This Keto Coconut Curry Chicken is made with red onion, garlic, ginger, red curry paste, coconut milk and a lime.

It is absolutely fantastic and flavorful. The coconut milk and curry combination is the best mixture of sweet and spicy you could ever dream of. This is a main course that would be served at a restaurant and will definitely impress your family at home.
If you do not have chicken thighs at home, feel free to use other bone in chicken for best flavor, like drumsticks or wings. Cut the chicken up into pieces if you buy a whole chicken. You will get the best bang for your buck this way!
If you are not keto, I love serving this chicken on the side of white rice. I used basmati rice but jasmine will work well. You could even make a homemade naan as well. If you would like to incorporate more veggies into this you can add sliced bell peppers, tomatoes or carrots. Just add them when you add the onion.
If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Keto Chicken Adobo or my Keto Chicken Wings.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Chicken thigh, bone in and skin on
- Olive oil
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Red curry paste
- Chicken broth
- Coconut milk
- Limes
- Cilantro
See recipe card for Keto Coconut Curry Chicken quantities.
Instructions
Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over medium-high in a large deep saucepan. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook, undisturbed, until nicely browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and brown the other side, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Turn heat to medium-low, add the onion and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until the garlic and the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt.
Add the red curry paste, chicken broth and the coconut milk, and stir until combined, scraping up any brown bits that have formed at the bottom of the pan. Nestle the chicken back into the skillet along with any juices that have accumulated. Bring to a simmer and reduce to medium low. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. After it is cooked through, remove from heat and squeeze the lime and garnish with cilantro.
Hint: Make sure to use a meat thermometer until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Substitutions
Chicken: Instead of using a whole chicken, you can use chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs. Anything with the bone in.
Olive oil: I love using olive oil for this recipe, although you can always use another oil like vegetable or sunflower oil. You could even use melted butter as the glue.
Red Curry Paste:This is usually sold in the ethnic food section of your grocery store.
Coconut milk: I used coconut milk from a can, which can be found in the ethnic food section fo your grocery store as well as the shelved milk aisle.
Rice: If you would rather not do a keto dinner, you can serve this dish with any white long grain rice. My favorite rice for this is jasmin or basmati rice.
Variations
Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
- Deluxe - Add extra vegetables in with the onion.
- Kid friendly - serve with rice or a homemade naan.
Check out this Chicken, Sausage and Porcini Mushrooms recipe.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!
Storage
This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or frozen for up to three months.
Top tip
Make sure to use a meat thermometer until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Keto Coconut Curry Chicken
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Keto Coconut Curry Chicken is made with red onion, garlic, ginger, red curry paste, coconut milk and a lime. It is absolutely fantastic and flavorful. The coconut milk and curry combination is the best mixture of sweet and spicy you could ever dream of. This is a main course that would be served at a restaurant and will definitely impress your family at home.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, at room temperature
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 3 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 4 oz jar red curry paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 (13-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- Juice of ½ lime
- 3 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over medium-high in a large deep saucepan. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook, undisturbed, until nicely browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and brown the other side, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Turn heat to medium-low, add the onion and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until the garlic and the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt.
- Add the red curry paste, chicken broth and the coconut milk, and stir until combined, scraping up any brown bits that have formed at the bottom of the pan. Nestle the chicken back into the skillet along with any juices that have accumulated. Bring to a simmer and reduce to medium low. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. After it is cooked through, remove from heat and squeeze the lime and garnish with cilantro.
Notes
- You can substitute any type of onion, yellows works as well.
- You can use bone broth as well
- Coconut milk works best if its full fat
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 472.0
- Sugar: 1.0 g
- Sodium: 245.9 mg
- Fat: 24.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 19.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.7 g
- Fiber: 0.0 g
- Protein: 57.4 g
- Cholesterol: 137.8 mg
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Donna
Can this recipe be used with chicken breast
Maxine Dubois
Of course!