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With a velvety sauce, a secret tip for tender chicken and a fresh herb/crunchy cashew topping, this Coconut Curry Chicken Ramen is always a hit!
If you're a curry lover, you'll flip over this delicious Coconut Curry Chicken Ramen with its velvety luxurious sauce, tender chicken and a delicious topping of crunchy cashews and fresh herbs. If you're not familiar with curry, this is a wonderful place to start!
This is one of my go-to recipes when serving guests. Everyone loves it and I love the pretty presentation it makes in a bowl.
This curry starts with chopped onions and bell peppers which are quickly sautéed in a bit of butter. Garlic, ginger, red curry paste, brown sugar, peanut butter (yes!) and a roughly chopped potato are simmered in chicken broth until everything is super tender and the flavors have melded. This fragrant mixture is then blended with coconut milk until smooth and velvety. That's it! You're done until just before serving - when you'll need about 20 minutes to finish things off.
In addition to being loaded with vibrant flavor, I love this chicken ramen recipe because all the work can be done early in the day and the curry sauce can be stashed in the fridge until 30 minutes before serving time. Just bring the sauce to a simmer and then comes the magic. I use an old Chinese technique with the chicken called velveting. If you've ever wondered why chicken is so tender at good Chinese restaurants, velveting is the secret.
How does it work? I knew you'd want to know! Boneless, skinless chicken breast is thinly sliced and marinated in an unusual mixture of egg white, cornstarch and rice vinegar. I know, it sounds odd. But it works and it takes as little as 15 minutes.
By the time the chicken has done its thing, your sauce will be simmering and ready for the final easy step. Just add the chicken, give everything a good stir, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Now go set the table or enjoy your family and/or guests for 10 minutes. The hot sauce will gently cook the chicken to perfection. Ladle up bowls of the fragrant curry and expect happy faces and lots of compliments from around the table.
Curries are often served with rice, but I decided to change things up a bit and pair this one with ramen noodles instead. I like to keep the ramen and curry separate and combine them when serving as ramen noodles can soak up a lot of liquid and can quickly turn soft and mushy.
Ramen noodles have gotten a bad rap over the years because the everyday grocery store varieties are often deep-fried, high in calories and, include a string of crazy ingredients. Check out the ingredient label (below) on the noodles alone!
- enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- vegetable oil (Contains One or More of the Following: Canola, Cottonseed, Palm)
- preserved by TBHQ
- salt
- soy sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt)
- potassium carbonate
- sodium (mono, hexameta, and/or tripoly)
- phosphate
- sodium carbonate
- turmeric
I like to purchase organic ramen noodles, which are available in most larger grocery stores, in the same area as the regular ramen noodles. Why? This is the ingredient list for the noodles:
- organic heirloom wheat flour
- sea salt
Organic noodles are more expensive than regular ramen but they taste much better and are still decently priced; at my local grocery, they sell for $1.29 vs. $.25. You will also sometimes find larger packages of straight ramen noodles, either will work.
If you have an Asian store nearby, you can purchase fresh or frozen ramen which needs only a short stint in hot water to "come alive". Ask the clerk for help as it's sometimes hard to know where they are stocked.
Café Tips for making this Coconut Curry Chicken Ramen
- To make this chicken ramen ahead, make the sauce and refrigerate. 30 minutes before serving, marinate the chicken and bring the sauce back to a simmer. Slip the sliced chicken into the simmering sauce, cover and remove from heat. Wait 10 minutes (the chicken will cook perfectly in the hot sauce) then scoop up delicious bowls of Coconut Curry Chicken Ramen.
- The recipe calls for cashews but peanuts would also be wonderful.
- A word on curry paste - this recipe calls for red curry paste. Most larger grocery stores green, red and sometimes even yellow curry paste in the Asian/International aisle. The brand that I see most often is Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste. It's a good option. If you want something more authentic, Mae Ploy is delicious and is said to be the brand used in many Thai restaurants. It does have a little more heat though so start with one tablespoon and add more, to taste.
- Curry powder can vary a lot in heat level. This Sweet Curry Powder By Penzeys was rated as "the best curry powder " by Cook's Illustrated. It's very flavorful without being hot. Since the curry paste will add heat, look for a "mild" or "sweet" curry powder for this recipe (unless you love things really spicy, then go for one of the "hot" curry powders).
- Coconut milk comes in full fat and "light". Full fat is delicious but if you're watching calories the light version will also work for this recipe. I will often compromise and use one can of full fat and one can of light coconut milk.
- This chicken ramen reheats well in the microwave so it makes great leftovers for work lunches or quick meals on the run.
- Ramen noodles can be purchased in 2-3-ounces packages in the Asian section of the grocery store. Larger grocery stores (and online) also carry them in larger packages. They come curly and straight. Either will work well although you'll want to discard the little spice packet that comes with the small curly packages of ramen.
- Feel free to serve this chicken ramen with rice instead of noodles. You might have to change the name though!
Thought for the day:
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
Philippians 2:9-10
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoy any of these recipes, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
With a velvety sauce, a secret tip for tender chicken and a fresh herb/crunchy cashew topping, this Coconut Curry Chicken Ramen is always a hit!
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter
- 1 large sweet yellow onion roughly chopped
- 1 large yellow bell pepper roughly chopped
- 4 medium cloves garlic finely minced
- 3 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 1-2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 large russet or Yukon gold potato,or 2 medium, about 12-14 ounces peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt more to taste
- 2 14.5-ounce cans coconut milk
- 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts thinly sliced, widthwise (about ¼-inch thick)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 egg white from 1 large egg
- fresh cilantro (or basil), coarsely chopped
- fresh mint leaves if desired
- ½ cup cashew halves and pieces
- 6-8 ounces ramen noodles (discard spice packet) cooked according to package directions
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Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven on medium heat. Add onion and pepper and cook for 4 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, ginger, brown sugar and red curry paste and stir to combine. Cook for another minute until nice and fragrant.
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Add chicken broth, potato, peanut butter, curry powder and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low but steady simmer, cover (with lid slightly vented) and cook for 15 minutes or until potato is very tender. Allow mixture to cool for a few minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
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While the mixture is cooling, prepare the marinade for the chicken by whisking together the egg white, rice vinegar and cornstarch in a medium-size bowl until well combined. Add sliced chicken and stir to coat the chicken well. Cover and place the chicken mixture in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
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Transfer the curry sauce to a blender container. Add one can of coconut milk and puree until silky smooth. Return mixture to the pot and add the other can of coconut milk. (You can also simply add both cans of coconut milk to the pot after cooking and use a stick (or immersion) blender to puree.)
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Bring the sauce to a simmer then add the prepared chicken. Stir to make sure chicken is not sticking together. Return to a simmer then cover and remove from heat. Allow the curry to sit for 10 minutes. Taste and add more seasoning, if desired. Serve with ramen noodles, fresh herbs and cashews.
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.
If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.
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Meghan says
Amazing!!! Thank you Chris for another outstanding dinner recipe! The leftovers tasted even better after they had sat overnight 🙂 We swapped out the ramen and made rice noodles instead. Also used tahini instead of peanut butter. Very good!! Thanks for all you do & for sharing your delicious recipes!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Meghan!
Carol says
Hi. I've read thru the recipe twice and do not see how the potatoes are supposed to be prepared- sliced/diced or...?
Looking forward to making this!!@
Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Carol, thanks for noticing that. I have added to the recipe that it should be peeled and roughly chopped.
Hope you enjoy it!
Christina Jonas says
Hi. I would love to have metric measurements, but there is no word above "Instructions" to click on. It would be great if that was added.
Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Done! Enjoy!
sara says
Thai cuisine is one of my favorites since it is so flavorful and wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing this with us; you obviously know your stuff! Bookmarked.
Kathy Janes says
Can you give any tips on grating 3 tablespoons of ginger? My box grater isn't fine enough and my citrus zester will just turn it into goo. Chopping by hand with a knife would take me forever.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Kathy, I just use my citrus zester. It's ok if it turns into a paste. You can also keep the ginger in the freezer which makes it easier to grate. I also really like the ginger paste in a tube that you can buy in the produce section of your grocery store. Hope that helps!
Emily says
Made this for dinner last night and it's soooo good! First time making ramen - I'm putting this recipe in my "make to impress guests" pile.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this ramen, Emily! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! 💕
Anno says
At first I thought this recipe was a bit "fussy", but I figured it might be worth it so I gathered up what I needed and started. It does take about an hour to do it right. Left out the fresh herbs and substituted lemon for the lime and KaBoom! It was without a doubt the BEST curry I have ever made- definitely restaurant quality. You guys were right- the chicken made a BIG difference. The great thing about the puree method in making the sauce, is that the leftover or surplus sauce makes a great soup! We cleaned out our bowls with a spoon! Delicioso
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Anno. I love that you loved this as much as we do!
Pat says
I made this for my family. Normally my husband does not like spicy food but it wasn’t too spicy. We all loved it! I only used a teaspoon of curry powder (I couldn’t find “sweet” curry powder) but next time I will use two teaspoons. I served it over rice and it went a long way. Can’t wait to make it again for company. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome, Pat! Thanks for sharing your results! I can't decide if I like it better with rice or the ramen noodles but it's nice to have 2 options.
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Lopve this dish Chris! So full of flavor. Can't wait to give it a try. I'm sure it will be a hit here!
Liz says
This has inspired me for our next dinner club theme!! YUM!!!
P.S. I found an old photo of Scott entertaining Roxana's daughter at Mixed. It was so cute! I'll try to find it again and email it to you 🙂
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
This sounds fabulous! Love curry and I love ramen so this is an instant hit!
Jenn Anderson says
This sounds and looks delicious!
Tricia | Saving Room for Dessert says
Love everything about this dish Chris. The color is so vibrant and those noodles are the perfect compliment to the coconut milk sauce. Terrific!
Pam M. says
I really have enjoyed your site. And I love curry dishes so I'm excited to try this tecipe. One area I struggle with is what to serve with a curry dinner theme. I would love to get some of your suggestions. Thank you so much!
Chris Scheuer says
Sorry for the delay Pam! I've been out of the country for a few days. I like to serve this curry with a simple green salad or something like this: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/orange-fennel-watercress-salad/ or this: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/arugula-orange-salad-with-lemon-ginger-dressing/
It's wonderful with the oranges!
Lely says
Thank you for the recipe. Question: Is it enough time to get the chicken cooked ? If I understood this correctly the pot is to be removed from heat right after returning it to a mere simmer... please let me know. Best wishes,
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Lely, yes the chicken will cook perfectly in the steaming sauce! If you cook it longer, it gets tough.
Lely says
Hi, thank you for the reply. I made it today and yes, the chicken was velvety as you described, and perfectly cooked. Thank you for sharing this ( and many others) delicious recipe and for the helpful tips. All the best.
Paula says
This sounds fantastic- what could I substitute for peanut butter as I have a peanut allergy...
Marlene says
Try cashew or almond butter. Cashew is often used in dishes like this. If you can’t use any nut butters, sunflower seed butter might work, though I don’t know how that will taste.
Chris Scheuer says
Great idea!
Anne says
Oh, my! This looks and sounds absolutely delicious. My husband will love this. I have a question. What brand of peanut butter do you use? Just regular Peter Pan, or are you using natural PB?
Thank you for all the great tips, too!
angiesrecipes says
Curry made with coconut cream tastes particularly creamy, smooth and delicious!