An Easy Chicken and Potato Green Curry
Thai green curry (gaeng keow wan) is a fragrant, creamy curry made by frying green curry paste and simmering it in coconut milk with meat or vegetables. This chicken version adds new potatoes, green beans and tenderstem broccoli for a lighter, seasonal twist. The potatoes soak up the sauce beautifully. It’s medium-spicy, gluten free, and ready in about 15 to 30 minutes.
At a glance
Thai name: Gaeng Keow Wan Gai (แกงเขียวหวานไก่), “sweet green curry with chicken”
Heat: medium. Mae Jum Green Curry Paste is 2/5. Use 20g instead of 35g for a milder curry
Key ingredients: green curry paste, coconut milk, chicken, new potatoes, green beans, Thai basil
Dietary: gluten free, and easy to make vegan
Serve with: steamed jasmine rice and a wedge of lime
This green curry came together on a summer afternoon when I wanted something light but satisfying. New potatoes were in season, the green beans were fresh, and a Thai green curry felt like exactly the right thing to make with them. The coconut milk keeps it creamy, the paste brings the heat, and the vegetables do the rest.
What is Thai Green Curry?
Thai green curry is bold and delicate at the same time: aromatic and warmly spicy, yet the coconut milk makes the sauce rich, creamy and surprisingly light. Its colour comes from fresh green chillies, and the moment the paste hits a hot pan, the kitchen fills with a citrusy, herbal aroma.
Known in Thailand as gaeng keow wan (แกงเขียวหวาน), or “sweet green curry”, it comes from central Thailand. It’s thought to be a fairly modern dish, dating from the early 20th century. Chillies arrived in Thailand via Portuguese traders from the Americas, and before that, Thai curries got their heat from long pepper and other native spices. Fresh green chillies brought a new, grassy heat that gave green curry its character.
Want to know how it compares with red curry? Read Which is Hotter: Red or Green Thai Curry?
Can You Put Potatoes in Thai Green Curry?
Yes. Potatoes aren’t in every traditional recipe, but they work beautifully. Waxy new potatoes hold their shape as they simmer and soak up the coconut sauce, adding a gentle earthiness and making the curry more filling. They’re at their best freshly dug in early summer, but any waxy potato works year-round.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Mae Jum Thai Green Curry Paste is the foundation, made from Jum’s family recipe with fresh green chillies, lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime, stone-ground the traditional way. Frying it properly before adding any liquid is the most important step.
Coconut milk: full-fat gives a silky sauce that’s rich without being heavy, and the 400ml tempers the heat nicely.
New potatoes: waxy and firm, they hold their shape and absorb the sauce.
Green beans and tenderstem broccoli: add crunch, colour and a slight bitterness that cuts through the coconut.
Makrut lime leaves and sweet Thai basil: added off the heat at the end so they keep their fragrance. Thai basil has an aniseed note that’s quite different from Italian basil.
Fish sauce and palm sugar: the seasoning backbone, with savoury depth from the fish sauce and gentle sweetness from the palm sugar.
How to Make Chicken Thai Green Curry
Fry the paste. Fry it in coconut oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add the chicken. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, coating every piece in the paste before any liquid goes in.
Add the coconut milk and potatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the potatoes start to soften and the chicken is cooked through.
Add the green vegetables. Add the green beans and tenderstem broccoli and simmer for 5–7 minutes more, until just tender.
Season. Add fish sauce and palm sugar, stir until the sugar dissolves, then taste and adjust.
Finish and serve. Turn off the heat, fold in the makrut lime leaves and Thai basil, and serve over jasmine rice with a wedge of lime.
Tips for the Best Thai Green Curry
Don’t rush the paste. A full 2 minutes in hot oil cooks off the raw garlic and shallot flavour and releases the aromatics.
Coat the chicken before adding liquid, so it absorbs the paste’s concentrated flavour.
Simmer, don’t boil. A hard boil can split the coconut milk and make the sauce oily.
Season at the end, once you can taste the balance. Add the fish sauce gradually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Thai green curry have potatoes?
Not always, but they’re a popular addition. Waxy new potatoes hold their shape and soak up the creamy sauce, making the curry heartier.
Is Thai green curry spicy?
It has a medium heat. Mae Jum Green Curry Paste is 2/5, and the coconut milk softens it. For a milder curry, start with 20g of paste instead of 35g.
Can I make this green curry vegan or gluten free?
Yes. Swap the chicken for tofu, and the fish sauce for tamari or a gluten-free soy sauce. Mae Jum Green Curry Paste is already vegan and gluten free.
What’s the best chicken for green curry?
Chicken thighs stay juicier, but breast works too. Just don’t overcook it.
More Green Curry Recipes
From Jum’s Kitchen
There’s something deeply satisfying about bringing seasonal vegetables into a Thai curry. In my mother’s kitchen in the South, we always cooked with what the season gave us, not against it. Young, waxy new potatoes hold their shape in the curry, and the coconut milk carries the paste without drowning their natural sweetness. It’s a meal that feels fresh on a warm day and comforting on a cool one.
When you fry the paste at the start, you’re waking up the herbs and spices, releasing their aroma into the oil so they perfume everything that follows. Our paste is stone-ground the traditional way from my family’s recipe, so that aroma is all there, waiting. Serve it with jasmine rice and eat it slowly, noticing how the heat builds gently and how the basil lifts every mouthful. That’s Southern Thai cooking: nothing hidden, just good ingredients doing what they’re meant to do.
Chicken Thai Green Curry with New Potatoes
- 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 35 g Mae Jum Green Curry Paste
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tbsp Palm Sugar
- 400 ml Coconut milk
- 350 g Chicken breast
- 175 g New potatoes
- 100 g Green beans
- 50 g Tenderstem broccoli
- 100 ml Water
- 3 Kaffir Lime Leaves
- — Sweet Thai basil
Thai Green Curry Paste
