Thai Coconut Curry Udon with Roasted Chicken Thighs

This Thai Coconut Curry Udon is all about contrast and balance. Crispy and creamy, rich and bright, structured and effortless… It layers caramelized roasted chicken over chewy noodles and a fragrant coconut curry broth finished with Thai basil and fresh chiles. Ooof I promise you this is the kind of meal you’ll crave and repeat.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

COOK TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes

Ingredients (2-3 servings)

For the roasted chicken:

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs *

• 1 tbsp neutral oil (algae oil is my new fav)

• 1 tsp fish sauce

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp brown sugar

• 1 tsp red Thai curry paste

• ½ tsp ground turmeric

• ½ tsp chili flakes

• 2 cloves garlic, grated**

• Salt + pepper

For the curry udon:

• 2 servings udon noodles (I get mine frozen from the asian market)

• 1 tbsp oil

• ½ yellow onion, very thinly sliced

• 3–4 cloves garlic, roughly minced

• 1 tbsp red Thai curry paste

• 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk

• ½ cup chicken broth (I love zoup chicken bone broth)

• 1 tsp fish sauce

• 1 tsp brown sugar

• Juice of ½ lime

• 1-2 kaffir lime leaves (optional but lovely upgrade)

Finish:

• Thai basil (a big handful)

• Green onions, thinly sliced

• Fresh Thai chilis, sliced (red for a color pop)

• Optional: soft-boiled egg (boil water, add large egg for 6 1/2 minutes, remove from water immediately and peel)

*Bone-in will retain the most flavor and moisture. You’ll just remove the bone after roasting. Boneless works fine too.

**Grating the garlic here is ideal as it will blend seamlessly with the sauce and spread evenly over the chicken so that it’s less likely to burn.

Step 1: Roast the Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Mix oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, spices, garlic.

3. Rub all over chicken thighs.

4. Roast skin-side up for 30 min until skin is crisp and edges are slightly caramelized

5. Broil for 2–3 min at the end for extra crisp!

6. Remove from pan and rest a few minutes, then slice.

7. Critical step if you really love yourself… Pour those decadent fatty chicken juices straight into the curry broth. Step 1 & 2 happen simultaneously so your broth should be ready as you pull the chicken from the oven.

Step 2: Build the Coconut Curry

1. Heat oil in a large pan or pot over medium heat.

2. Add onion and cook until soft and slightly golden (5–7 min).

3. Add garlic + curry paste and cook 1–2 min until fragrant (this is called blooming and is. acritical step for any curry recipe)

4. Add coconut milk + broth/water and kaffir lime leaves if using.

5. Stir in fish sauce + sugar.

6. Simmer 5–10 min until slightly thickened.

Step 3: Udon + Assemble

1. Thaw udon noodles in a bowl with cold water then strain.

2. Add noodles to the curry to warm for a few minutes. They don’t need to “cook” so this happens fast.

3. Bowl the curry udon

4. Top with roasted chicken

5. Finish with green onions, chilis, and Thai basil.