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Make the best Chicken Massaman Curry with this easy, flavorful recipe! Tender chicken and potatoes, creamy coconut milk, and aromatic spices create a comforting, nutty, and mildly spiced curry that’s perfect for dinner. One of those recipes that you are fighting over the leftovers the next day.
Why I Love this Curry
If you’re looking for a curry that’s rich, creamy, and full of flavor, you’ve got to try my Chicken Massaman Curry recipe! It’s one of my all-time favorite dishes to make because it’s super easy, comforting, and absolutely delicious. The combination of tender chicken, creamy coconut milk, and warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin is truly a flavor explosion!
I’ve made this curry countless times, and every time it’s a hit. It’s a mild curry, so it’s perfect if you like a little spice, but nothing overwhelming. Plus, it’s super customizable, so you can make it as spicy or mild as you like! This curry goes perfectly with a side of Long Grain Rice or Instant Pot Rice.
🩷 Erica
Here’s What You’ll Need
Most of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery store or Asian market.
- Protein & Sauce Base
Boneless skinless chicken breasts – or thighs if you prefer
Massaman curry paste – the key to authentic flavor
Full-fat coconut milk – for a rich, creamy sauce
Peanut butter – adds creamy, nutty depth - Aromatics & Flavor Boosters
Onion – yellow or white
Garlic and fresh ginger – for bold, aromatic flavor
Lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce – brightens, sweetens, and deepens flavor - Veggies
Potatoes – Yukon Gold or Russet work best
Carrots – adds texture and subtle sweetness - Optional Toppings
Chopped peanuts – for garnish
Sriracha – for heat
Red pepper flakes – for added spice
Fresh cilantro – for a burst of freshness
Massaman Curry Paste
Massaman curry paste is essential to this recipe—don’t swap it for red or yellow curry paste. Store-bought paste is a huge time-saver and works perfectly. It’s thick like tomato paste and has a strong, fragrant aroma that mellows out once coconut milk is added, creating a mild, flavorful curry.
You can usually find Massaman curry paste at Asian markets, specialty grocery stores, or online. We like the Maesri brand, which comes in a small yellow can and costs about $2. Other brands come in jars, plastic tubs, or vacuum-sealed packs—just pick one that’s available to you.
If you’re curious, Maesri’s paste includes ingredients likegarlic, sugar, soybean oil, dried red chili, tamarind juice, shallot, salt, lemongrass, coriander seed, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, kaffir lime, and galangal. Some brands also add shrimp paste, tamarind paste, or Thai basil. You can make your own, but it’s more time-consuming and costly than buying a ready-made version.
Variations and Additions
Meat
More often than not, we use chicken as the protein in our Massaman curry (just because it’s what we have on hand most of the time) but we have also used beef and shrimp and loved it. Some people also use veal or lamb. To make vegetarian or vegan Massaman curry, you easily can use tofu instead of meat.
Vegetables
The only two vegetables that seem to be in every Massaman curry across the board are potatoes and onions. Here are some of our other favorite vegetable stir-ins:
- Red bell peppers (yellow or orange can also be used)
- Green beans
- Peas
- Baby corn
- Zucchini
- Bamboo shoots
- Sweet Potatoes
- Butternut Squash
Helpful Tips
- 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. This gives it a little extra boost over other Massaman curry recipes I have had.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best rice for curry is Jasmine rice. It’s a fragrant, long-grain rice that pairs perfectly with Thai dishes. Brown Jasmine or Basmati rice also work well. If those aren’t available, any long-grain white rice will do.
Thai and Indian curries are both saucy dishes with meat and vegetables served over rice, but they’re quite different in flavor. Thai curry is lighter and more aromatic, made with coconut milk, lemongrass, and fish sauce for a sweet, salty, sour, and spicy balance. Indian curry is richer and spicier, using ground spices like cumin and garam masala with tomato, yogurt, or cream for a deeper flavor.
Yes, just double check to make sure that the paste you are using does not contain gluten.
Yes, definitely! To make this a Vegetarian Massaman Curry simply leave out the chicken (Tofu is a great substitute) and sub for a vegan fish sauce.
Because curry and rice can be a complete meal on it’s own, but if you are expecting company or simply just want the meal to go further, you can try some of these tasty Asian-inspired and Thai side dishes:
Thai Coconut Soup
Asian Cucumber Salad
Asian Lettuce Wraps (PF Chang’s Copycat Recipe)
Pork and Veggie Potstickers
Thai Lettuce wraps
Storing Leftovers
If you have leftovers (lucky you!), store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This curry also freezes really well—just make sure to freeze it without rice (rice doesn’t freeze as well). It will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, just thaw it overnight in the fridge and warm it up on the stove.
More Delicious Curry Recipes
I can’t wait for you to try this delicious curry. It’s easy to make, full of flavor, and the perfect dish to add some spice to your regular dinner rotation. Give it a try and let me know in the comments how it turns out or any modifications you tried to make it your own! 🥘
Chicken Massaman Curry
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.
Video
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 had this dish in a restaurant and loved it. The made it mild for me. They garnished with cashews and avocado! So glad I found your recipe. I am very sensitive to spicier foods. Should I just use a half can of the curry paste? Would that help it be milder?
See if you can find a mild curry paste, if not using less paste should help.
Hello from a Canadian visiting her son and his fiance in New York. My turn to cook last night and I made your delicious recipe. I did make a few changes, not that I needed to but just felt like it! I added the chicken at the same time as the potatoes nearer to the end of the cooking time and added the lime juice and coriander at the very end as that keeps it the most freshly flavoured and was how I learned to do it when I lived in Asia. Great recipe. The kids loved it. Doubled up on the onions red and white and added a bunch of fresh green beans. Soooo good. Served small sliced cucumber marinated in ricewine viegare, honey, salt, red chilli and coriander on the side. Works well. Thank you very much.
Great tip! We almost always add extra coriander (cilantro) at the end, just to get that extra flavor punch. Your cucumber salad sounds like the perfect accompaniment too! I am so glad this was a hit for you and your family.
I have made this recipe several times since downloading it. We adore it! My husband was in the Royal Air Force for 3-1/2 years in Malaysia and truly loves any type of curry but I wasn’t terribly familiar with it. Any I tried previously were too hot and spicy for me. This one is gentle and flavourful and I just love the smells in the kitchen when I’m making it.
The first time I made it I found stressful but now I get all the sauce ingredients together before I start making it and it takes the stress out of it. I have all the bottles of ingredients put away before I even start.
I’m so happy you like this recipe. It does smell so good when it’s simmering! I appreciate you sharing your experience with this recipe. Thank you!
Hello! I’d really like to make this recipe, but I’m eager to try it in my new slow cooker. Unfortunately I don’t have the time to cook it from scratch as much as I would love to. Do you have any recommendations for how I can alter the recipe to accommodate my cooking limitations?
Thank you so much in advance,
Alana
Hi Alana – I am not sure I understand what you are asking. You want to be able to make this in a slow cooker? We haven’t tested this in a slow cooker before so I can’t say for sure. The problem I see with doing it in a crock pot is that the chicken may overcook and shred. That’s not the true consistency but if all you are going for is flavor then maybe you can allow it to cook all day in the slow cooker. Again, I can’t say for sure because I have never done it this way. If you try it out, please let me know how it turns out for you!
Thank you so much Erica, that’s just what I meant! Have a wonderful evening and I’ll let you know how it goes!
Amazing… restaurant quality
Thanks so much!
Thanks for the recipe hints.
Hi Jamie, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. I apologize for the ads. I’ll pass along your comment and see if we can make some improvements. Thank you!
Really nice flavor! Even my picky daughter had 2 servings. If I happen to have tamarind paste on hand, can I swap that out for Worcester sauce?
Yes, you can use tamarind paste instead of Worcestershire sauce. It will taste great!
Awesome recipe! I made it exactly as written, and both my son and my husband declared it to be better than the same dish at our local Thai restaurant! Thank you for the recipe!
This is quite a compliment from your son and husband! Thank you for sharing!
I’m going to cook this recipe because it looks wonderful. But I’ll never look at another one on this site due to the experience I had trying to watch the video. Inundated buy ads, which ran poorly and couldn’t be stopped.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Hi Jerry – I am so sorry you have had this experience. All the ads and video players should be able to be closed. We will speak with our ad managers to see why this could have happened. Thanks for letting us know. Also, if you would like to skip ads, you can always click on “skip to recipe” and then “print recipe” once you get to the recipe card and you will only see the recipe. Hope this helps!
I made this tonight for myself and my boyfriend (he’s never had massaman curry before). It was delicious, would definitely make again – he liked it, too. I was a little skeptical about the addition of worcestershire sauce (not an authentic Thai ingredient) but the end result was great so can’t complain. I did not add any sriracha or red pepper flakes and it was very mildly spicy (I used Maesri curry paste)
What kind of ginger? Fresh and grated? Powder?
Freshly grated is best, but ground ginger powder also works just fine. Thank you for asking. I will make this more clear on the recipe.
I make this every other week. It is luxurious and delicious. My picky 1 and 3 year old love it. Thank you thank you for this recipe. Truly a blessing to my family.
It’s what I eat when I go to our local Japanese/Korean/Chinese restaurant. I do have the paste in my fridge but I’m yet to use it 🤷🏼♀️.
I love Massaman curry and this is a great recipe, so full of flavor, and not all that spicy. Thanks for sharing.
Everyone asks me for this recipe. Absolutely delicious. Don’t need to add as much sugar depending on taste buds ☺️