Yellow Curry with Chicken

Name: Yellow Curry with Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 3 Whole chicken legs chopped into 2-inch pieces, bone in; 3.2 cups Coconut milk poured out gently and rested 15 minutes to let the cream rise, divided; 4 Potatoes peeled, cut into large chunks, parboiled 5 minutes; 3/4 Brown or yellow onion sliced into thick pieces; 1.6 cups Baby corn halved lengthwise, cut into 2-3 inch lengths; 3 1/4 tablespoons Yellow curry paste; 2 1/2 teaspoons Fish sauce to taste; 2 1/2 tablespoons Coconut sugar to taste; 2 1/2 cups Water as needed; 3/4 Thai long chili sliced into thin slivers for garnish

Kaeng Kari Gai

Bone-in chicken, potato, and baby corn simmered in a mild, creamy yellow curry

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min
Serves: 4
Heat: mild

This is likely the first Thai curry many people outside Thailand ever try, prized precisely because it's mild and comforting rather than fiery. Bone-in chicken pieces simmer directly in the curry, releasing flavor into the broth that boneless meat can't match, while potato and baby corn go in at staggered times so the potato turns tender but the corn stays crisp. A short rest off the heat at the end lets the curry's oils separate and rise, giving the dish the rich orange-yellow color it's known for, finished with a drizzle of reserved coconut milk right before serving.

Ingredients

3 Whole chicken legs (chopped into 2-inch pieces, bone in)
3.2 cups Coconut milk (poured out gently and rested 15 minutes to let the cream rise, divided)
4 Potatoes (peeled, cut into large chunks, parboiled 5 minutes)
3/4 Brown or yellow onion (sliced into thick pieces)
1.6 cups Baby corn (halved lengthwise, cut into 2-3 inch lengths)
3 1/4 tablespoons Yellow curry paste
2 1/2 teaspoons Fish sauce (to taste)
2 1/2 tablespoons Coconut sugar (to taste)
2 1/2 cups Water (as needed)
3/4 Thai long chili (sliced into thin slivers for garnish)

Directions

Pour the coconut milk gently into a bowl without shaking it and let it rest for 15 minutes so the cream rises to the top. Chop the chicken legs into 2-inch pieces, keeping the bone in for flavor.
Slice the chili into thin slivers for garnish. Halve and cut the baby corn. Peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks, then parboil for about 5 minutes so they're still firm. Slice the onion.
Heat a lidded pan over medium heat. Scoop off the richer top portion of the rested coconut milk and add it to the pan. Once bubbling, stir in the curry paste and cook for about 2 minutes.
Once bubbly and a rich orange-yellow color, stir in about half the sugar and half the fish sauce.
Add the chicken, stirring to coat. Cover and cook about 5 minutes per side, adding a splash of water as needed if the pan dries out.
Once the chicken is browned and cooked through, add the remaining coconut milk (reserving a couple tablespoons for garnish). Let it heat back up and simmer gently for about 5 minutes.
Add the potato and onion, plus a little water if needed to just cover everything. Cook about 10 minutes, until the potato is just slightly softened but still firm. Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, sugar, or water as needed.
Once the potatoes are cooked, stir in the baby corn and turn off the heat right away so it stays crisp.
Let the curry sit off heat for about 10 minutes so the oils separate and rise, giving it a rich orange-yellow color.
Ladle into bowls, drizzle with the reserved coconut milk, and garnish with slivered chili. Serve with jasmine rice and cucumber relish if you have it.

Notes

Let the coconut milk rest undisturbed for 15 minutes before using it, and scoop the richer top layer for blooming the curry paste — that concentrated fat is what gives the curry its full body.

Substitutions

Chicken breast can be used if preferred, but bone-in leg and thigh meat gives the broth noticeably more flavor. Canned baby corn works fine if fresh isn't available — just rinse away the canning liquid.