This one pan Thai-inspired yellow curry chicken and rice is one of those recipes that once you make it, you’ll truly come back to it time and time again. It’s filled with wonderful flavors from fresh ginger, garlic, and curry powder, and packed with colorful veggies that cook right in a single pan.
I made this recipe for the first time back in 2017, and it quickly became an AK staple for our team and for hundreds of readers. Check out the full post below for simple ways to customize it and make it your own, and get ready for delicious, high-protein meal prep all week long.
What you’ll need to make one pan curry chicken & rice
Let’s chat about this fabulous coconut yellow curry chicken and rice. It’s packed with LOTS of colorful veggies, warming spices, and almost 40g of protein per serving. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
- Chicken: I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs for extra delicious flavor, but feel free to use chicken breast.
- Oil: you’ll need a bit of avocado oil (or olive oil) to brown the chicken and sauté the vegetables.
- Veggies: we’re adding in fresh green beans, red bell pepper, carrot & green onion.
- Rice: be sure to use white basmati rice so that it cooks up nice and fluffy. Do not use brown rice as it will take too long to cook.
- Herbs & spices: you’ll need garlic, ginger, cilantro, curry powder, turmeric, salt & pepper.
- For the broth: everything will simmer in canned light coconut milk and low-sodium chicken broth (or water) to cook completely.
- To garnish: I like to top the pan with extra cilantro and green onion, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a Thai chile for a kick of heat.
Customize this recipe
What I love about this curry chicken is that it’s incredibly forgiving and made with some of my favorite pantry staples. Here are some easy ingredient swaps and ways to make this chicken and rice your own:
- Use your fav veggies. Snap peas, broccoli, sweet peas, asparagus, and orange or yellow bell pepper would all be delicious.
- Swap your grain. I think quinoa would also be delicious in this recipe (you can use 3/4 cup), and readers have made it with cauliflower rice as well! Again, I would not recommend using brown rice as it will take too long to cook.
- Spice it up. Feel free to add about 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper if you want this dish a little spicy, or top your portion with hot sauce!
Can I make it vegetarian?
Sure! Simply swap the chicken for 1 package of cubed, firm tofu or 1 can of chickpeas. You’ll sauté the tofu or chickpeas the same way you do with the chicken, and then add them back to the skillet with the rice and veggies as written. Then be sure to use low-sodium vegetable broth or water instead of chicken broth.
Can I skip the coconut milk?
Unfortunately, no, I can’t recommend a replacement for the coconut milk as it’s essential to the curry flavor and provides the necessary liquid to cook the chicken, rice, and vegetables.
How to make yellow curry chicken and rice in one pan
- Brown your chicken. You’ll first brown your chicken in an oven-safe dutch oven or braiser with garlic, salt & pepper. No need to cook it all the way through.
- Sauté your veggies. You’ll then saute your veggies (except the green beans) for a few minutes. Once the onions soften a bit, stir in the spices to bring out their flavor.
- Toast the rice. Stir the rice into the veggie and spice mixture to toast it and help it absorb the flavors.
- Assemble the skillet. Stir in the coconut milk, broth or water, green beans, and salt. Add the chicken thighs, and nestle them into the rice mixture.
- Cook it up. Bring everything to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and transfer to the oven to finish cooking.
- Garnish & serve. Top the pan with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, extra cilantro and green onion, and a sliced Thai chile, and serve!
Storing & meal prep tips
The best part about this recipe? It’s perfect for meal prep! Simply let the pan cool completely, divide the whole thing into 4 separate meal prep containers, and place them in the refrigerator to enjoy all week long.
More one pan meals to try
- Sheet Pan Moroccan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes & Cauliflower
- One Pan Southwest Chicken and Rice Fajita Skillet
- Sheet Pan Salmon with Potatoes and Chickpeas
- One Pan Green Chicken and Rice (Green Arroz Con Pollo)
- One Pan Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce
Get all of my one pan meals here!
I hope you love this one pan yellow curry chicken and rice! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment below and rate it so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
One Pan Thai-Inspired Yellow Curry Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon medium yellow curry powder (or 2 tablespoons yellow curry paste)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 ½ cups white jasmine or basmati rice, well-rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can full fat coconut milk, well shaken
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth (or water)
- 8 oz green beans, ends trimmed and cut into roughly 2 inch long pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 lime, juiced
- To garnish:
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced green onion
- 1 Thai chile, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place an oven-safe large dutch oven or a 3.5 quart braiser over medium-high heat and add in the oil. Once oil is hot, add in the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and transfer to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add in another tablespoon of oil. Add in the green onions, carrots, and bell pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 to 5 minutes until onions slightly soften. Stir in the garlic, ginger, yellow curry powder, and ground turmeric, cooking until fragrant and spices are toasted, 30 seconds. Then immediately stir in the rice and cook for 1 minute to toast the rice.
- Stir in the coconut milk, broth, green beans, and salt. Arrange the chicken on top, including any accumulated chicken juices on the plate, and gently nestle into the rice mixture. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low, then cover, transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is tender. Top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, cilantro and green onions.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on November 6th, 2017, republished on January 13th, 2021, and republished on September 6th, 2022. Recipe and method were updated on January 12th, 2026, post was republished on February 11th, 2026, and recipe ratios were updated on August 12th, 2026.
I made this and although my dish looked really close, it was a little mushy when completed. There was too much liquid. I kept it cooking long to absorb and the bottom ended up burning. It was not like yummy crispy rice but a burned layer I could peel off, otherwise it was a good dish and my first time making a curry dish and using coconut milk in a savory dish. Will try again. I wish I could show a photo.
Could you double this recipe in a 5 qt cutch oven or would you need to add extra cooking time? Or do you not recommend it? Need more leftovers it’s so good!
Yes you could double it! I think that it should work fine!
Amazing! Everyone loved it and so easy to make. I had to make a few swaps due to what I had on hand or things I needed to use up. I used 1/2 finely diced white onion rather than green onions, I added 1 Tbsp red curry paste to the 1 Tbsp Madras curry powder and 1 tsp tumeric. Also, didn’t have grean beans, so used an extra pepper and added 1/4 cup frozen green peas at the end.
l love how flexible this recipe is. In times like we are living, where food is so expensive, being able to add what you have on hand is great. Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
Perfect! Yes, this one’s great for customizing 🙂 So glad you enjoyed!
My whole family loved this! We had to add a decent amount of salt and pepper to taste once it was done so next time I will add more during cooking. Thanks for a great recipe!
So happy to hear that! And yes, feel free to season as you go, too (everyone’s salt preferences vary so much).
Delicious and easy clean up. I am going to try cauliflower in the next batch.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
I have made this recipe more times than I can count since it is my absolute favorite dish to fill my family’s bellies, but I just realized it says to bake it and I have ALWAYS left it on the stovetop on low. Haha. So you all know it works to leave it on the stove!
Such a great go-to dinner! I recently updated this for people who were having trouble with the rice cooking, but I’m glad it works out well for you fully on the stovetop 🙂
This recipe was easy enough that even with some timing issues that I ran into (I forgot to preheat the oven until I had added the broth and coconut milk) it still turned out great. I used jasmine rice and frozen green beans because that’s what I had and it worked perfectly. To anyone considering this recipe, don’t skip on the lime juice and cilantro if you can tolerate cilantro! The lime in particular really elevated the dish in my opinion.
Perfect! This one’s very forgiving 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
Easy cleanup and delicious❤️
Glad you enjoyed!
Hello! Would you say this recipe is freezer friendly for meal prep?
Hi! I haven’t tested out freezing and reheating it because I’m not 100% sure how the rice will turn out when thawed and reheated.
I’m a huge fan of one pot meals and this one was incredible! Full of flavor and rather easy to throw together. I’ll definitely be making this again!!
Perfect for meal prep! Glad you loved it!
This was an easy and delicious one pot meal. I used broccoli instead of green beams( just what I had in my fridge) and everything else I had on hand.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
This is a delicious recipe! I pan-fried tofu instead of chicken and added a can of pumpkin to the curry sauce. Super healthy and yummy!
That sounds amazing!
Wow wow wow, this is sooo good! Love all the flavors and veggies. Love that it was all in one pan, Makes it so easy to cook the rice in the same pot and it absorbs all the flavors. 10/10 will make this over and over again!
YES so easy and delish! Glad you loved it!
Instead of transferring this to the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, can I reduce the stove to a simmer for 20 to 25 minutes? I don’t have a good pot that fits in the oven
Absolutely amazing ! My kids loved it and asked it it could be on our monthly meal rotation. Delish!
So happy to hear that!
Omg this was so good!! Thank you! I’m not a fan of curry, but this was perfect.
I’m glad you still gave it a try! One of our go-to dinners 🙂
Tastes delicious well each time!
Glad you love it!
I revisit this recipe again and again. It is so filling and family friendly. With picking family members, I’ve started to steam/saute the vegetables separately, but everyone enjoys the rice and chicken!
Perfect! Glad it’s a hit!
Super delicious and so easy! I love a good curry, but baked all together was genius. I may never make a traditional style again.
I also used from Costco stirfry veggies and they turned out perfect.
Crowd pleaser all my kid inhaled this! Adding to my recipe binder and regular rotation.
Amazing! Glad it was a hit!
Excellent one pan dinner. I have this on repeat once a month!!
So happy to hear that!
I’ve made this recipe numerous times and totally missed that it was updated. I cooked it on the stove like previously directed. What else changed?
Hi! I recently updated it to make it even better. I’m happy to send you the original version via email!
I was also confused because I thought I made this before, but as I was making it I thought “wait, this isn’t the same recipe.” Then I got nervous because I was cooking in front of a guest and hoped it would turn out. It was good! But could I also get the original via email please?
Why was the original changed?
I often update recipes after re-testing them to make them even better!
Absolutely! I’ll send it over.
The only thing that was changed was the cooking method (oven vs stovetop) because some people were having issues with the rice not cooking on the stove 🙂
Came out super delicious.👍
I’m so glad!
I was looking for a quick, flavourful one pot meal and wow this did not disappoint!! I only had chicken breast on hand and a frozen veggie blend with carrots, peas, corn, and green beans. I also only had dried ginger and garlic in the pantry. Despite that, was still very tasty and will definitely make again.
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing with what you have on hand 🙂
Followed the recipe exactly. Had to add sriracha, Greek yogurt, and fried onions so we could eat it.
How on earth did a recipe make rice even more bland?!
So strange! I’d recommend upping the sale next time (everyone’s salt preferences vary!)
This was super tasty! Thanks!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
When I found this recipe, I was just looking for a marinade for chicken and I was pretty at on a different cooking method. But the rice sounded good, so I threw the basmati into my rice cooker with the coconut milk and spices. It turned out perfectly. The chicken was also delicious, but the rice is now one of my go-tos for an easy, flavorful carb. It also works great with standard long grain white rice, and although I haven’t tried it, could probably be adjusted for brown rice as well.
Such an awesome one pan recipe. So easy to make and really delicious. I will definitely have this as part of my regular rotation. Chicken is perfectly cooked, rice is perfectly cooked. What more could you want?
One of my all-time favs, too!
The recipe is very tasty, Delicious. Highly recommend. HOWEVER, now having made the dish two times, the time estimates for preparation are just completely unrealistic. There is no way, any normal human being could do all the chopping, peeling, measuring etc in TEN MINUTES. Maybe if you’re good, have a lot of counter space, and none of the ingredients has a problem (like you have to work over the green beans to cull out some bad ones) I’d say allow ONE HOUR at least.
The rice took longer than 20 minutes to cook–don’t have an explanation except that it’s a lot of food cooking in a big pan.
I can endorse the idea of using additional or different vegetables. For our taste, we could easily have been happy with 1/3 or more of the main vegetables.
So glad you enjoyed! And noted on the timing here, too – we’ll revisit and adjust accordingly!
WOW! One Pan Thai Coconut Chicken & Rice…this is an incredibly delicious meal! Everyone loved it. I couldn’t find “medium” curry powder at the grocery store so I bought hot AND mild and did half and half. Everything else I followed exactly. So yummy! Thank you for sharing this delicious creation!
Perfect! So glad it was a hit!
This is the first recipe I’ve made with curry and I really like the flavor. This is an easy recipe to follow and makes for a great, one pan, filling meal. I’ve made this recipe with green onions, with white onions when I forget to buy green onions. I’ve made with brown rice, white rice. Brown rice took some time to figure out the exact time and liquid but I was eventually successful. But white rice is faster so I’ve been doing that most of the time. I’ve used fresh ginger or ground ginger, depending on what I have. Same with lime juice, try for fresh but if I forget I use the lime juice in my refrigerator. I have been skipping the peppers for sensitivity issues and adding more green beans. Still good without but wouldn’t skip if I didn’t have to.
Love that! This one’s great for customizing 🙂
I LOVE this recipe. I have come back to it so many times! So easy and fun to whip up and everything cooks together so perfectly. Even my three picky-ish kids all agree it’s a hit.
Amazing! Happy to hear it’s a hit with the whole family 🙂
YUM! It was so good. I like the all in one pot.
Still a favorite! Made this tonight for the first time in a while. And my 2 year old loves it 🙂
Yay! So glad this recipe is a hit for the whole family!
Really awesome recipe! I have made it a few times, I now cook the rice separately as when I put the rice in with the veggies and chicken it never fully absorbed all the liquid/cooked correctly. I put the basmati in coconut milk, some broth, and some of the curry and turmeric in the pot and cook as the rice says, and then just add it in at the end. And I add pineapple tidbits 🙂
Aw yay! I am so glad you’re enjoying this recipe!
Nothing is said about cooking the one cup of Basmati rice. Do I assume that is one cup cooked or one cup dry measure??