Gordon Ramsay’s Malaysian chicken curry recipe builds a fresh spice paste from garlic, chillies, lemongrass, ginger, and shallots, then simmers chicken thighs in coconut milk with kaffir lime leaves, cinnamon, and star anise until the meat falls apart. It cooks low and slow for 30 to 60 minutes, which is the opposite of his quick curries, and the result is a fragrant, mild sauce you want to drink straight from the pot.
Ramsay made this Malaysian curry on The F Word and said the paste is everything, but I thought I could shortcut it with shop-bought paste when I added this to my curry collection, but the fresh version has a brightness that jars cannot match. This has become my go-to easy Malaysian chicken curry recipe for Sunday afternoons when I actually have time to let it simmer.
Try More Curry Recipes:
What Makes This an Authentic Malaysian Chicken Curry
Most curry recipes use dried spice powder.
Ramsay builds his Malaysian chicken homemade curry paste from raw ingredients in a food processor: fresh chillies, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and shallots. That raw paste gets fried with turmeric until fragrant, and the whole kitchen smells like a hawker stall.
The other thing that sets this apart is the aromatics in the simmer: kaffir lime leaves, a whole cinnamon stick, and star anise. These are not Indian curry spices. They are Southeast Asian, and they give the sauce that sweet, warm, slightly floral quality that makes Malaysian curry different from every other type.
Malaysian Chicken Curry Paste
Blitz everything in a food processor until smooth, or use a pestle and mortar if you want a rougher texture.
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2-3 red chillies (deseed for milder heat)
- 2 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped
- 3cm (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 3 shallots, peeled
Malaysian Chicken Curry Ingredients
- 800g (1.75 lbs) chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 star anise
- 400ml (1.75 cups) light coconut milk
- 100ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
- 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- Salt and pepper
How To Make Gordon Ramsay Malaysian Chicken Curry
- Make the Paste: Blitz the garlic, chillies, lemongrass, ginger, and shallots in a food processor until smooth.
- Fry the Paste: Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the curry paste with 1 tsp turmeric and stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Cook the Onions: Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until they start to soften.
- Add the Chicken: Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and stir to coat in the paste.
- Build the Sauce: Add the kaffir lime leaves, cinnamon stick, star anise, coconut milk, chicken stock, sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Bring to the boil.
- Simmer: Reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer gently for 30-60 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
Can I Use Chicken Breast Instead of Thighs?
You can, but thighs are better here. This curry simmers for up to an hour, and breast meat dries out long before that. Thighs have more fat and connective tissue, which breaks down during the slow cook and makes the meat fall-apart tender.
If you only have breast, cut it into larger pieces and add it halfway through the simmer, around the 20-minute mark. That way it gets enough time to cook but not so much that it turns chalky.
What Are the Different Types of Malaysian Curry?
Malaysia has several curry styles. Rendang is a dry curry where the sauce reduces until it coats the meat. Laksa is a soupy curry served over noodles. This recipe is a classic Malaysian coconut curry, which sits between the two: saucy enough to serve over rice, but rich enough to eat on its own.
Ramsay’s version is a chicken curry with coconut milk as the base, which is the Malay style. Indian-Malaysian curries lean more on yoghurt and dried spices. If you want something closer to that, try the chicken curry instead.
What I Put Next to This
Plain steamed jasmine rice is the right call here. The sauce is already complex with the lemongrass and star anise, so the rice should be simple. Gordon sometimes serves this with roti or flatbread for dipping.
I like a quick cucumber salad on the side to cut through the richness. Just sliced cucumber, rice vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and some chilli flakes. A bowl of butter chicken alongside makes a proper curry night spread.
This One Gets Better Overnight
Malaysian curry is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day. The spices settle into the coconut milk and the chicken absorbs more flavour as it sits. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days in a sealed container.
You can freeze it for up to 2 months. Remove the cinnamon stick and star anise before freezing, or they will keep releasing flavour and make the sauce taste bitter. Reheat gently on the hob, never in the microwave.
FAQs
- Where is this recipe from? Gordon Ramsay made this Malaysian chicken curry on The F Word. The recipe also appears in his travels to Southeast Asia. It is one of his most-copied curry recipes online.
- Is it spicy? Mild to medium. The coconut milk and sugar balance the chilli heat. Deseed the chillies in the paste if you want it gentle enough for kids.
- Can I use a shop-bought Malaysian chicken curry paste? It will save time but you lose the freshness. If you do, use about 3 tablespoons and still add the kaffir lime leaves, cinnamon, and star anise separately. Those whole spices are what give this curry its character.
- Why does Ramsay use light coconut milk? Full-fat coconut milk makes the sauce very heavy over a long simmer. Light coconut milk keeps the curry rich but not cloying, and the sauce reduces to a better consistency.
More Recipes To Try:
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Total Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 12g
- Protein: 38g
Gordon Ramsay Malaysian Chicken Curry Recipe
4
servings15
minutes45
minutes1
hourGordon Ramsay’s Malaysian chicken curry recipe builds a fresh spice paste from garlic, chillies, lemongrass, ginger, and shallots, then simmers chicken thighs in coconut milk with kaffir lime leaves, cinnamon, and star anise until the meat falls apart. It cooks low and slow for 30 to 60 minutes, which is the opposite of his quick curries, and the result is a fragrant, mild sauce you want to drink straight from the pot.
Ramsay made this Malaysian curry on The F Word and said the paste is everything. I thought I could shortcut it with shop-bought paste, but the fresh version has a brightness that jars cannot match. This has become my go-to easy Malaysian chicken curry recipe for Sunday afternoons when I actually have time to let it simmer.
Ingredients
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2-3 red chillies
2 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped
3cm (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
3 shallots, peeled
800g (1.75 lbs) chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 cinnamon stick
3 star anise
400ml (1.75 cups) light coconut milk
100ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
Salt and pepper
Directions
- Make the Paste: Blitz the garlic, chillies, lemongrass, ginger, and shallots in a food processor until smooth.
- Fry the Paste: Heat oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the curry paste with 1 tsp turmeric and stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Cook the Onions: Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add the Chicken: Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and stir to coat in the paste.
- Build the Sauce: Add kaffir lime leaves, cinnamon stick, star anise, coconut milk, stock, sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Bring to the boil.
- Simmer: Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer gently for 30-60 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
