Red curry is the first curry I recommend people make if they are new to Thai cooking. The process is quick, and it is so simple it is essentially fail-proof, but the flavours are so complex and very representative of the spirit of Thai cuisine. It's always a crowd pleaser! Using store bought curry paste is totally find and makes this a quick weeknight meal, but if you love to DIY, I also have a homemade red curry paste recipe for you!

a bowl of red curry with kabocha with thai basil in the background — Thai red curry with chicken and kabocha squash.

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Ingredients and Notes
How to Make Thai Red Curry Chicken
Substituting Other Proteins
Substituting Other Vegetables
Is it better to make the curry paste from scratch?
Which Brand of Curry Paste is the Best?
Authentic Thai Red Curry with Chicken

Ingredients and Notes

Here are ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

Red curry paste - Using store bought red curry paste is fine, most Thai people do! BUT it's important to choose a good brand as that can make or break your curry. I recommend Maeploy, Aroy-D, or Namjai in that order, and you can see my full review of red curry paste here. If you're feeling ambitious, you can absolutely make your own! Here's my homemade Thai red curry paste recipe.
Coconut milk - This is what makes the curry rich and creamy, and it's important to use good quality, full-fat coconut milk. See this post on how to choose the best coconut milk.
Chicken thigh - I highly recommend using chicken thighs over breast so that it can have time to braise in the liquid so it will become tender and load the curry sauce with more chicken flavour.
Chicken stock - you can theoretically use water, but for maximum flavour, go with chicken stock. You can use store bought or homemade stock, but make sure it's unsalted or at the very least low-sodium because the curry paste and fish sauce are both quite salty already.
Fish sauce - fish sauce is the key seasoning for all Thai curries! If you're allergic to fish, soy sauce can be used instead. It's important to choose good quality fish sauce, and you can read more about how to choose good fish sauce here.
Palm sugar - it is traditional to use palm sugar, but light brown sugar or granulated sugar are fine substitutes in this case because the curry is strongly flavoured, so it won't much much difference.
Kabocha squash - I love using kabocha squash for red curry as the creamy sweetness pairs so well with the curry. However, feel free to substitute other vegetables - Thai eggplant and bamboo shoots are common vegetables for Thai curries.
Thai basil - If you don't have it, regular Italian basil will do.
Red pepper - this is added just for some colour. Red bell pepper will do, or anything mild.

How to Make Thai Red Curry Chicken

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. For full instructions, see the recipe card below, and I also recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

Process shots for making red curry chicken steps 1-4

Wash the kabocha squash and slice off any woody blemishes off the skin, but otherwise the skin can be left on. Remove the seeds and cut into bite-sized cubes. (If you have leftover squash, try using it in this stir-fry recipe.)
Bring ½ cup of coconut milk to a boil, add curry paste and stir to break up lumps.
Continue cooking and reducing over medium high heat until it is very thick and the coconut oil starts separating from the curry paste.
Add the chicken and toss to mix with the paste and add the remaining coconut milk.

process shots for making red curry chicken, steps 5-6

Add the chicken stock, half of the fish sauce, and the palm sugar, then simmer for about 8 minutes.
Add the squash, then simmer on low heat for another 6-8 minutes or until the squash is cooked through.
Taste the sauce and add more fish sauce as needed. Be sure the make it strong-tasting as it'll be served over plain rice.
Turn off the heat and stir in Thai basil and red peppers, if using. Enjoy!

Substituting Other Proteins

Anything and everything, but make sure you change the cooking time to match your protein of choice! Everything works with red curry - pork, beef, seafood, you name it.

You can check out my pineapple red curry recipe and a vegan red curry with tofu here as examples. While other curries in Thailand have common meat pairings, for example massaman is usually paired with chicken or beef, the basic a Thai red curry can take any and all proteins.

This is because the flavours of red curry is "basic" relative to other curries, meaning it doesn't have a lot of spices (compared to Thai massaman curry, for example), so the flavours can go with anything from delicate fish to gamey beef.

Substituting Other Vegetables

I like using kabocha squash because creamy squash and red curry is one of my absolute favourite flavour pairings.

While you can use a different kind of squash or whatever vegetables are available to you, here are a few common pairings in Thailand: Thai eggplant, pineapple, winter melon, and bamboo shoots (see the green curry recipe for how to deal with bamboo shoots).

IMPORTANT: Before you change the protein and veggies...

If you're going to use different proteins or vegetables, make sure you adjust the cooking time accordingly. Some cuts of beef takes hours to braise, but shrimp and chicken breast only want to be cooked for 1-2 minutes. The instructions in this recipe only works with chicken thigh!

Some vegetables take a long time to cook, others take 30 seconds. You will have to use your judgement here, or check out my other curry recipes to see how different ingredients are handled!

Is it better to make the curry paste from scratch?

Homemade red curry paste can taste better, but not necessarily. I want to get this misconception out of the way because it hinders many people from making Thai food. You do not have to make the curry paste in order to make "legit" curry, and most Thai people do not make their own curry paste.

Growing up in Thailand my family always bought curry pastes, with the exception of very simple curries such as the sour curry or gaeng som. Go to any markets in Thailand and you'll see mounds of curry pastes people but in bulk.

Making curry paste from scratch is not something I'd do on a weeknight. Even if you're using a power tool to help as shown in my red curry paste recipe, gathering ingredients is no small feat. And just because you made the curry paste from scratch, does not mean you'll end up with a better curry! There are some very good curry pastes on the market that can rival homemade ones.

So when I make curry paste, I do it more for the experience of it. It connects me to the dish and the cuisine in a deeper way, it's a labour of love, and I love it when I can really taste the difference between mine and the store bought one. Or sometimes I make it because it's not available to buy, such as the paste for kao soi.

Which Brand of Curry Paste is the Best?

While I haven't tried all of the brands out there, these are the few Thai brands that I have tried and like: Maeploy (my go-to, but it's heavy on the salt), Aroy-D (vegan), and Namjai. See my full review of red curry paste here. Blue Elephant, available in the UK, is also pretty good.

I do not recommend Thai Kitchen as it is very weak. I would use it only if you're cooking for kids or people who cannot handle spice at all (cuz it is not spicy at all), and I would use double the amount the recipe calls for.

Authentic Thai Red Curry with Chicken