Red Curry Chicken and Rice Bowls
Updated January 27, 2026
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
- Ready In
- 1 hr
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
1½ cups long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons to ⅓ cup Thai red curry paste, to taste
2 cups chicken broth
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, patted dry
3 garlic cloves
2 limes
1 tablespoon fish sauce, plus more to taste
4 tangerines or other small, sweet citrus
⅓ cup salted peanuts
12 to 16 ounces slaw blend
1 cup cilantro or mint leaves, or a mix
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
76 grams carbs; 129 milligrams cholesterol; 632 calories; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 13 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 701 milligrams sodium; 51 grams protein; 6 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large Dutch oven over medium, add the rice and red curry paste to taste. Stir until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Step 2
Stir in the broth. Place the chicken breasts on top, spread the tops of the breasts with a little more red curry paste, then bring to a boil over high. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 23 minutes. (Make sure to look under the chicken to see if the rice is cooked.) Turn off the heat, transfer the chicken to a cutting board, then cover the rice and let both rest for at least 10 minutes.
- Step 3
While the rice rests, into a large bowl, finely grate the garlic and zest of the limes. Add the juices of the limes and the fish sauce. Peel the tangerines and thinly slice. Add to the bowl. Coarsely chop the peanuts. Add the slaw, peanuts and herbs to the dressing and toss to coat.
- Step 4
Thinly slice the chicken. Season the rice to taste with fish sauce. Eat the rice with the chicken and slaw.
Private Notes
Comments
I'd take a couple of cues from Pailin of Hot Thai Kitchen: 1) use a quality red curry paste such as Mae Ploy; and 2) start cooking the curry paste in a small amount (~2/3 c) of good coconut milk, such as Aroy-D. The coconut milk will emulsify with the curry paste and then eventually the coconut oil will break out of the emulsion and the curry paste essentially fries gently. Use the rest of the coconut milk, thinned out with the chicken broth, for the cooking liquid. Lastly, I'd be inclined to use boneless thighs, as they do cook through in the given time, but failing that, pounding the breasts to a thinner depth seems the way to go.
I really enjoy Thai food and I have overwhelmingly positive results from the NYT cooking app. But this one was a miss. The chicken takes longer to cook than the recipe states. But cooking the rice longer results in the rice becoming paste. Would recommend cooking chicken and rice separately. The zest of two limes was too much and overpowered the slaw.
I’ve recently learned the importance of “blooming” curry paste from chef/author Kenji Lopez, so I added that step first with the oil and curry paste. I decided to use mussaman instead of red curry and it was delicious. As other said, the chicken was a little dry. I might pound the breasts next time or filet them so they’re thinner. The dressing for the slaw was delicious, with mint as the option. I added some green onion to it as well.
For all those for whom this recipe didn’t work, try this instead… Put boneless skinless chicken thighs in a baking dish, just big enough to fit the thighs in one layer. Spread each thigh with a small dollop of red curry paste, to your taste. Sprinkle with a few pinches of sugar, a dash or two of fish sauce, a splash of a neutral oil, and a handful of raw peanuts. Cook in a 160-180 C oven (325 to 350 F) for about 45 to 60 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the top is browned. Check after about 30 minutes and adjust oven temperature as needed. Serve over rice, sprinkled with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice, with salad or vegetables on the side.
I used Basmati rice (I know not Thai) and it went so well with the other flavors. I sliced each breast into four long pieces and they were tender and juicy as can be. I definitely find a difference between regular chicken and organic, antibiotic & hormone free. It’s well worth the extra $$. We love this dish, it’s healthy and flavorful. I think you can play around with the spices. I did not have any red curry paste so I got creative and mixed lemon grass paste with garlic, cardamom, red curry, and salt and pepper. Also, we let the chicken and rice sit for about 30 minutes.
For some reason this just did not taste good to me. The flavors did not meld well. The curry flavor did not come through, and the fish sauce clashed with the citrus. I appreciate that others liked but recycling this one out.