An easy roasted chicken recipe with Thai red curry paste. Something new but still familiar, delicious and juicy. You’ll be happy with this one!
This roasted chicken recipe combines an easy and familiar cooking technique with new and interesting flavors. The Thai red curry paste is so incredibly divine with the chicken, you’ll be adding this to your weeknight favorites over and over again.
It brings a small amount of heat, but not too much. Making this Thai red curry roasted chicken is a great way to introduce new flavors in a subtle way. The agave adds some sweetness to contrast the curry and the fish sauce adds just the right amount of umami. Make the Tangy Cilantro Yogurt with the chicken if you’d like a sauce, but even so, the chicken is just fine on its own!
What should you serve this with?
Aside from the Tangy Cilantro Yogurt, this chicken goes well with many sides: roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes, quinoa, roasted broccoli or cauliflower, to name a few. My favorite dish to serve it with is rice, but it would also go nicely with my Chili Garlic Rice Noodles (sans chicken).
Let’s talk about brining.
I start with brining the chicken in a coconut milk mixture. This is an important step as it tenderizes the meat – the end result will be way juicier roasted chicken! It will also help to add amazing flavor. Make sure to let it sit in the brine (refrigerated) for at least two hours. However the longer it’s in the brine, the better! It can be left in the brine overnight. If you want to skip this step, you can. But your roasted chicken may not be as juicy in the end. Trust me – I did a side by side test of brined and not brined, can you guess which one was the winner? The brined chicken was 100 times better!
Ingredient Notes:
- Fish Sauce – You can find this at almost any grocery store (and can find Kosher versions too). You may not like the smell, but it does wonders for the flavors of this chicken. Don’t skip this ingredient! But if you must, ponzu may work instead.
- Thai Red Curry Paste – You should be able to find this at most grocery stores, but if not, Amazon has it here.
- Kosher Salt – It’s extremely important that you use Kosher salt for this recipe, NOT table salt, or else your chicken may be extremely salty. Anytime I use a measured amount of Kosher salt, instead of salting to taste, you should use Kosher salt. My favorite brand is Diamond Crystal. You should be able to find it at most grocery stores.
- Whole Chicken – You can buy a whole chicken and cut it up yourself, or buy it already cut up into 8 parts (2 breasts, 2 legs, 2 thighs, and 2 wings – all bone in and skin on!).
- Agave – If you can’t find agave, you can use honey here, but it may burn a bit quicker, so keep an eye on your chicken.
- Avocado Oil – I prefer avocado oil, but you can also use any neutral oil here (canola, vegetable, etc.).
- Garlic – When it comes to garlic, fresh is always best. I hate buying the pre-minced garlic, I can taste the difference. Plus, for this recipe, it’s better if you grate the garlic on a microplane instead of mincing it, but either way will work.
Thai Red Curry Roasted Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Large Bowl or deep baking dish or plastic container
- Paper Towels
- Parchment Paper
- 1 Medium Bowl
- Pastry Brush I think this works well for brushing the chicken but you can also use your hands
- Food Processor I use my mini-food processor here
Ingredients
For the Thai Red Curry Roasted Chicken:
- 1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk full fat
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 10 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
- 3 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 whole chicken cut into 8 parts (2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 breasts, 2 wings, all bone in and skin on), innards discarded or saved for another use
- 3 teaspoons agave
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 3 cloves garlic grated on a microplane or minced
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Cilantro leaves for garnish
- Tangy Cilantro Yogurt recipe below
For the Tangy Cilantro Yogurt:
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup Mayonnaise
- 3 Scallions whites and greens, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup packed Cilantro leaves and thin stems
- 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- Juice from 1 lime
- ¼ cup Garlic Confit, drained from oil recipe below
- 1 tablespoon Oil from Garlic Confit
- Kosher salt (I used 1 teaspoon)
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the Garlic Confit:
- 6 oz. Peeled Garlic Cloves
- Avocado oil or Olive Oil enough to cover garlic
Instructions
For the Thai Red Curry Roasted Chicken:
- In a large bowl or container, make the brine for the chicken. Whisk together the coconut milk, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste, and 1 teaspoon Kosher salt until combined (double these amounts if doubling the recipe). Add chicken pieces to the brine and turn until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to 24 hours (the longer the better), flipping in the brine at least once during this time.
- When the chicken is finished brining, Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Drain or lift chicken from the brine, brushing off as much liquid as possible. Pat all sides dry well with paper towels. Transfer chicken onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, skin sides up, and let come to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 9 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, 2 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt, 3 teaspoons agave, 3 tablespoons avocado oil, garlic, and freshly ground black pepper (double these amounts if doubling the recipe). Stir until well combined.
- Brush the curry paste mixture over all sides of the chicken, as well as under the skin.
- Roast on the middle rack until browned and cooked through, 40-50 minutes. If chicken isn’t browning well or getting crispy, move to the top rack for the last 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately with the Creamy Cilantro Sauce on the side. Garnish chicken with cilantro leaves.
For the Tangy Cilantro Yogurt:
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. There should still be some green flecks from the herbs. Taste and season with more lime juice, Kosher salt, or freshly ground black pepper, if needed.
For the Garlic Confit:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place garlic cloves in a small baking dish and cover completely with oil. Seal the dish tightly with tinfoil. Roast for 30-45 minutes until golden and softened. Let cool completely.
- Store garlic and oil in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use cloves as needed.
A definite crowd pleaser, even for my pickiest eaters! The chicken came out so juicy and flavorful. And my vegetarian loved the yogurt sauce. Will absolutely add this to my rotation!
This was so delicious, and not too hot!