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Home One Pot - One Pan

Thai red curry pot roast chicken

By:Nagi
Published:19 Apr '23Updated:20 Apr '23
220 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

I really did mean to post a classic pot roast chicken. But this Thai red curry version is SO MUCH MORE EXCITING!! To-die-for red curry sauce with outrageously juicy chicken, you’ll have this in the oven in 10 minutes. Effortless recipes with incredible results, this is my kind of food!

Freshly made Thai red curry pot roast chicken
Platter of Thai red curry pot roast chicken

Thai red curry pot roast chicken

Consider this to be the roast chicken version of Lamb Shanks Massaman Curry, and beloved fan-favourite where you just put everything in a pan, pop it in the oven, then out comes fall-apart bronzed lamb shanks smothered in a rich massaman curry sauce.

Admittedly, this roast chicken red curry version does call for one extra step – sautéing the curry paste with aromatics (garlic, ginger, lemongrass) – before adding everything else and transferring it into the oven. Well worth a whole 2 minutes of effort for the extra depth of flavour you get in the Thai red curry sauce. And LOOK at the sauce!!

Sauce over Thai red curry pot roast chicken

Speaking of sauce – did I mention we’re using store bought instead of homemade red curry paste today? For ease. Which brings me to an important topic:

My favourite red curry paste – Maesri

The best and cheapest. Full stop, end of story!

Best Thai red curry paste Maesri

There is just no other than compares in mainstream grocery stores and Asian stores here in Australia. For authentic flavour – fresh, real, and not too sweet (why-oh-why are all the “western” red curry pastes so darn sweet??!!). Given the tick of approval by Thai nationals and it happens to be the cheapest curry paste clocking in at $2.10 a can.

While I highly recommend Maesri, this recipe does work with other red curry paste brands too. But the sauce will only be as good as the curry paste you use!

Where to find Maesri red curry paste

  • Asian grocery stores (it’s very common here in Australia)

  • Australia – Woolworths, Harris Farms, Amazon, asianpantry.com.au

  • Other countries – Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA (strangely pricey in Canada??)


Ingredients in Thai red curry pot roast chicken

Here’s what you need to make today’s recipe.

The red curry sauce

Ingredients in Thai red curry pot roast chicken
  • Red curry paste – As per section above, Maesri is my preferred! Cheapest and most authentic flavour.

  • Lemongrass, garlic and ginger – Adding these gives the store bought curry paste a flavour boost that makes it virtually like homemade red curry paste. It really makes a different!

    Lemongrass – Substitute with 1 tablespoon of lemongrass paste. But one day, I hope you can make this with fresh lemongrass because it really is better!

  • Coconut cream – Not all coconut cream is created equal! Good ones are 100% coconut and have better flavour. Economical ones use water + thickener.

    Coconut milk will also work but coconut flavour is not as intense (the sauce gets a ton of juices from chicken which dilutes the coconut flavour which is why coconut cream works better than milk).

  • Kaffir lime leaves – For authentic Thai curry flavour! Fairly accessible these days at large grocery stores and Asian stores. They freeze 100% perfectly which is handy.

    Use leftover kaffire lime leaves in Thai red curry, Tom Yum soup, Thai meatballs, beef rendang, Malaysian chicken satay curry, green curry, golden turmeric baked fish and everybody’s favourite Asian coconut rice!

  • Fish sauce – This is used as the salt in red curry. More flavour than plain salt!

  • Sugar – For the right touch of sweetness you find in red curry sauce.

  • Red chilli – For optional garnish.

Vegetables and herbs

Ingredients in Thai red curry pot roast chicken
  • Potatoes – Small, skin on whole potatoes are best as the skin holds them together while they cook up beautifully creamy inside. If using cut pieces, add them partway through cooking else they will disintegrate.

  • Green beans – Just to add some vegetables into the sauce, plus a sprinkle of green. Feel free to add other vegetables!

  • Thai Basil has a slight aniseed flavour. Italian basil can be used in a pinch! Really adds a special touch to the finished dish so try not to skip it. But if this is the only thing you’re missing, still worth making!

  • Coriander/cilantro (optional) – This is mainly for garnish, though if you don’t have Thai Basil this makes a good alternative as a fresh herb addition to the dish.

Whole chicken

Oh yes, and you will need a whole chicken. Let’s not make today’s recipe like that time I forgot to include pork in a roast pork recipe!! 😂

I use a 1.8kg/3.6lb chicken. It’s fine to use one a little larger or smaller as the pot-roasting method of cooking we’re using today is very forgiving. It will keep chicken juicy even if you take it over (small chickens) and cooks evenly and fast so larger chickens will cook through.

Whole chicken for Thai red curry pot roast chicken

How to make Thai red curry pot roast chicken

This all gets made in one pot, and you’ll have it in the oven in 10 minutes!

How to make Thai red curry pot roast chicken
  1. Cook off curry paste – Sauté the curry paste with lemongrass, ginger and garlic for a couple of minutes. The curry paste will dry out and caramelise which intensifies and improves the flavour. An essential step when using any store bought curry paste!

  2. Sauce – Add the chicken stock then reduce it by half to concentrate the flavour. Add the remaining sauce ingredients – coconut cream, fish sauce, sugar, kaffir lime leaves – and stir to combine.

  3. Put the chicken into the sauce and spoon sauce over. Then place the potatoes around it.

  4. Bake covered for 40 minutes.

How to make Thai red curry pot roast chicken
  1. Brown the chicken – After 40 minutes, remove the lid and bake for a further 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes. Oh, and push the beans into the sauce for the last 10 minutes! Any earlier and they’ll overcook far too much.

    Just use a spoon to baste the chicken (which simple means spooning the sauce over) though if you have a turkey baster, it will make your life even easier.

  2. Final baste – Give the chicken a final baste then transfer it to a plate to rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into pieces.

  3. Thai Basil leaves – Stir the basil leaves into the sauce just before plating up, so as to retain the freshness of the flavour.

  4. To serve – Place the chicken pieces on a platter then pour over the sauce, potatoes and beans. Garnish with extra chilli and fresh coriander if desired, then take it to the table!

I know I’ve been going on and on about the sauce – and it really is worthy of the talk, I promise – but I shouldn’t undersell how juicy the chicken is, thanks to the pot roasting method of cooking! So much more forgiving than traditional roast chicken – which we all love, but does require more accuracy to ensure you don’t end up with a dry breast.

Fork picking up Thai red curry pot roast chicken
This pot roasting method yields very juicy chicken!
Fork picking up potato in Thai red curry pot roast chicken
Love how creamy the potatoes are inside

Ah, also, the potatoes!! Using whole small baby potatoes means we can cook them until they are really soft and creamy inside without disintegrating. If you only have large potatoes, cut them into 1.5cm / 0.6″ chunks and add them about halfway through the cook time, otherwise they will over-cook and turn into mush.

Plate of dinner - Thai red curry pot roast chicken

Serve over jasmine rice, to soak up all that beautiful curry sauce, and a perky side salad for something fresh. Pictured above is my Asian side salad but if I had a choice, I probably would’ve opted for smashed cucumbers or my favourite Chang’s Crispy Noodle Cabbage Salad.

I really hope you try this recipe one of these days! Something a little different but very straight forward to make that’s forgiving, with knock-your-socks-off results. It’s Amazing – with a capital A. Everybody knows when I use capitals, I really mean it! 😂 – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Thai red curry pot roasted chicken

Thai red curry pot roast chicken

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
De-chilling and resting: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Total: 2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
Mains
Thai-ish
4.95 from 92 votes
Servings5 – 6 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Such a spectacular way to cook a whole chicken! Cooked in a Thai red curry sauce with potatoes and beans, the pot-roasting method keeps the chicken ultra juicy. Plus, we can get away with store bought curry paste here because the chicken juices add a stack of money-can't-buy flavour into the sauce.
Easy enough for midweek, definitely impressive enough for company!

Ingredients

  • 1.8 kg/ 3.6 lb whole chicken
  • 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 115g/ 4 oz (1/2 cup) Thai red curry paste (Maesri recommended, Note 1)
  • 2 large garlic cloves , finely grated (Note 2)
  • 2 tsp fresh ginger , finely grated (Note 2)
  • 2 tsp fresh lemongrass , finely grated, white / pale green part only (Note 2)
  • 1 cup chicken stock/broth , low sodium
  • 400 ml/ 14 oz coconut cream (Note 3)
  • 6 kaffir lime leaves , crushed in hand (Note 4)
  • 1 tbsp white sugar
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • 600g/ 1.2lb small potatoes (12 or so), skin on (Note 5)
  • 120g/ 4oz green beans , trimmed and cut in half
  • 15 Thai basil leaves , or more! (sub ordinary Italian basil, Note 6)

Serving + optional garnishes:

  • Jasmine rice
  • Red chilli , finely sliced
  • Coriander / cilantro leaves
Prevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

  • De-chill & salt chicken – Take the chicken out of the fridge 1 hour prior. Pat dry then sprinkle with the salt.
  • Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan).
  • Sauté curry paste – Use a large, oven-proof pot with a lid. Heat oil on medium high heat. Cook curry paste, garlic, ginger and lemongrass for 2 minutes. This step substantially improves the flavour of store bought curry paste.
  • Sauce – Add chicken stock, stir, then simmer rapidly for 3 minutes to reduce by half. Stir in coconut cream, hand-crushed kaffir lime leaves, sugar and fish sauce.
  • Place chicken into the sauce. Spoon over sauce. Surround with potatoes.
  • Bake 1 hour – Place the lid on and bake for 40 minutes. Remove lid spoon sauce over chicken (ie. baste). Turn the oven up to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan). Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, baste, bake another 10 minutes.
  • Beans, then bake 10 minutes – Push beans into the sauce (wherever they fit!). Baste again then bake for a final 10 minutes (no lid).
  • Rest 10 minutes – Remove chicken onto a plate (Note 7). Rest 10 minutes. Put lid on pot to keep sauce warm.
  • Serving – Carve chicken, place on platter. Stir basil leaves into sauce. Pour/spoon sauce, potatoes and beans over chicken. Garnish with chilli and coriander, if desired. Serve with jasmine rice!

Recipe Notes:

1. Curry paste – My position on the best Thai red curry is fairly well documented on this website! Maesri is the best – there is just no question. Find it at Woolies, Harris Farms, Asian stores and online. (Overseas Amazon – US, Canada, UK).
2. Grating – Use a microplane or similar to grate it finely so it mixes in really well with the curry paste. It spruces up store bought paste to make it taste like homemade.
Lemongrass – 1 tbsp lemongrass paste can be used.
3. Coconut cream – Not all coconut cream is created equal! Good ones are 100% coconut and have better flavour. Economical ones use water + thickener. Coconut milk will also work but coconut flavour is not as intense (the sauce gets a ton of juices from chicken which dilutes the coconut flavour which is why coconut cream works better than milk).
4. Kaffir lime leaves – fairly accessible these days at large grocery stores and Asian stores. They freeze 100% perfectly. Use leftover kaffire lime leaves in Thai red curry, Tom Yum soup, Thai meatballs, beef rendang, Malaysian chicken satay curry, green curry, golden turmeric baked fish and everybody’s favourite Asian coconut rice!
5. Potatoes – Small, skin on whole potatoes are best as the skin holds them together while they cook up beautifully creamy inside. If using cut pieces, add them partway through cooking else they will disintegrate.
6. Thai Basil has a slight aniseed flavour. Italian basil can be used in a pinch! Really adds a special touch to the finished dish so try not to skip it. But if this is the only thing you’re missing, still worth making!
7. Removing chicken – I stick tongs inside cavity + spatula to support underneath, so as not to ruin skin

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 766cal (38%)Carbohydrates: 12g (4%)Protein: 37g (74%)Fat: 65g (100%)Saturated Fat: 34g (213%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 130mg (43%)Sodium: 794mg (35%)Potassium: 696mg (20%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 4085IU (82%)Vitamin C: 10mg (12%)Calcium: 74mg (7%)Iron: 4mg (22%)
Keywords: One Pot Dinner, pot roasted chicken, Red curry, Thai chicken
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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220 Comments

  1. Jenny Elson says

    May 22, 2025 at 11:15 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely stunning flavour.Easy to make with some great leftovers.

    Reply
  2. Anna says

    May 18, 2025 at 8:35 am

    5 stars
    YUM YUM YUM! Made this for dinner last night and it was outstanding. Am excited for the leftovers tonight as I’m sure the flavours will be even better. I made the crispy noodle cabbage salad to go with it and it smashed! Such a great combo and will definitely make this when visiting family this week. The sauce was perfect, the chicken succulent and the whole potatoes were perfectly cooked and great for soaking up sauce. An absolute winner, something I’m excited to cook for others in the future.

    Reply
  3. Ingrid says

    May 3, 2025 at 8:00 am

    5 stars
    As promised I made this recipe & it didn’t disappoint 😍
    OMG if you like Thai flavours this is a must!!

    Please DO NOT omit the kaffir lime leaves (I bought myself a tree after I made Nagi’s Malaysian Saree Chicken recipe)

    Someone mentioned it it was too spicy – I didn’t find this at all just a warm taste but everyone is different so if you worried I would just put less Thai paste in it (I also used the recommend maesri paste)

    Highly recommend this recipe to all that like these kind of flavours Thanks Nagi 💞

    Reply
  4. Ingrid says

    May 1, 2025 at 1:09 pm

    I can’t wait to try this – cooking it tonight

    Reply
  5. Kathryn Lane says

    April 27, 2025 at 7:45 pm

    So keen to make this, but our family is definitely a ‘breast chicken only’ family. I don’t want the waste of using a whole chicken, is there a breast only variation?

    Reply
  6. Rachel says

    March 1, 2025 at 11:57 pm

    5 stars
    This is absolutely delicious and, as a bonus, it’s super-easy to make!

    Reply
    • Ingrid says

      May 3, 2025 at 8:11 am

      So very much agree

      Reply
  7. Jane says

    November 23, 2024 at 12:42 pm

    I made this a. Massaman Curry and it was divine.

    Reply
  8. vince froggatt says

    November 8, 2024 at 6:08 am

    5 stars
    I made this today and it’s absolutely delish. If I was served this in a restaurant, I would happily pay and leave a tip for the chef. I’m amazed such a simple recipe can produce outstanding results. Thank You Nagi.

    Reply
  9. Scott Overmyer says

    October 9, 2024 at 11:40 am

    5 stars
    I try lots of new recipes, and most are ho-hum, good, but nothing special. This one, however, was fabulous with lots of Thai flavors, even with a few substitutions for lack of ingredients (lime zest & juice for Kaffir lime leaves, and dried lemon grass for fresh). I’ll keep an eye on this site. 🙂

    Reply
  10. Susan Griffith says

    September 21, 2024 at 7:56 pm

    Sooooo delicious but definitely too hot for my kids when using the maestri paste (even after adding more coconut cream to try and take it down a couple of notches.
    Just a Public Service announcement for those wanting to try this but can’t take chilli heat.
    But gosh – yum!

    Reply
  11. Steven Ogilvie says

    September 2, 2024 at 9:14 am

    5 stars
    Haven’t tasted it yet, sigh, couldn’t find fish sauce nor kaffir lime leaves in time. Also couldn’t find while chicken so used a large boned breast with skin and 4 large boned, skinned thighs…
    Didn’t notice I bought French beans til I got home, but smells delicious and the sauce taste yummy 🙂

    Will post once I taste everything…

    Reply
  12. Helene Tozier says

    August 27, 2024 at 2:24 am

    Just about every recipe of yours, I have tried, has been fabulous. This one pot Thai chicken takes it to the next level. So darn easy and especially tasty. I was out of your preferred Red Curry and had to use another brand but next time will be sure to use the Maesri product. Thank you for sharing with all of us.

    Reply
  13. Togue Brawn says

    August 19, 2024 at 1:25 am

    5 stars
    Made this last night, used just thighs (bought whole thighs, pulled skin off most of them) added some foraged black trumpets. It was delicious, and I agree squash would be a great addition.

    Reply
  14. Kathryn Clews says

    August 18, 2024 at 7:12 am

    Please can somebody comment on the chili level, I have a friend who doesn’t cope. Thanks

    Reply
  15. Ruth says

    August 3, 2024 at 7:08 pm

    5 stars
    The Thai Red Curry pot roast Chicken was absolutely delicious!

    Reply
  16. Theresa says

    July 17, 2024 at 11:37 am

    Sounds fantastic and would like to try except I don’t do coconut. Any swap suggestions for the coconut cream? Thanks

    Reply
  17. Carolyn D says

    June 30, 2024 at 1:14 pm

    5 stars
    Cooked it last night, soooo good

    Reply
  18. Cathryn says

    June 26, 2024 at 8:13 pm

    I have a family member who will not eat meat on a bone. How could I use chicken breasts? I could use bone in, skin on and remove bones after, but what about cooking times?

    Reply
  19. Diplomi_znSi says

    June 19, 2024 at 7:29 am

    купить аттестат за 9 класс [url=http://school5-priozersk.ru]http://school5-priozersk.ru[/url] .

    Reply
  20. Sally Taylor says

    June 16, 2024 at 7:20 pm

    This is probably the best dish I’ve ever prepared!!! I’ve owned restaurants. Love cooking.
    Easy. Amazing flavour. Will definitely cook again

    Reply
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