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This aromatic green chicken curry is a great, easy dinner to whip up for friends or family. Enhance the rich, creamy taste and balance out the gentle heat with a crisp fruity white wine like a German Riesling. Don't forget to screenshot or make a note of our handy ingredients list before you go shopping.
Begin by making the paste. Take one lime and using a vegetable peeler, pare a thick strip of lime zest, then remove as much of the pith from the strip as possible with a small sharp knife. Reserve the rest of the lime for serving (step 6).
Combine the lime zest with 1 lemongrass stalk, 4cm piece fresh ginger, 3 roughly chopped shallots, 2 roughly chopped garlic cloves, ½ tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp palm sugar, 1 tsp fish sauce, a small handful of coriander stalks and 1 roughly chopped deseeded green chilli in a food processor or blender and whizz to a super-fine paste. If the paste looks too chunky, add a splash of water and whizz again.
Open a 400ml tin of light coconut milk and spoon the 'cream' from the top into a deep pan or wok with a lid, set over a low-medium heat. Add the paste and cook, stirring continuously, until the liquid is fragrant and bubbling.
Pour in the remaining coconut milk and 400ml chicken stock, then add the chunks of 8 skinless chicken thigh fillets. Bring to a simmer then cook for 40-45 mins, until the chicken is tender. When the sauce has reduced to the consistency of single cream, cover for the remaining cooking time, stirring occasionally.
Remove the lid and stir in 1 tsp fish sauce, 2 tsp palm sugar, 220g green beans and a small handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves. Leave to simmer gently, uncovered, for 3-4 mins, or until the beans are just cooked. Meanwhile, cut the reserved lime into wedges.
Season to taste with a little extra fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice. Just before serving, scatter over some extra coriander and a little more chilli, if you like it hot. Serve with jasmine rice and the remaining lime wedges on the side.
Calories 434 (22%), sugar 6g (6%), fat 28g (39%), saturates 12g (59%), salt 1.7g (28%), based on 4 servings.
Thai red aubergine curry: For the paste, swap the green chilli for 1 fresh red chilli and 1 dried red chilli (soaked); add 1 tsp smoked paprika. Replace the chicken with 2 aubergines and 5 shallots, cut into chunks and browned. Cook for 25 mins, replacing the beans with cherry tomatoes.
Yellow prawn and pineapple curry: Add 1 tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp ground cumin, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon and an extra tsp of palm sugar to the paste. Halve the quantity of stock and simmer for 15 mins before adding 400g raw prawns and 200g diced pineapple with the beans.
Thai food is all about finding a good balance between the four main flavour profiles – hot, sweet, sour and salty – which is why it's crucial to taste before serving (final step). Add extra chilli for heat, sugar for sweetness, fish sauce for more salt and fresh lime juice for a hint of sourness.
If using chicken on the bone, discard the skin and add the whole pieces to the sauce. Bones conduct heat, so the chicken might cook more quickly.
If you have kaffir lime leaves to hand, use three of these in place of the pared lime - they're a traditional ingredient in Thai cookery and have a similar flavour to lime zest.
Thai curries are traditionally much thinner than Indian curries, but if you prefer yours a little richer, stir in ½ x 160ml tin coconut cream just before serving.
We've prepared a simple shopping list so you can easily get all you need to make this delicious dinner. Be sure to note down the ingredients or take a screenshot before heading to the shops.
1 x 400ml light coconut milk400ml chicken stock8 skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into chunks2 tsp fish sauce, plus extra to taste3 tsp palm sugar, plus extra to taste1 x 220g pack green beans, trimmedsmall handful fresh coriander leaves and stalks, roughly chopped, plus extra, to servejasmine rice, cooked, to serve (optional)1 lime1 lemongrass stalk4cm piece fresh ginger, chopped3 shallots, roughly chopped2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped½ tsp ground coriander1 green chilli, roughly chopped (seeds included), plus extra, sliced, to serve
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