It takes a little time to come together, but it’s a big batch and then that is on hand for the next time your yellow curry craving strikes. Like, maybe tomorrow for breakfast? (Seriously, don’t knock it until you try it. We’ve been known to scrape a pan or two of cold curry in the morning as, like, a pre-breakfast. Worth it, every time.)
You’ll roast up some aromatics first, like a whole bunch of garlic, some ginger and some shallot. You’ll rehydrate some Thai chilis, you decide on the spice level. And then it’s just blend up and store in a jar and ta-da, curry paste at the ready!

We love that this recipe is also pretty flexible. The chicken/potato combo is such a delicious win but you could absolutely sub tofu or throw in any other veg you might have hanging out in the fridge. And if you only have coconut milk on hand, that can totally work, you’ll just adjust the liquid amounts accordingly to get the right consistency. But if you are ready to swim in a sea of lush, rich, unbelievably smooth creaminess – then coconut cream it simply must be! You will not regret it.
Such a beautiful bit of rich, creamy, surprisingly easy, takeout-vibe comfort food which we can get behind any day of the week. Yum.
Thai Yellow Chicken Curry: Frequently Asked Questions
Coconut milk would work fine in this recipe, if you just adjust the amount of water based on the consistency you want for the sauce. But if you can find it, coconut cream will make this REALLY delicious.
This beef curry recipe is similar and beef would be great! For a vegetarian-friendly option, you could use tofu or chickpeas.
This is really filling as-is, but some type of flatbread (like naan) would be delicious to soak up the curry sauce.
Source notes: Kaeng Kari is the yellow curry dish commonly found in Thai restaurants outside of Thailand. It usually incorporates the use of yellow curry powder (“kari” referencing “curry powder”), which came to Thailand via the spice route. It is the result of British military presence bringing the Indian powder spices like turmeric and, according to Wiki, the “Anglo-Indian invention, curry powder.” It’s usually milder and less oily than traditional Thai curries. The bones of this recipe came from The Saveur New Classics Cookbook (affiliate link). The recipe in the book was created and contributed by chef Andy Ricker, who owns the Thai restaurant PokPok in Portland. This version has some adjustments to taste and for some more readily available ingredients for the paste! You can do so many things with this curry paste / method – like the chicken and potatoes that you see here, but the beef version is also super delicious!
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Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes! Chicken, golden potatoes, onion, coconut cream, and an absolutely incredible homemade yellow curry paste sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- half a yellow onion, sliced thinly
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/3 cup yellow curry paste
- 10 baby golden yukon potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
- one 14-ounce can coconut cream (it’s like coconut milk, but even more luscious)
- 1/2 – 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce (optional)
- 1–2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)
- cilantro and rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the onions and saute for a few minutes until the onions are fragrant and softened. Add the chicken and curry paste; saute for 3-5 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir to coat with the curry paste.
- Add the coconut cream and 1/2 cup water to the pot – simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken and potatoes are fully cooked, adding more water depending on the consistency you want for the sauce.
- Stir in the fish sauce and brown sugar to really take it up a notch. Seriously – so good. Serve over rice.
Equipment
Notes
The nutrition label does not include the rice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
Keywords: yellow curry recipe, yellow curry chicken, chicken curry, thai yellow curry
More Thai-Inspired Yum
- Chopped Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad (lots of BIG flavors and topped with a homemade peanut dressing)
- Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai with Peanuts and Basil (made with a simple 5 ingredient Pad Thai sauce)
- Thai Coconut Soup with Tofu and Rice (all in a savory coconut creamy broth with swirls of chili oil)
It was tasty, but I shouldn’t have added any brown sugar because it was too sweet. I did use unsweetened coconut cream.
I made this today and it was the best recipe, my hubby was living his plate👍🏽
This is a pretty good recipe – we make it often! I do modify a few things though – I always sauté the onions with the chicken because otherwise they get too soft and stringy for my liking. I also throw in any left over veggies that we haven’t used from the week to reduce waste. We love it with carrot and red bell pepper! The curry paste is time consuming but it does make multiple batches and I do like that aspect.
I made the yellow curry paste yesterday, and this recipe tonight! It was really good, but I think I messed something up. I followed the instructions exactly, but the potatoes were still pretty tough, even after simmering for 35min. The chicken was done so I didn’t wanna overcook it. Any idea what might have caused this? I quartered them just like shown in the video. Thank you!
Sorry to hear that, Chrissy! It doesn’t sound like you did anything wrong. Covering the pan with a lid will help if you try this recipe again. It will help the potatoes soften, and the meat will become more tender!
This was way too sweet. I think the entire can of coconut cream was too blame. I didn’t add brown sugar at the end because it was already way too sweet. I would like to make it again, using half the coconut cream and more onion.
Hi Sue! Sorry to hear that! Did you happen to use cream of coconut instead of coconut cream? Cream of coconut is sweetened and has the consistency of a thick syrup.
Did you use coconut cream or cream of coconut? I ask because I almost made this mistake! Cream of coconut is what is used in pina coladas and is super duper sweet.
Is this a reboot of your same named recipe from years ago? I have made the original recipe when you posted it but can’t see what’s new to make you repost.
The original was delicious and I’m sure this one is too. Worth the time to make your own paste, just now I make multiple batches at a Time so I have it on hand in the freezer.
Hi Jillian! Yes, this is a re-post of the original yellow curry recipe! We updated the photos.
Would’ve loved to try this recipe. Every 15-30 seconds the page would reload with more ads. Couldn’t see the recipe for more than the time allotted. Done with this site. Too much greed.
lol use an ad block – ublock origin
Why would u willingly look at ads
Quick easy recipe. Substituted curry powder for the curry paste and soy sauce for the fish sauce. The brown sugar was a really nice balance to the spicy curry.
So I ended up covering the pan as per the video. But the result was underwhelming. Don’t know what I did wrong. Ordered my yellow curry paste online and it was a good brand. I think maybe the 2 teaspoons of fish sauce (again, a good brand) were too much? Tasted more of that than the delish taste of the yellow curry paste. I only added 1 tbsp brown sugar as we don’t like things too sweet. I was so excited for this but kinda disappointed.
This is absolutely amazing. I’ve made the curry paste about four times now, which means I’ve made the curry recipe at least 12 times. It is so incredibly warm and delicious and everyone is impressed and loves it. I just finished making the paste again and it’s like putting this amazing treasure in the fridge. I’m horrified that anyone has substituted curry powder for the curry paste and thought that would be fine (curry powder is just one ingredient in the paste, which is a huge flavor bomb). I weep imagining how pathetic their curry must have been, when it could have been spectacular. Make the curry paste people!!
Sorry to hear that, Patti. We appreciate the feedback!
Just about to make this and have a quick question; in the video it shows you putting a lid on the curry but doesn’t say to cover in the recipe. ?
I am so happy I found this recipe, thank you for sharing. Just soooo good.
This was so good! Although I did use store bought curry paste–found Maesri brand at the supermarket.
I would like to cook this dish Thursday, but I am unable to find Yellow Curry Paste. Can I substitute it for Yellow Curry Sauce? Thanks.
Hi Angeles! Yes, that should work. If you have extra time, there’s recipe for homemade paste linked in the post!
Excellent recipe, so delicious! I got the yellow curry paste off Amazon instead of making my own, so it was even easier. I also added fresh green beans for extra veggie goodness. I’ll make this one again, it is very yummy!
I made this Thai yellow chicken recipe tonight and it was excellent. My husband and I both loved it! I couldn’t find yellow curry paste but did find Thai Kitchen green curry paste and it was a delicious substitute if you don’t want to make your own. I used chicken thighs as that’s what I had in the house and threw in some fresh spinach. After I thawed it, I also threw in some frozen peas and broccoli to make it a complete dish. YUM and Thanks!
This recipe is so good, it tastes like takeout. I love that I have frozen batches of paste for easy, super-flavorful weeknight dinners over the next two months! Genius.
Wow this yellow chicken looks really delicious, I’m gonna try to do this recipe ’cause I’m also a potato lover haha
Could this be done in the crock pot?
We haven’t tried, but it should work out just fine!
Thanks for the delicious chicken curry of blogs. Have tried many of them. Keep blogging. The blog will be very useful for those who love to cook and who dont know to cook.
So delicious and healty. I added to my diet.
I don’t know what I did wrong. The flavours were amazing, but it turned out super gritty instead of smooth. Maybe the cream curdled? I know it is my mistake 100% but some feed back would be great! Amazing recipe I am going to soon make amazing
Hi Steph! Sorry to hear that happened. It’s definitely possible that the coconut cream curdled. A gentle simmer for 20-30 minutes should help avoid that next time!
Have made this several times … very popular with the family …… I use Tofu for my Vegan daughter … altogether delicious
Tofu! I was thinking I would try it with chickpeas. I am excited to try the yellow curry itself.
just wondering how many cups one servings would be approx? 🙂
Hi Emily! So sorry we don’t have the exact measurement for that. I’d estimate a serving would be around 3/4 cup.
This was the perfect consistency until I added the water :/
This yellow curry is divine! It was surprisingly easier to make than I thought it would be. Very happy that I have enough paste to make another 3 or so meals! It is definitely a recipe I will come back to over and over.