One Pan Yellow Curry Chicken & Rice (great for meal prep!)

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 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Toast the rice. Stir the rice into the veggie and spice mixture to toast it and help it absorb the flavors.
4. 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.
5. Cook it up. Bring everything to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and transfer to the oven to finish cooking.
6. 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

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!

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, and post was republished on February 11th, 2026.