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Choo Chee Chicken Curry Recipe

11/06/2020 (Last Updated: 28/07/2020)
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Ready in 15 minutes, this Choo Chee Curry with Chicken recipe is a beloved Thai-Australian fusion dish. It features an easy curry sauce made with fragrant Thai red curry,  creamy coconut, kaffir lime and a hint of sugar for the perfect mid-week dinner.

Plate of choo chee curry with chicken pieces, topped with capsicum and kaffir lime.

Why We Love This

Choo Chee Chicken is PACKED with flavour and is super easy to whip up in around 15 minutes.

There’s just something about that glossy, spicy, coconut and red curry sauce infused with kaffir lime that will have you coming back for seconds.

Related: Thai Green Curry Paste / Panang Chicken Curry

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Choo chee curry on a bed of rice with chicken and kaffir lime leaves.

What is Choo Chee Curry? 

Choo chee sauce is traditionally a style of Thai red curry paired with seafood in Thailand. In our hometown of Adelaide, it’s more popularly served with chicken. 

You can taste the Thai origins of this dish with its creamy coconut infused red curry sauce and finely sliced fresh kaffir lime leaves, palm sugar and fish sauce. 

P.S. If you love curries, why not try our amazing Vietnamese Chicken Curry, Thai Panang Curry or Indonesian Fish Curry?

What You’ll Need:

  • Red Curry Paste – Feel free to use your favourite panang curry paste or pre-made Thai red curry paste.
  • Coconut Cream – Coconut Cream is thicker and richer than coconut milk. It’s made by simmering four parts shredded coconut in one part water. If you can’t find it in your local supermarket, try checking your nearest Asian import store or look for coconut cream online. It’s fine to use coconut milk if you can’t find coconut cream, it will just be a slightly thinner sauce.
  • Kaffir Lime Leaves – If you’re after that classic Choo Chee Chicken flavour then you won’t want to miss out on kaffir lime leaves. Depending on where you live, you might source them fresh from your local market or import store, or they may be dried or bottled in the Asian section of your local supermarket. You can also find dried kaffir lime leaves online. While kaffir lime has quite a distinct scent, you can substitute with 1 heaped teaspoon of lime zest per leaf. You can also add a squeeze of lime juice for good measure.
  • Fish Sauce – This is essential. Fish sauce gives your Choo Chee Chicken that classic Thai saltiness. Again, you can usually find it in import stores, some supermarkets or buy fish sauce online. If you prefer to leave it out, you might like to add a little salt to taste or a teaspoon of soy sauce if you’re making a vegetarian version. 
  • Palm Sugar Palm sugar is a gorgeous natural sweetener with a mild caramel flavour. Feel free to substitute with coconut sugar, regular brown sugar or raw sugar if you can’t find palm sugar readily.
Plate of Choo Chee Chicken Curry on rice.

How to make Choo Chee Chicken Curry:

Let’s get started by heating up 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large fry pan. Quickly fry the chicken in batches it transforms into a deliciously crispy golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Frying thinly sliced chicken pieces in oil.

Meanwhile, pop the red curry paste in a small saucepan with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and stir. Continue to heat gently until fragrant. Pour in the coconut cream and most of the chopped kaffir lime leaves (keep the rest for a gorgeous garnish).

Choo chee sauce cooking in a saucepan.

After the sauce has heated through, reduce the heat to low and stir in the fish sauce and grated palm sugar. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Adding grated palm sugar to choo chee curry sauce cooking on the stove.

Now plate everything up by popping a scoop of cooked rice into your serving bowl and layer with cooked chicken. Pour over with plenty of curry sauce then garnish with extra chopped kaffir lime leaves and finely sliced capsicum.

Best eaten with a spoon and a fork!

Pouring choo chee sauce on freshly cooked chicken and rice.

Wandercook’s Tips

  • Whether you’re making Choo Chee Chicken or fish, or prawns, or pork, etc, you can actually cook the meat separately however you like. We usually stir fry the thinly sliced chicken but it’s also fine to poach, grill, or steam depending on your preference.
  • To slice kaffir lime leaves super thinly, first separate the leaves and then stack two or three at a time on top of each other. Roll up into a cylinder shape and then finely slice with a sharp knife. It’s much easier to slice the kaffir leaves this way than it is to chop them flat.
  • We prefer to leave the sliced kaffir lime leaf in the dish when serving for more of that gorgeous citrus flavour, but if you don’t like the texture (it’s quite a firm leaf), feel free to strain the sauce before serving.
  • Don’t be concerned if the sauce looks like it has separated with some of the oil floating on top – it’s actually a good sign! 

FAQs

Can you cook Choo Chee Chicken in advance?

For the best and freshest flavour, serve Choo Chee Chicken straight away after cooking. If needed, the sauce can be made a few hours in advance, then poured over freshly cooked chicken.

Can Choo Chee Chicken be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze Choo Chee Chicken Curry. For best results, use within 1 month of freezing. The longer you leave it in the freezer, the more likely it is that the coconut milk will separate and start to look grainy. 

What to serve with Choo Chee Chicken?

For a simple mid-week dinner, serve Choo Chee Chicken with fluffy white rice (jasmine or basmati pair perfectly). 

Variations & Substitutes

  • Choo Chee Curry sauce pairs perfectly with white fish, prawns and even pork instead of chicken. For a vegetarian option, why not try it with tofu or eggplant with bell pepper or enoki mushrooms? 
  • For a vegan version, swap the fish sauce for soy sauce and make sure to use a vegan red curry paste. You may want to add a little extra salt to balance the flavour. 
A plate of chicken curry served on rice and garnished with fresh kaffir lime leaves.

Try these amazing Asian curries next:

★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and star rating below!

Choo chee chicken curry on a bed of rice.

Choo Chee Chicken Curry Recipe

Ready in 15 minutes, this Choo Chee Curry with Chicken recipe is a beloved Thai-Australian fusion dish. It features an easy curry sauce made with fragrant Thai red curry,  creamy coconut, kaffir lime and a hint of sugar for the perfect mid-week dinner.
4.88 from 16 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Thai
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 795kcal
Author: Wandercooks
Cost: $15-20

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat half of the vegetable oil in a large fry pan. Quickly fry the chicken in batches it transforms into a deliciously crispy golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
    4 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 chicken breasts
  • Meanwhile, pop the red curry paste in a small saucepan with the remaining vegetable oil and stir. Gently fry until fragrant, around 1-2 mins. Pour in the coconut cream and most of the chopped kaffir lime leaves (keep the rest for a gorgeous garnish).
    400 ml coconut cream, 1 ½ tbsp thai red curry paste, 4 tbsp vegetable oil, 8-10 Thai makrut / kaffir lime leaves
  • After the sauce has heated through, reduce the heat to low and stir in the fish sauce and grated palm sugar. Remove from the heat and set aside.
    1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp palm sugar
  • Now plate everything up by popping a scoop of cooked rice into your serving bowl and layer with cooked chicken. Pour over with plenty of curry sauce then garnish with remaining kaffir lime leaves and finely sliced capsicum.
    ¼ capsicum / bell pepper

Video

YouTube video

Recipe Notes

  • Whether you’re making Choo Chee Chicken or fish, or prawns, or pork, etc, you can actually cook the meat separately however you like. We usually stir fry the thinly sliced chicken but it’s also fine to poach, grill, or steam depending on your preference.
  • To slice kaffir lime leaves super thinly, first separate the leaves and then stack two or three at a time on top of each other. Roll up into a cylinder shape and then finely slice with a sharp knife. It’s much easier to slice the kaffir leaves this way than it is to chop them flat.
  • We prefer to leave the sliced kaffir lime leaf in the dish when serving for more of that gorgeous citrusy flavour, but if you don’t like the texture (it’s quite a firm leaf), feel free to strain the sauce before serving.
  • Don’t be concerned if the sauce looks like it has separated with some of the oil floating on top – it’s actually a good sign! 🙂
Variations
  • Choo Chee Curry sauce pairs perfectly with white fish, prawns and even pork. For a vegetarian option, why not try it with tofu or eggplant with bell pepper or enoki mushrooms? 
  • For a vegan version, omit the fish sauce and make sure to use a vegan red curry paste. You may want to add a little extra salt to balance the flavour. 

 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Choo Chee Chicken Curry Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
795
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
52
g
80
%
Saturated Fat
 
43
g
269
%
Cholesterol
 
72
mg
24
%
Sodium
 
492
mg
21
%
Potassium
 
827
mg
24
%
Carbohydrates
 
53
g
18
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
2
g
2
%
Protein
 
32
g
64
%
Vitamin A
 
1155
IU
23
%
Vitamin C
 
14.1
mg
17
%
Calcium
 
40
mg
4
%
Iron
 
3.2
mg
18
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Choo Chee Chicken Curry Recipe

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36 Comments

  • Reply
    1. Timothy Blake
    16/01/2024 at 7:47 pm

    This sucks, Choo Chee is NOT known for kaffir lime rather Thai Basil/holy basil!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      17/01/2024 at 1:43 pm

      Actually Choo chee IS known for Kaffir Lime – it’s even on the Thai Wikipedia page for the dish – https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%89%E0%B8%B9%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%89%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%88.

      While I’m sure there are versions that use Thai basil, which is fine and you can totally use that if you prefer, we specifically say this is our Australian Thai fusion version that is popular in our city.

      You may also be confusing this with Pad Krapow Gai or Thai Basil Chicken perhaps?

  • Reply
    Julie Allison
    20/04/2023 at 9:26 pm

    5 stars
    I was looking for a Choo Chee curry recipe after falling in love with this dish at my local Thai restaurant. This recipe did not disappoint. I was so happy with how similar the flavour was. My family all loved it and will definitely make again.

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      24/04/2023 at 12:31 pm

      So happy to hear Julie! How good it is when you can make it yourself at home!

  • Reply
    Catherine
    08/09/2021 at 11:41 am

    5 stars
    Made this last week and it was delicious and so quick! An instant favourite for our family.

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      08/09/2021 at 1:11 pm

      Fantastic Catherine, thanks for the feedback! 😀

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