Thai Chicken Massaman Curry with and butternut squash stewed in thick aromatic coconut milk sauce. This flavorful meal is perfect for those evenings you’re craving healthier comfort food.
Have you ever had Massaman Curry?
I only recently began making it at home, and I daresay it’s been giving my all-time favorite, Red Curry Chicken, a run for its money.
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ve noticed I’ve had a torrid love affair with Thai red, green, and yellow curry, and have also dabbled into the wonderful world of Indian curries.
To me, there is simply nothing more comforting than protein and vegetables all snuggled up in a flavor-infused sauce with just the right amount of kick!
UPDATE: This is not an authentic recipe for Massaman curry. It is my simplification using ingredients that anyone can purchase at any grocery store to make the process easier and approachable.
Specifically, I use store-bought red curry paste rather than making my own, as it saves a great deal of time and it already includes ingredients that can be a challenge to find individually. If you’re seeking authentic Thai food recipes, feel free to google elsewhere.
If you’ve never tried Massaman curry, I’ll just spoiler alert you now and tell you, it’s basically on the Top 5 list of Most Comforting Curries (<- totally a thing), right next to Panang Curry.
The sauce is ultra thick, silky, and aromatic using warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and anise.
It’s like combining the comforts of fuzzy socks, a down comforter and fleece sheets into one beautifully flavored dish. For those times you just want to feel full and satisfied, Chicken Massaman Curry is your hero.
The combination of chicken and butternut squash swaddled in that ultra comforting sauce yields a healthful, satisfying meal.
You can easily use this recipe as a gateway to all your Massaman curries, replacing the chicken with beef or pork and swapping the butternut squash with your favorite potato or winter squash.
Per usual, here are some ideas for adaptations and also meal prep options for both customizing and preparing this recipe:
Recipe Adaptations:
- Use beef instead of chicken
- Replace butternut squash with Yukon Gold potato
- Serve curry with choice of “riced” vegetables, such as cauliflower rice, quinoa, roasted vegetables or side of choice to make this recipe grain-free
Meal Prep:
- The chicken can be marinated up to 24 hours in advance.
- Cook the rice up to 3 days ahead of time
- Recipe saves very well, so the whole dish can be prepared up to 5 days in advance
Get that comfort food!
More Healthy Curry Recipes:
- 30-Minute Thai Green Curry with Avocado
- Coconut Curry Vegetable Soup
- 30-Minute Summer Vegetable Red Curry
- 6-Ingredient 30-Minute Vegetarian Curry
- 30-Minute Thai Chicken Curry
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!
If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Chicken Massaman Curry
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons red curry paste
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil or coconut oil
- 1/2 small butternut squash peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces, 4 cups
- 2 14-ounce cans full fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise pods
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 to 5 kaffir lime leaves
- 2 to 3 tablespoons unsweetened creamy almond butter optional*
For Serving:
- cooked basmati rice
- Thai basil
Instructions
- Place chicken in a mixing bowl along with the red curry paste and 2 tablespoons avocado oil. Stir well and allow meat to marinate at least 15 minutes (up to 2 hours in the refrigerator).
- While chicken is marinating, peel and chop the butternut squash into 1-inch cubes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown 2 to 3 minutes (don’t cook meat all the way through).
- Add the remaining ingredients except the kaffir lime leaves and almond butter (butternut squash through sea salt) to the pot and stir well. Cover and bring to a full boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered for 1 hour. Remove the cover and cook at a gentle boil for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened. Stir in the kaffir lime leaves. Stir in the almond butter for an even thicker, more luscious sauce.
- Remove cinnamon sticks and star anise.
- Serve massaman curry with basmati rice (or spaghetti squash or cauliflower rice).
Notes
Nutrition
WOW. You removed my comment Julia just to boost your ego. I guess there no such thing as freedom of speech when it comes to minorities expressing disappointment when their tradition and culture has been used incorrectly. Racist much. Learn to improve.
Hi there,
I always welcome polite discussion on my website but I don’t allow people accusing me of being racist to participate.
I don’t spin my Thai-inspired recipes as being the authentic version ever. I share these recipes using ingredients that anyone can find at any grocery store and using techniques that provide a similar result without a lot of prep time. Let me know if any of this is unclear.
If you would like to share the authentic recipe for Massaman curry in the comments section, you are more than welcome to. It sounds like you have a strong opinion about the way this recipe should be made and you’re free to share that information as it is helpful to other readers.
What is not helpful is slinging insults that are completely inaccurate. I will continue to delete your comments that come off as bullying, belittling, and have zero helpful impact. Perhaps turning your words inward would help you to improve.
Again, let me know if any of this is unclear.
@Julia, that git your attention. Rename the dish as Thai style or inspired. I’m a proud Thai who doesn’t appreciate when our culture traditions are misused in anyway. We have a long and bloody history of exploitation.
Speaking of ingredients. If you really want to make authentic Thai cuisines. Just go to a Asian supermarket. They have the ingredients. If not, than check on Amazon.
Just don’t name it Thai when it is not authentic. That’s all.
https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/massaman-curry/#tasty-recipes-7539-jump-target
You can check out that link.
This was really yummy but I wanted a stronger curry flavor. Does that just mean more curry paste?
Hi Kathleen,
Yes, I would try more curry paste – I would add 1 to 2 Tbsp more (to taste), and if need be, add a little additional lime juice as well!! Hope you enjoy the next round even more! xo
Hello! I was wondering if you think there is a way to do this recipe in the instapot?
Yes! I was looking for something about this too!
(How to do it in an instant pot, that is…)
Aww, I love chicken curry. I have asked my bf to make it for my many times, each time we try another recipe.
Maybe next time we will use yours xD xD So excited!!
I love spicy food, I think it should be super tasty
Hey, amazing recipe! Is there an option to make it vegan, use tofu or chickpeas instead of chicken?
Thanks alot,
yours Isabella 🙂
Hi Isabella,
I think turning it vegan using chickpeas would be brilliant! I love the concept. You could also use tofu if you can do soy, although my first recommendation would be the chickpeas 😉 Let me know how it turns out! xo
That sounds and looks wonderful! Years ago in my younger days I lived in a tepee while saving to go to school. I got hit by a huge winter storm one night and my kind neighbors took me in and served me the most wonderful Indian curry meal. It was the first time I smelled Cumin and I love it so much I even put it on buttered popcorn! Years later I worked for a retired teacher named “Jan” that had worked teaching in Saudi Arabia & India and she shared a wonderful Garam masala recipe book with me. I didn’t realize there were so many different ways to make curries! Jan inspired me to garden and use my herbs fresh. It is a totally different taste experience.
Hi Sheri,
Thanks so much for sharing this lovely story!! I love these unexpected, game-changing experiences in life..it’s truly a blessing to connect with people through cooking. Growing your own herbs is truly a different experience…Cheers to enjoying life and all it has to offer 🙂 xo
Hi Julia!
What unit of measurement is the almond butter?
Hi Monique,
Oops! Thanks for catching that. It’s 2-3 tablespoons. I updated the recipe 🙂 xo
The ingredients list coconut oil but the instructions say avocado oil. Not a problem for me but others might be confused.
Also the recipe states it takes 30 minutes of prep and an hour of cooking time. But the instructions say cook covered for 1 hour then cook without the cover for 30 minutes.
I’m just checking to know which cooking time is correct as I’ve got my chicken marinating now and don’t want to mess this up.
Thanks!
Ah jeez, I clearly wrote out the recipe too quickly. Thank you for catching this, Lorraine! I made the edits so you should be good to go now. It is 1.5 hours of cook time, and you can use either avocado oil or coconut oil 😉 Hope you enjoy!! xo
What can I substitute for coconut milk? Please and thank you as it sounds delightful!
Hi Lana!
To be completely honest, I wouldn’t recommend making any substitution, as coconut milk is a pretty pivotal part of the recipe since it creates that silky-thick luscious sauce. If you tolerate dairy well, you can substitute equal-parts half & half and heavy cream (so 15 ounces of each), but be careful during the cooking process to not boil the dairy too much, or it will separate. I hope this helps..let me know what you end up doing! xo
Is there such a thing ad mild curry paste? I cannot tolerate spicy hot.
This looks delicious.
Hi Joan, Truthfully, I’ve never seen a curry paste labeled mild, but in my experience, yellow curry paste is milder than red curry paste. You may try yellow and see if that works for you!
Hi Joan,
The Gourmet Collection makes dry spice blends. I found it at TJ Maxx, believe it or not! I bought a Thai green curry spice blend and I MUCH prefer it to curry paste. I never want to use paste again. Also I didn’t find it peppery at all, just full of flavor. You measure the powder based on the weight of the protein you’re using. It says how much to use on the label.
This sounds awesome! Thank you for weighing in 😀