Thai Red Curry Meal Prep
The chicken gets a hard sear first for colour, then finishes cooking through in the curry itself, so it picks up flavour from both the pan and the sauce.
Blooming the red curry paste properly in the oil before the coconut milk goes in is where most of the flavour in this dish actually comes from.
Bell pepper, broccolini and edamame keep it fresh, jasmine rice underneath, five containers ready for the week.
Thai Red Chicken Curry Meal Prep
CHICKEN · MEAL PREP · EASY
Real depth, built in stages
Searing the chicken first, even though it isn't fully cooked at that stage, builds colour and flavour that a straight simmer in the sauce wouldn't give you.
Letting the curry paste cook out properly in the oil with the garlic and ginger before the coconut milk goes in is what stops the sauce tasting flat and raw.
Coconut-based curries generally hold up well in the freezer, so this one's a genuinely solid batch-cook option.
Thai Red Chicken Curry Meal Prep
Ingredients
Protein
- 10 ml Peanut Oil
- 1 kg Chicken Thigh Diced
- 250 g Edamame Beans Frozen
- Salt & Pepper
Curry Sauce & Veg
- 4 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 10 g Ginger Peeled & Grated
- 70 g Thai Red Curry Paste
- 400 ml Coconut Milk
- 325 ml Chicken Stock
- 1 Red Bell Pepper Sliced
- 1 Broccolini (Tenderstem) Chopped
- 15 ml Fish Sauce
- 5 g Brown Sugar
- 1 Lime Juiced
- Salt & Pepper
Rice
- 300 g Jasmine Rice
- 550 g Cold Water
- 3 Lime Leaves Optional
- Salt to Taste
Method
Cook the rice
- Rinse jasmine rice under cold water until it runs clear. Add to a saucepan with water, lime leaves (optional) and salt. Bring to a boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce to low heat, and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and leave covered for 4 minutes before fluffing.
Sear the chicken
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large pan or pot over medium-high heat. Add peanut oil and sear the chicken until brown all over, roughly 6-7 minutes. The chicken won’t be cooked at this stage.
Build the curry base
- Lower the heat to medium, add garlic and ginger, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute to release flavour. Add coconut milk and chicken stock, mix until smooth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes.
Cook chicken and vegetables in the curry sauce
- Add the red bell pepper and tenderstem broccoli. Simmer uncovered for 7–9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender but still bright.
Finish the curry
- Stir in fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Add cooked edamame beans, stir through until heated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Assemble the meal prep
- Divide rice evenly into five containers. Spoon curry evenly over rice. Allow to cool before sealing and refrigerating.
Private Notes
Why sear the chicken first if it's not fully cooked yet?⌄
It builds colour and flavour before it finishes cooking through in the curry sauce itself. Both stages contribute to the final flavour.
Can I use a different curry paste heat level?⌄
Yes, red curry pastes vary a fair bit in heat between brands. Start with a little less than the recipe calls for and add more once you've tasted the sauce.
Can I use frozen vegetables instead of fresh bell pepper and broccolini?⌄
Yes, frozen works fine here since everything's simmering in the sauce anyway. They may release a little extra water, so simmer a touch longer if the sauce looks thin.
Are the lime leaves necessary?⌄
They're optional here, added whole to the rice for a subtle citrus fragrance. Leave them out if you can't find them, the fresh lime juice in the curry still brings plenty of brightness.
I’m trying to figure out the macros for this. I get 746 kcal, 68C 28F 54P per serving when divided into 5 servings. Are you calculating with full fat coconut milk or some sort of light variant? Just trying to figure out the ~10g of fat per serving difference.
Light coconut milk. Different brands will also depend on the outcome of the nutrition values
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