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Chicken Massaman Curry is one of the most delicious, savory Thai curry dishes. With chicken and potatoes cooked into a sweet, slightly spicy sauce, it’s a flavor explosion!
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What is Massaman Curry?
Chicken Massaman Curry is one of my favorite dishes! It is a mild, savory, and slightly sweet curry with the fragrant spice undertones of cumin, cardamom, and cinnamon. It typically isn’t a spicy curry, but like most curries, it is easy to adjust the spice level.
The name itself can be spelled a few different ways: Massaman, Masuman, Masumun, Matsaman. No matter how you spell it, the delicious Thai dish tastes the same. I came up with my own version of this tasty Thai cuisine after a girls’ night to our favorite restaurant. My husband helped himself to my leftovers and was hooked. Making your own curry is easy, fun, and rewarding as well as economical.
How to Make Massaman Curry
1. Start with the right Massaman Curry Paste. Massaman Curry Paste is the key to making this recipe successful, it’s the one thing you really don’t want to leave out. Don’t substitute for another curry paste like yellow curry or red curry paste . Using store-bought curry paste is so much easier than trying to make your own paste from scratch. Curry paste is very thick and similar to the consistency of tomato paste. It is quite fragrant and will fill up the room with a strong, yet delicious smelling aroma. Don’t worry, once you stir in the coconut milk, it will mellow out.
You can find Massaman curry paste at most Asian Markets and even at many specialty grocery stores. We use the Maesri brand because it is what’s available at the Asian Market closest to us, but I know there are other brands available. You can’t really go wrong. The kind we use is usually in a small, yellow 4 ounce. can (pictured). It can also sometimes be found in lidded plastic or paper containers, glass jars, or vacuum-sealed packages. You can also find it on Amazon, using the link above.
2. Heat vegetable oil in an extra large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in curry paste; cook and stir for about 2-3 minutes. This is strong, make sure your windows are open and a fan is blowing.
3. Add 1 can coconut milk (shake well and open from the bottom of the can) and stir until well blended. Add ginger, cilantro, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil.
4. Add thinly sliced onion and thinly sliced chicken. A tip here is to use slightly frozen chicken to get really thin slices. Reduce to a simmer. When chicken is white and cooked through (about 5 min or so) add another can of coconut milk and bring back to a boil.
5. Add remaining ingredients (except for the rice) and stir until everything is well mixed. Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are no longer crunchy in the middle. See our tip in the recipe notes for pre-cooking the potatoes. Serve hot over Jasmine rice and garnish with extra cilantro and/or limes if desired.
Tips For Making Chicken Massaman Curry
Boil potatoes ahead. It’s not a bad idea to boil your potatoes for three-four minutes before adding them to your curry. This is a great trick for when you are in a hurry and just trying to get dinner on the table and don’t want to wait for the potatoes to soften in the curry sauce.
Soften vegetables in the sauce. If you are adding extra vegetables, allow the vegetables to soften in the sauce for optimal flavor. If you are in a hurry, stir-fry the veggies until tender before adding to the sauce.
Shake the coconut milk really well before opening. If not, it can come out in one big clump. You can also avoid this by opening the coconut milk can from the bottom.
Adjust spiciness to your preference. Make it as spicy or as mild as you would like! Add sriracha while cooking, or serve it on the side if people prefer different spice levels.
Use soy sauce. Instead of adding salt (if needed), try adding soy sauce. It gives you the salty flavor while also deepening the overall flavor of the dish.
Don’t forget the limes! Adding a squeeze of fresh lime right before serving ties all those delicious flavors together. This gives it a little extra boost over other Massaman curry recipes I have had.
Frequently Asked Questions
Massaman curry is very sweet due to the coconut milk and nutty due to the peanut butter. If you like sweeter curries, then you will love this one!
Massaman curry is mild, sweet, and full of Indian spices like cinnamon and cardamom.
The best rice to use with any curry is Jasmine rice. It is a long-grain, dry rice that goes well with every Thai dish. It is more fragrant than most varieties, which is why it is also known as “aromatic rice”. Brown Jasmine rice can also be used. Basmati rice is a common substitute for Jasmine rice as well. If you can’t find any of these varieties, you can just use a simple, long-grain, white rice.
Yes! This chicken massaman curry recipe freezes beautifully. Just make sure to freeze it on its own without rice (the rice won’t freeze as well and will just absorb all the sauce). Just put the curry into a freezer safe container or Ziplock baggie and keep it in the freezer for up to three months. To reheat, let it thaw in the refrigerator then heat on the stove in a frying pan.
According to National Geographic, Massaman curry dates back as far as the 16th century when chillies were first introduced to Thai cooking from the Americas through Portuguese traders.
More Delicious Curry Recipes
No need to reach for the takeout menus, just try one of these flavorful recipes and enjoy a good curry right in the comfort of your own kitchen!
Chicken Massaman Curry
Video
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Massaman curry paste (see notes above)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cans (14 oz each) unsweetened coconut milk, full fat
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 onion
- 1 pound chicken
- 4 medium potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
- 1/2 cup peanuts
- sriracha sauce to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste
- jasmine rice (cooked)
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in an extra large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in curry paste; cook and stir for about 2-3 minutes. This is strong, make sure your windows are open and a fan is blowing.
- Add 1 can coconut milk and stir until well blended. Add ginger, cilantro, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil.
- Thinly slice the onion and chicken, then add them to the sauce. Reduce to a simmer. When chicken is white and cooked through (about 5 min or so) add another can of coconut milk and bring back to a boil.
- Peel and dice potatoes Peel and slice carrots. Add the potatoes, carrots, and remaining ingredients (except for the rice) and stir until everything is well mixed. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are no longer crunchy in the middle. Serve hot over Jasmine rice and garnish with extra cilantro and/or limes if desired.
Notes
- It’s not a bad idea to boil your potatoes for three-four minutes before adding them to your curry. This is a great trick for when you are in a hurry and just trying to get dinner on the table and don’t want to wait for the potatoes to soften in the curry sauce.
- If you are adding extra vegetables, allow the vegetables to soften in the sauce for optimal flavor. If you are in a hurry, stir-fry the veggies until tender before adding to the sauce.
- Shake the coconut milk really well before opening so it doesn’t come out in one big clump. You can also avoid this by opening the coconut milk can from the bottom.
- Make it as spicy or as mild as you would like! Add sriracha while cooking, or serve it on the side if people prefer different spice levels.
- Instead of adding salt (if needed), try adding soy sauce. It gives you the salty flavor while also deepening the overall flavor of the dish.
- Don’t forget the limes! Adding a squeeze of fresh lime right before serving ties all those delicious flavors together.
i used https://ozofoods.com/products/garlic-herb-chicken-cutlet/ to keep this vegetarian. I substituted sweet potatoes for regular potatoes. I let it simmer for an extra 15 mins. Everything else was as written. Everyone loved it.
My husband and I made this for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! Restaurant style quality. Definitely making again.
Outstanding!! Such a tasty and satisfying dinner. Thank you for sharing.
Fantastic and full of flavor. Not hard to do
I made this yesterday and my other half said this was my best massaman yet! Naturally I did not take credit as I copied it as exact below. It was delish and even better today. Thank you
Could I do this in a crockpot?
We haven’t tried this recipe in the crockpot before, but let us know how it goes if you try it!
Tastes just like my local Thai restaurants. Thanks for sharing
So easy and delicious! I added some beans, next time I’ll add more vegetables as well, plenty of sauce. My potatoes weren’t all done after 15 minutes so I’ll go to 20 minutes for final step.
Thanks! Now I don’t have to pay $20 for an inferior, cheap on meat, take out curry.
Thank you for your review! I love your addition of beans. I agree it saves money to make your own at home!
Have made this many times for several people and they all love it, for my vegetarian friends I bake tofu and add at the end. I also add green beans, cauliflower and yams, I think I put wayyyy too many veggies in though so I’m thinking of doubling the curry paste and coconut milk.
I’m super happy I never have to pay $20 for one serving of this again! Usually makes at least 8 servings.
I made this with tofu and it was fantastic!
It’s delicious and really useful recipe… As protein a choose tofu.
Thank you very much for sharing.
So wonderful! Thank you for the recipe! I am excited to find a curry recipe I could successfully make at home
This is amazing! Better than going to a restaurant. I didn’t use ginger or fish oil and I added a bell pepper and did boil the potatoes first, separately. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi I would like to make this massaman curry with tofu instead of chicken. Should I cook the tofu separately or do I put in instead of chicken?
I would cook the tofu separately!
I crispy bake the tofu and add at the end myself
Question looks good. Want to try it but saw it had fish sauce. I have an allergy to most fish and seafood. What can be used instead or can it be left out. Thank you
You can use soy sauce or coconut aminos as a substitute! It is just to add salty and umami flavor. Hope this helps!
You would probably not be allergic to fish sauce, do a skin test
Excellent recipe really simply and tastes 100% authentic. Takes me back to eating in the markets of Thailand every time.
Great recipe, but please indicate whether coconut milk is sweetened or unsweetened.
*This reply has been removed due to inaccurate information*
Hi do you have any tips for sweetening the curry if you can’t get sweetened coconut milk?
*This reply has been removed due to inaccurate information*
I am so sorry for the confusion. In an earlier comment we said that it was sweetened coconut milk. This recipe uses UNsweetened coconut milk. We have changed the recipe to be accurate.
I am so sorry for the confusion. In an earlier comment we said that it was sweetened coconut milk. This recipe uses UNsweetened coconut milk. We have changed the recipe to be accurate.
I cooked it with unsweetened coconut milk and found that the curry had enough sweetness from the brown sugar. This is a very tasty dish.
Best chicken massaman I’ve tried making at home!
Simple and delicious!
This is the best recipe for Chicken Massaman Curry..exactly like I have had in the best Thai Restaurants…can use oyster sauce if you do not have fish sauce on hand. I used sliced microwave cooked carrots instead of potatoes to cut out some carbs and ate it like a soup or stew instead of over rice as I am on a low carb diet. Yummy.
Hey
How do you have any recommendations for a sweetened coconut milk? They don’t really sell it in the shops in the uk as far as I’m aware.
Thanks
If we can’t find sweetened coconut milk, we just use regular. It comes out pretty similar! Hope this helps!
Omg so yum and easy to make on a busy schedule. Thumbs up from my family
Amazing!!! I added water chest nuts, cauliflower, broccoli, jalapeño, green pepper and green onions and it was so amazing! Holding on to this recipe.