Hen Massaman Curry with tender hen and potatoes, creamy coconut sauce and warming spices. A comforting selfmade Thai-style curry. I make my very own curry paste for this recipe, however I’ve included directions on the best way to sub for shop-bought.

Nicky’s Notes

Hen + child potatoes + creamy coconutty spiced curry sauce?
Yep, that ticks a complete lot of my dinner cravings!
I make my Beef Massaman on a regular basis, and it hit me just lately that I didn’t have a hen model on the positioning!
So I remedied that, utilizing the identical selfmade massaman paste (unbelievably tasty! However don’t fear, you may swap for store-bought should you like) with hen thigh items and people all-important baby-new potatoes.
Utilizing hen means it cooks quicker (nearly 2 hours quicker), or you may sling it within the gradual cooker if you wish to prep earlier within the day and are available again to it at meal time.
📋 Elements for the curry paste
***Full recipe with detailed portions within the recipe card under***

📋 Elements for the remainder of the curry

Can I swap hen thighs for hen breast?
Sure in fact. Nevertheless, hen breast is leaner and doesn’t actually like being cooked for a very long time.
So I’d fry up the hen breast first, till simply cooked (step 3), then take away the hen from the pan and proceed on with the recipe.
Add the hen again in for the ultimate quarter-hour of cooking, while you take the lid off the curry.
This may assist to make sure the hen breast stays good and juicy.
Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps within the recipe card under***
Mix the curry paste elements collectively. Season the hen and fry, then add the curry paste and coat the hen. Add inventory, coconut milk and potatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes, lid loosely on, then 15 minutes lid off. Stir in lime juice and serve.
Recipe Ideas
- In case your sauce is just too saucy, simmer for somewhat longer cut back it additional.
- Use full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest sauce. Mild coconut milk can work, however full-fat offers you that silky, wealthy Massaman sauce that adheres fantastically to the hen and potatoes.

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🍽️ What to serve it with
Make forward and Leftovers Information
- Make forward/Leftovers: Make the curry, then cool it shortly, place in an air tight container and refrigerate.
- It’ll hold effectively within the fridge for as much as 3 days. I usually discover the sauce tastes even higher the following day, as soon as these beautiful heat spices have had time to settle in.
- Reheat the curry in a saucepan over a medium warmth, stirring often, till piping sizzling all through.
- You too can reheat it within the microwave in a coated, microwave-safe container. Warmth in bursts, stirring between each, till piping sizzling right through.
- Freezing: Cool the curry fully, then portion into freezer-safe hermetic containers (I like freezing it in particular person parts – faster defrost and you may pull out nevertheless many you want).
- Defrost in a single day within the fridge, then reheat as above.
📺 Watch the best way to make it
Massaman Paste – makes about 6 tbsp:
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Place all of the paste elements in a meals processor or mini chopper and mix till it types a paste. Put aside.
1 chopped purple onion, 3 gentle purple chillies, 2 tsp floor coriander, 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp floor cinnamon, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp lemongrass paste, 1 tsp minced ginger, 1 tsp shrimp paste, 3 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp gentle brown sugar, small bunch recent coriander (cilantro) stalks, 1/2 tsp salt
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Warmth the oil in a big pan. Toss the chopped hen within the cornflour, salt, and pepper.
2 tbsp oil, 1.5 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA), 800 g (1.75 lbs) skinless, boneless, hen thigh fillets, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp freshly floor black pepper
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Fry the hen within the oil for about 5 minutes on a excessive warmth, turning as soon as till sealed and calmly browned. You are able to do this in a single batch in case your pan is giant sufficient so as to add the hen in a single layer.
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As soon as the hen has cooked for five minutes, flip down the warmth to medium and add within the spice paste you made earlier. Give it a stir to coat the hen and let it cook dinner for a few minutes.
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Add within the hen inventory and coconut milk. Give all the things a stir (ensure you give any bits caught on the backside of the pan a scrape), deliver the sauce to a mild simmer.
360 ml (1 1/2 cups) hen inventory, 400 g (14 oz) can coconut milk
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Add within the potatoes, give it a stir and place a lid on, leaving a small hole for steam to flee. Cook dinner for 30 minutes, then take away the lid, stir and cook dinner for an extra quarter-hour, with no lid, till the potatoes are tender.
500 g (1.1 lbs) child new potatoes
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Stir within the lime juice, then serve the curry on a mattress of rice with a sprinkling of coriander (cilantro), recent chillies, and a wedge of lime. I like so as to add some marinated purple onions too.
juice of 1 lime, boiled rice, chopped recent coriander (cilantro), chopped purple chillies, lime wedges
What sort of potatoes to make use of?
I like to make use of child new potatoes on this, however you should utilize fingerlings or bigger potatoes. Ideally use a waxy potato that can maintain collectively higher throughout cooking. Charlotte, Jersey Royals and Yukon Gold all work nice – merely wash and chop into huge chunks (no have to peel).
Can I freeze the curry?
Sure, any leftovers of this curry will be cooled, coated and frozen. Then defrosted in a single day within the fridge and reheated in a pan (stirring usually) or microwave till piping sizzling all through.
Can I retailer the selfmade Massaman Paste?
Sure, the sauce ought to be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge. It ought to hold for a few week.
Can I exploit a shop-bought paste as a substitute of creating my very own?
Sure – though store purchased pastes are often stronger. So use about 4 tbsp as a substitute of the 6 tsp of selfmade paste.
Can I cook dinner it within the gradual cooker?
Sure, sear the coated hen first add within the spice paste, coconut milk and inventory as per the common directions. Then switch to a gradual cooker to proceed cooking.
I’d suggest cooking this for 3 hours on excessive or 4-5 hours on low. You’ll be able to add the potatoes in initially, or in order for you them to be barely firmer, add them in midway via the cooking time.
Cooking within the gradual cooker doesn’t cut back the sauce as a lot, so I’d suggest solely utilizing 120ml (1/2 cup) of hen inventory, as a substitute of the 360ml (1.5 cups) listed within the recipe.
Dietary informations is approximate, per serving, not together with rice or toppings.
Energy: 659kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 46g | Fats: 38g | Saturated Fats: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 4g | Monounsaturated Fats: 8g | Trans Fats: 0.1g | Ldl cholesterol: 205mg | Sodium: 1756mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g
Vitamin info is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
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