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.
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
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.