Authentic Thai Massaman Chicken Curry
Easy and Authentic 1 pot meal!
Many of my friends expect me to bring this Massaman Curry whenever we have a potluck, so I knew I had to share the recipe with you! I guess it’s hard to resist the combination of chicken and potatoes in a sauce that’s pleasantly sweet with just a little kick of heat. It’s really a flavor-packed, one-pot marvel!
What I love about this dish:
- A crowd pleasing meal and customizable: Add you choice of protein such as chicken (with or without bones and skin), beef or lamb. You can also use russet potatoes or the Yukon Gold potatoes. I’m not sure how it would taste like with the red skin potatoes so you’ll have to let me know:). For now, I am going to keep the recipe authentic just like how we have it back in Thailand.
- Customizable 2: Although we normally serve it over the Jasmine white rice, this curry is excellent on many different things such as Basmati rice, bread, naan (which is Indian flat bread), roti, and tortillas.
- Can be done in 30 – 50 minutes. This depends on the type and cut of the protein you choose. Cooking the meat without bones will significantly lower the cooking time. I guess I just circled back into the customizable category again haha! I used chicken legs and thighs with bones here for extra flavor and because they were on sale. I believe I got over 3 pounds of the meat for under $5 so I don’t mind taking extra 10 -20 minutes. A penny saved is a penny earned for me. If you choose to make it from the boneless chicken thigh or beef. This dish can be done in 30 minutes! You can also use chicken breast but I don’t love eating that part of the chicken too much.
If you love this Massaman curry, try my authentic Thai red, green, pineapple curry, and the Thai red curry stir fry.
Authentic Thai Massaman Chicken Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1,000 mL Coconut milk Click the link to purchase the same brand that I use.
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 lbs chicken I used chicken legs and thighs but it's up to you.
- 5-6 tbsp Massaman Curry Paste Click the link to purchase the same brand that I use.
- 5 tbsp palm sugar Click the link to purchase the same brand that I use.
- 4 tbsp tamarind concentrate Click the link to purchase the same brand that I use.
- 5-6 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 lbs Yukon Gold or russet potatoes
- 1 yellow onion
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 bay leaves optional
- 4-5 cardamom pods optional
Instructions
- Use medium-low heat to heat up coconut oil and stir fry it with the Massaman curry paste 1-2 minutes.
- Add about 1-2 cups of the thick part of the coconut milk AKA coconut cream.
- Stir fry the coconut milk with the curry paste until you see some fat being separated yielding some oil and vibrant color. (About 5 minutes on medium heat) However, sometimes it takes me 15 minutes here because some coconut milk has been homogenized a lot. I'd say, if you don't see the same thing that I showed you in my cooking video after 10 minutes, just move on to the next step. You will still be making a very delicious curry!
- Season the curry with palm sugar, tamarind pulp (concentrate), and fish sauce. ONLY use 2 TBSP of fish sauce at first and add more later if needed. Not all curry pastes are made equally! I used Maeploy brand and in my opinion Maeploy and Aroy-D brands are great!
- Add your protein and the rest of the coconut milk . Make sure the protein is cooked through. I used chicken legs and thighs with bones and skin on so it took me 30 minutes. However, if your protein has no bones, this should take only 15 minutes max.
- Add potatoes and onions. Stir every once in a while to make sure the bottom is not burnt. Cook until the potatoes are soft for your liking.
- Add roasted peanuts . Also optional add some bay leaves and cardamom pods.
- Serve with rice, bread, naan, roti, or even noodles.