Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes

Yellow chicken curry with potatoes is a reassuringly mild Thai curry.  Sweet with coconut milk, familiar with soft, lightly spiced potatoes and topped with crunchy peanuts, this curry is a soft introduction to fiery Thai food. And a midweek meal dream come true- only one pan to wash up and done in 35 minutes!

Already a seasoned Thai curry eater? How about Thai soups? Ideal for a lighter lunch, these brothy noodle recipes are pure comfort when it’s cold outside. Fragrant with lashings of fresh lime and sharp tomatoes, this classic Thai noodle soup with chicken is a spicy winter warmer.

I like to think of Thai curries as a little like traffic lights. There’s red, green and yellow. And there’s an easy to follow system that signals to the learner Thai curry-eater. 

Green curry is regarded as the spiciest, thanks to the generous amounts of fresh, chopped, green bird’s eye chillies- if you’re heat tolerance is low, you might want to GO straight past this one!

Red curry is in the middle. Still laden with fresh and fiery chillies, the red ones don’t pack as much punch as the green. So, you might want to STOP and think about it before taking the plunge.

And yellow. Nice, mellow yellow! You’re not getting away with no chillies in a Thai curry recipe, but yellow uses the fewest (red) chillies and the heat is dampened further by plenty of calming coconut milk. Yellow curry is a good place to PAUSE, savour, and decide which light you’ll feel brave enough to go for next time.

Thai yellow curry

Although I haven’t been to Thailand yet, I have done my research. And, as you know, I love a bit of linguistic trivia (being an ex-English teacher and all) so here’s a tidbit about yellow curry. The Thai for yellow curry is gaeng karee, which translates into English as curry curry. Weird, right? Well, ‘gaeng’ refers to the dish curry, as in Thai curry soups, or red or green curry, and ‘karee’ refers to the spices and flavourings of a typically Indian curry. Fascinating!

In the yellow Thai curry recipe, you’ll find coriander, cumin, ginger and garlic- all associated with Indian-style curries. And of course, turmeric, which is what gives it its ochre-coloured sauce and its name; ‘yellow’ curry. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, yellow curry is the most popular dish with Thai Muslims, so you’ll always see this dish with either chicken or beef. Never pork. 

However, you can make this dish with whatever you protein prefer, even white fish. The staples are yellow curry paste, coconut milk, potatoes and peanuts. I haven’t in mine, but it’s possible to add vegetables too. Bell peppers, bamboo shoots, green beans or mushrooms would all work.

I’ll also admit to using a pot of store-bought yellow curry paste. And you should too! I recommend choosing a Thai-produced one. You can be sure of their potency and quality which will show up in finished dish.

Serving suggestions

If you’re cooking a Thai yellow chicken curry for your weekly fakeout night, add some extras to the order! Here’s your menu:

Starters 

Thai green papaya salad (Som Tam). I never have a Thai meal without it! It’s a surprising salad made from unripe papaya, green beans and cherry tomatoes, sprinkled with peanuts and drenched in a sprightly dressing.

Thai fish cakes. These are my supersize version of the classic deep fried street food tod mun pla. Made with salmon, Asian aromatics and no potato!

Mains

We never have just one! To contrast with the mild chicken and potato curry, try a fiery red fish curry or  a veg-heavy, meat-free green curry. 

And rice. Depending on the region in Thailand, you’ll be served either jasmine rice- a fragrant, fluffy, brilliant white rice, or khao niew, sticky rice. Sticky rice is glutinous, chewy and has an iridescent sheen to it. Personally, I prefer the lighter jasmine. 

If plain white rice isn’t exciting enough for you, serve this hands-off instant pot coconut rice or cilantro lime rice. 

Storage and leftovers

Leftover chicken and potato curry will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Like all curries, the flavours will develop and intensify over this time making it just as delicious on Day 3 as it was on Day 1. 

There are vastly differing opinions on leftover rice though! While the U.S.’ FDA (Food and Drug Administration) suggests 3-4 days for storing rice, the UK Food Standards Agency advises one day only. In line with my countryfolk, I tend to cook fresh rice if it’s been over 24 hours.

More curry recipes to try

• Chicken Korma
• Butter Salmon Curry
• Sweet Potato and Lentil Curry
• Beef Short Rib Massaman Curry