Spicy Chicken Stew
This chicken builds boneless skinless chicken thighs, red curry paste and thai bird's eye chiles into a satisfying meal you can have ready in about 70 minutes. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and large pot. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (6)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Cut the chicken thighs into roughly 4 cm chunks, pat them dry, season lightly with salt, then toss in the flour until evenly coated and shake off any excess.
- Heat the canola oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the chicken in two batches, about 3 minutes per side, until golden; remove to a plate and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the sliced onion to the same pot and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until softened, then stir in the minced garlic and sliced chiles and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the red curry paste and fry it for about 2 minutes to wake up the spices, then pour in the chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to release the browned bits.
- Return the chicken and any resting juices to the pot, add the fish sauce, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover partially and cook for 25 to 30 minutes until the chicken is tender and reaches an internal temperature of at least 74 C.
- Stir in the coconut milk and simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes to enrich the sauce, then taste and adjust with more fish sauce or salt as needed.
- Finish with a squeeze of lime juice, ladle into bowls and scatter chopped cilantro over the top before serving with steamed rice.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet Β· Large pot Β· Saucepan Β· Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Fish Sauce
- soy sauce + a pinch of salt
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk Β· Β½ cup evaporated milk + Β½ cup water
- Lime
- lemon
Tips & common questions
How long does Spicy Chicken Stew take to make?
About 70 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 7 steps and 13 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of fish sauce?
Try soy sauce + a pinch of salt. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Spicy Chicken Stew is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: A boiling pot of spicy chicken stew on the stove.jpg by Olgatladi2020, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.