I am a huge Thai curry fan. I particularly love Thai green curry. Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like green curry is just not used enough. Most recipes I come across call for red curry, which leaves yellow and green curry vastly overlooked.
Green curry is the hottest of curries, and depending on the brand you get, it can be really, really hot! But, I love the heat of a good curry, so it doesn’t bother me. If you don’t want it super hot, start with less and add more to taste!
Thai curry is generally served on top of jasmine rice, which is great when you have a super spicy curry to have some plain rice to tamper the heat in your mouth! You won’t get that in this dish! So, again, start with less ~ add more to taste!
What I love about incorporating Thai curry with a risotto dish is that all of those beautiful Asian flavors are fully immersed in the risotto. It’s like dumping the sauce over the jasmine rice, mixing it up really well, and then digging in… but better! Because the risotto actually soaks up all of those flavors! So besides the green curry, it soaks up the flavors of coconut, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic. I don’t know why I didn’t think of doing something like this sooner, to be honest! It is an incredible Asian fusion!
This dish is super easy to make, but it does require a good amount of time at the stove, stirring the risotto. I know some recipes will tell you to almost constantly stir risotto, but I really don’t find that necessary. But it will definitely require frequent stirring. I take advantage of that time to clean up what I can so by the end of dinner, it’s just the dishes and Dutch oven that need to be cleaned! At which point I tell my husband and son, have fun! 😜
One pot meals are awesome because they are so easy to clean up! I like to use a mini food processor to chop up the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass. It saves a ton of time and doesn’t take up much space in the dishwasher… aka, easy clean up + huge time saver = hell yes please. So, I guess, really what is there to clean up in between stirring the risotto? Cutting board and knife? Alas, the other thing I like to do is listen to a good podcast or audiobook. It’s like my zen time and I give my husband and son nasty looks when they interrupt!
If you love Thai curry, this dish is absolutely for you. I almost can’t imagine going back to a curry over jasmine rice because the flavor infused Arborio rice is just so amazing! Let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
Thai Green Curry Coconut Chicken Risotto
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Asian Fusion
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
1 – 1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
1½ cups Arborio rice
1 onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1” ginger, minced
1 TB lemongrass, minced
3 bell peppers, cut into bite size pieces
2 – 3 TBs green curry paste ~ to taste
1 can low fat coconut milk
4 cups chicken broth, or more as needed
1 lime, juiced
handful cilantro, roughly chopped
salt & pepper
1 – 2 TBs olive oil
Instructions
In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring often, until browned on the outside but not cooked through. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
Add the onion and bell peppers and cook for about 5 minutes, or until just starting to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and Arborio rice and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to toast the rice. Add in the curry paste and coconut milk and stir to thoroughly combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until the coconut milk has been absorbed, stirring frequently. Return the chicken to the pot.
Add the chicken broth, one cup at a time and cook until fully absorbed, stirring frequently. Continue to add broth and cook until the risotto is al dente, or add an additional ½ cup broth to have a softer risotto. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add additional curry paste if you want it spicier. Add the lime juice and cilantro and stir to combine.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Keywords: Asian fusion, green curry chicken, curry chicken, curry risotto, green curry risotto, chicken risotto, coconut risotto, curry chicken risotto
