Vietnamese Chicken Curry is a dish I love and know very well, I’ve been eating my mom’s version of this dish my entire life. It’s so flavorful & delicious — the contrast of textures when eating it with a crusty baguette is absolute perfection. My recipe is a little different from my mom’s—I prefer a slightly thicker curry so I add a touch of flour and only use coconut milk as my liquid to create a creamy curry that condenses all the flavors. I also use boneless chicken thighs rather than the traditional bone in which can be cumbersome if you’re cooking for a family that includes children.
The defining characteristic of Vietnamese Curry is the Coconut Milk—which makes it completely standout from other curries such as the Indian (British) Version you may be familiar with. This Vietnamese incarnation is much creamier—and in my opinion—much tastier. The spice level of your curry is largely dependent on the specific Madras Curry Powder you’re using—I typically now use the mild since my kids love this dish, but add cayenne to my own bowl since I’m a sucker for spice.
This recipe makes a large portion suitable for multiple servings, but I also use it to make the most delicious Vietnamese Curry Puffs (Recipe Here). These puffs are not a traditional dish, but I invented them to use some of the leftover curry – so check out that recipe too!
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22 Comments
Walt
April 15, 2018 at 5:21 pm
This recipe is amazing! My only suggestion is to add bean sprouts, jalapeño rings and lime juice to the garnish. Thank you, it was better than my local restaurant’s.
Van
April 15, 2018 at 6:13 pm
Thanks for trying it out Walt, I’m glad you loved it and awesome to hear that it’s better than your local restaurant!
Jenny
May 6, 2018 at 4:23 pm
Hi Van, could I use this same recipe using beef? The only liquid is the coconut milk (worried that it’ll burn without other liquids like water or stock)?
Van
May 6, 2018 at 4:42 pm
Hi Jenny, yes you could use beef. I’ve made it several times and I’ve never gotten burn error – the only time that could happen is if you don’t deglaze the pot well after browning the meat – just be sure there’s nothing stuck to bottom. You’ll also need to adjust the cook time for beef, if you’re using stew meat you can cook it for 30 mins High Pressure & 15 min NPR
Jennifer
December 30, 2018 at 8:53 am
What would be the adjusted cooking time if I substitute the chicken with short ribs?
Van
December 30, 2018 at 9:37 am
Hi Jennifer, are you using standard short ribs or flanken cut short ribs?
Thuy
August 17, 2018 at 8:42 am
Can’t wait to try out this recipe! My grocery store only carries lemongrass paste, and I can’t get a hold of the essential oil in time for dinner tonight. Should I use the paste or do you recommend against it? I suppose the only issue would be that it’s going to be floating around in the curry.
Van
August 17, 2018 at 9:10 am
Hi Thuy, lemongrass paste will work fine, I think a tablespoon of it would be good. If you have a cloth spice bag you could always put the paste in there if you don’t want it floating around – either way would be fine. Hope you enjoy it!
glenn
January 3, 2019 at 10:55 am
I loved this recipe! I immediately shared it with my upstairs neighbors who also loved it.
For my next batch, I’m going to increase the liquid because I love sopping it up with bread and replace half of the white potatoes with sweet potatoes and see how that works out.
After that, I’m going to try the related pastry crust recipe with this as the filling!
Van
January 3, 2019 at 9:16 pm
Glad you loved it Glenn! The curry puffs are so good, you’ll love it too!
ELSA
January 9, 2019 at 8:26 pm
I am excited to try this recipe. If I substitute the chicken thighs with chicken drumsticks, will the cooking time change? Also, can I use frozen minced lemongrass since I already have that?
Van
January 9, 2019 at 9:09 pm
Hi Elsa, cook the chicken legs for 5 mins HP instead of 2 mins. Yes you can use frozen minced lemongrass, I think about a tablespoon would be good.
Kim
February 18, 2019 at 8:34 pm
Thanks for this delicious recipe! I keep getting burn notices even though I saute the chicken, onion, and flour separately. Do you have any suggestions to prevent that? I have an Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt.
Van
February 18, 2019 at 9:58 pm
Hi Kim, after you pour in the coconut milk, you have to scrape the bottom of the pot really well with a flat spatula. If anything is stuck to the bottom, you get the burn notice.
Lynn Nguyen
April 5, 2020 at 7:14 pm
Hi! Would I be able to double this recipe in a 8qt pot? If so, does cooking time change?
Van
April 6, 2020 at 8:21 am
Hi Lynn, yes you can double the recipe, just keep the same cooking time. Enjoy!
Paige
May 3, 2020 at 10:13 am
I had been searching for years for a Vietnamese curry like one I grew up with. Every restaurant I tried was too runny/lemongrassy. Finally, I came upon this and it is exactly how I remember Curry Chicken to be. I see a lot of lemongrass issues- I keep lemongrass in my freezer, and just use as necessary. The flavor keeps just fine, and whenever I make it to an Asian market, I just replace. Thank you for this recipe!
Stephanie
November 9, 2021 at 11:45 am
This recipe is so good! My husband & I loved it, but it was too spicy for my daughter. Do you think it would be less spicy if I put less of the curry powder? Hopefully it would still be good too
Van
November 9, 2021 at 11:53 am
Hello! What type of madras curry powder are you using? At Vietnamese markets, you can find mild madras curry powder, it usually comes in a plastic packet – so that might be a better option instead of using less curry powder
Stephanie
November 25, 2021 at 8:57 am
I’m using the Vietnamese madras curry powder. I don’t see anything on it indicating if it’s spicy or mild but I will try to look for a mild one next time! My mom gave me the packets, which is interesting because I don’t remember her curry ever being spicy so I was wondering why
Laura
August 29, 2023 at 8:03 pm
Next time I try this I think I’m going to put it all in and leave pressure for 10-12 minutes with a 10 minute or natural release. As is, I’ve had to do 4 pressure cooks of 4 minutes. Not nearly enough time for the potatos and carrots. I think they could definitely be put in at the same time as the chicken
Christine
February 28, 2024 at 11:38 pm
Made this but subbed 1 can of coconut milk for 1L of chicken broth, turned out amazing!!! tastes just like how my mom makes it. thanks for the recipe