The last time I was at Trader Joe’s I picked up a jar of their yellow curry sauce and little did I know it would turn into a smashing hit and super easy weeknight meal for my family. I have always adored getting yellow curry at Thai restaurants--it’s definitely my go-to! I never thought I could easily replicate those delicious flavors at home with very little time and effort.

If you happen to be able to grab a jar of this sauce at Trader Joe’s--grab it! It will make your dish easier than can be. If not, here is a way to make it easily from scratch from a five-star recipe on the blog, TastesBetterFromScratch.com, where she uses yellow curry paste as a base and works from there. It is really easy to make and tastes like you picked up take-out from a great local restaurant.

The ingredients to make this delicious dish are:

1. Yellow Curry Paste. The best brand the author of this recipe recommends you try and find at your local grocery store is the Mae Ploy--she says most stores only carry the red or green curry paste, so she often gets it from Amazon.

2. Chicken. You will be cutting up a couple of chicken breasts or tenderloins into bite-size pieces and cooking them right in the sauce. Alternatively in a pinch you could add cut-up rotisserie chicken right at the end if needed.

3. Veggies. I added potatoes, carrots, onions and peas in mine but you can add whatever veggies you like. This is a great meal to use up different veggies in the fridge you need to use up soon. Some other great ideas are red bell peppers, zucchini, bamboo shoots, baby corn and cauliflower.

4. Coconut milk. The coconut milk is what helps make the sauce so creamy and sweet. You want to make sure to get the thicker kind that you get from a can on the shelves, rather than the thin coconut milk in a carton in the refrigerated section. You could substitute another kind of milk like almond milk--you would simply want to thicken the curry sauce more with cornstarch.

5. Ginger and garlic. These are the two ingredients that give the dish the best flavor and fresh is best, but you can use dried if that’s all you have. Use ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger and ½ teaspoon garlic powder for the sauce if needed.

6. Cornstarch. You’ll mix this with the coconut milk to thicken the sauce.

7. Fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar. These ingredients really enhance the flavors of the sauce and bring it to the next level.

8. Hot cooked rice, for serving. You traditionally serve yellow curry over a bed of rice, but if you are wanting to go low-carb or get more veggies in your diet you could serve it over zoodles or spaghetti squash.

You basically start cooking your veggies in a bit of oil, then add your chicken pieces, ginger, garlic and ginger, and curry paste. Sauté that for 3 minutes then add your coconut milk and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes and chicken are cooked through. 

Have you made a curry dish from scratch at home before? What is your favorite take-out dish from a restaurant you like to replicate at home? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Thai Yellow Curry

1 tablespoon oil ½ large onion, chopped 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces 2 medium gold potatoes (or about 10 baby gold), ½” cubed 1 large carrot, thinly sliced 3-3 tablespoons yellow curry paste, or homemade curry paste 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger 2 cloves garlic 27 ounces coconut milk (2 (13.5 ounce cans) 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional) 1 Tablespoon lime juice 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar Hot cooked rice, for serving (white, jasmine, brown) Garnish with fresh cilantro and/or sriracha and serve over rice Heat the oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes until softened. Add the chicken, carrots, potatoes and cook for a minute or two. Add ginger, garlic and curry paste and saute for 3 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cans of coconut milk to the pot. Stir cornstarch into remaining 1/2 can of coconut milk and add to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through. Adjust the thickness of the curry by adding more water to thin, if needed. Stir in the fish sauce, brown sugar and lime juice. Simmer 5 more minutes. Serve with any type of rice (white, brown, and jasmine are my favorites) or over zoodles, spaghetti squash or quinoa.

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