Chicken Massaman Curry

A Thai style chicken (or beef) massaman curry dish that is the perfect meal to get you out of a boring dinner rut. It’s flavorful enough to delight the taste buds while still being mild enough for the whole family to enjoy. 

Have you ever had Thai food?

It is one of our favorites.

I used to associate Thai food with really spicy hot flavors. But just in case you are thinking the same thing, let me ease your mind by telling you that this dish is super mild so our whole family can enjoy it.

My husband Brandon especially loves Thai food. He’s the one that introduced it to the rest of us.

When he was traveling for work a lot, he found a Thai restaurant in Hawaii that he loved. He went there several times for business trips and would come home and rave about their massaman curry.

So one year for Father’s day I decided to make it. I looked at several recipes online to get some ideas and together we came up with our own recipe that was equally as tasty as the massaman curry at the Hawaiian restaurant he loves.

This massaman curry dish may not qualify as authentic Thai, but it sure is yummy.

What is massaman curry?

In case you’ve never had massaman, think of it as thinly sliced meat (beef or chicken) that is cooked in a coconut curry-flavored sauce along with potatoes, onions, and carrots, served over hot cooked rice.

My favorite way to cook the rice is in an electric pressure cooker and I’ve included those instructions in the post. Not only does the pressure cooker save time and effort, it also cooks the rice (even brown rice) so it puffs up super soft, light, and yummy.

I love the fact that this recipe is gluten and dairy free. That also makes it the perfect meal to bring to large family gatherings because it makes a lot and is allergy friendly. The leftovers are just as good the next day, if not better. We also like to freeze them in individual servings for my husband to bring to work.

Ingredient preferences & variations

I like to use fresh cilantro, lime juice, and ginger rather than their dried or preserved counterparts. The freshness of those ingredients really makes this dish stand out.

One variation on this recipe is to use thinly sliced raw roast beef in place of the chicken for a delicious beef massaman curry. Just don’t make me pick a favorite because I really don’t know which one I like best.

Since some of you may be like I was and not familiar with good brands in Asian foods I have included Amazon links to the brands I use and love. I do receive a small commission if you shop using the links on this site, but feel free to shop around for the best prices. If you have a local Asian food market, that’s where I usually go.

Does your family like Asian-inspired food?

I’ve been asked time and again for this massaman curry recipe by those that we share it with. Hope you enjoy.

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Chicken Massaman Curry

A Thai style chicken (or beef) massaman curry dish that is the perfect meal to get you out of a boring dinner rut. It's flavorful enough to delight the taste buds while still being mild enough for the whole family to enjoy. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Thai-inspired, Thailand

Keyword Curry

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 10 people

Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoon canola oil
• ½ cup massaman curry paste see note
• 2 13.5-ounce cans coconut milk see note
• ½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce see note
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 onion sliced thin
• 1 pound boneless chicken sliced VERY thin see note for beef variation
• 4-5 medium potatoes peeled, cubed into bite sized pieces
• 2 carrots peeled, sliced into bite sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce + more to taste, see note
• 6 cups cooked rice see note

Instructions

1. Heat oil in very large skillet or saucepan. Stir in massaman curry paste and cook, stirring occasionally for about 2 to 3 minutes until it starts to smell aromatic. 

2. Add 1 can coconut milk and stir until well blended. Stir in minced ginger, cilantro, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and Worcestershire and heat until it comes to a boil. Add thin sliced onion and meat and then reduce heat until it remains at a simmer.

3. When meat is cooked through (about 5 minutes or so), stir in another can of coconut milk and bring back to a boil. Add potatoes, carrots and sriracha sauce and stir until everything is well mixed. 

4. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Serve hot over cooked brown or white rice (see note).

Recipe Notes

1. I usually buy these larger 14-oz. Mae Ploy cans of curry paste because we make this a lot, but you can find smaller cans too.

2. We’ve tried lots of brands of coconut milk and the Chaokoh brand is one of our favorites.

3. The only brand of fish sauce I have used is the Tiparos brand. One bottle lasts a really long time. When I was doing research for this post I noticed that it has not been sold in the US for a while so I don’t know if you’ll be able to find it. So I would look for a Thai style fish sauce, maybe something like this lucky brand sold on Amazon.

4. I use the Grand Mountain brand of sriracha sauce. When I first made this I was a little wary of this ingredient as it says it is very strong, but trust me on this, 1 teaspoon is not hot but adds a very important flavor. If you are looking for heat go ahead and add more. We usually stick with the 1 teaspoon in the recipe and then add more to our individual plates, as desired.

5. You can also make this a beef massaman curry by substituting 1 pound thinly sliced beef roast for the chicken. Everything else remains the same.

6. We like jasmine or basmati rice for this dish (either white or brown). I cook the rice in my electric pressure cooker with a 3:5 ratio of rice to water on high pressure for 21 minutes for brown rice and 6 minutes for white rice. About 3 cups of uncooked rice will yield 6 cups of cooked rice.

Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat

All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat

Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.