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    Home > Lunch/Dinner > Thai Panang Curry Recipe With Chicken

    Thai Panang Curry Recipe With Chicken

    Last updated January 18, 2021. Originally posted March 1, 2019 By Jyothi Rajesh 58 Comments

    Recipe Video Print
    Thai chicken curry served with rice in ceramic bowl with text
    Thai chicken curry served with rice in ceramic bowl with text
    Thai chicken curry served with rice in ceramic bowl with text
    Thai chicken curry served with rice in ceramic bowl with text
    Thai chicken curry served with rice in ceramic bowl with text
    spicy chicken Panang curry cooked in cast iron pan with text
    spicy chicken Panang curry cooked in cast iron pan with text
    Thai chicken Panang curry served with rice in bowl with text
    Thai chicken panang curry in cast iron skillet with text
    chicken panang curry in cast iron pan with text
    chicken panang curry in cast iron skillet with text
    chicken panang curry in cast iron skillet with text
    chicken panang curry in skillet with text
    chicken panang curry in skillet with text
    chicken panang curry served over rice on white bowl with text overlay

    Thai chicken panang curry is a rich curry with complex flavors. You’ll need under 30 minutes to make this bright and hearty Thai Panang Curry.

    best Thai chicken Panang curry topped with fresh basil cooked in cast iron pan

    Calling all curry lovers! If Thai curry is your favorite curry, you’ll find yourself loving this creamy less spicy Panang curry. The creaminess of Panang curry and it’s distinct strong flavors is so addictive.

    Lush spices – galangal, lemongrass, fresh kaffir lime leaves bring out a strong aromatics and coconut milk makes it rich and creamy.

    Panang curry has peanuts in it, in either crushed form or peanut butter is added. And the curry itself is bit sweeter than normal Thai red curry.

    Ground peanut is the additional ingredient that gets added to Panang curry, which you will not find in Thai red curry. Panang curry should and is much milder and much thicker than Thai red curry.

    Other than that, you won’t really find much difference between Thai Curry and Panang Curry. Infact to most, Chicken Panang curry is indistinguishable from Red curry. That’s true! Except for peanut and being less spicy (and more sweeter) I could not make out much difference in Panang Curry.

    Ingredient-wise I also used store bough Thai Panang Curry Paste which looked close to Thai Red curry paste. The curry paste are sold separately.  You could use Thai Red curry.

    best Thai chicken Panang curry topped with fresh basil cooked in cast iron pan

    Beef or chicken is the great protein option for this curry. If you are vegetarian, use Tofu to make this delicious Panang Curry.

    Thai Chicken Panang Curry is one of those curries which you try it once and get hooked  for ever! If you like Thai curry , you definitely have to give this panang curry a try.

    It’s almost same as a Thai chicken curry, but only packs more rich flavours and completely delicious! It’s a thick Thai curry with a sweet, salty and nutty peanut flavour.

    How To Pronounce Panang

    Panang is pronounced “Pa-Naing”.

    What is Panang Curry

    Panang is spelled in various ways – phanaeng, phanang, panaeng or panang, or as penang, or Pulau Pinang in Malay . This red curry originates from an island located off the west coast of Malaysia.

    Panang curry is usually less spicy as the paste is made with lesser red chilies compared to Thai curries. Peanuts (in ground form mostly) and coconut milk makes the curry sweeter than other Thai curries.

    Panang curry is richer, sweeter and creamier than the more herbaceous Thai curry.

    What’s The Difference Between Red Curry And Thai Panang Curry

    A lot of people including me had trouble differentiating the from one other – Thai red curry and Panang curry. When both the curries have almost the same ingredients list and are both red in color.

    Let’s mark the small differences that both curries have.

    Thai curry is mostly spicier. Between Thai red curry and Thai green curry, green curry is more spicier as green curry paste is made from whole green chilies. Green chilies are naturally more spicier than red chilies.

    Thai curry has strong vibrant flavors from fish sauce, shrimp paste along with galangal, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves.

    Thai curry paste is comparatively spicier as lots of red chilies are used in making the curry paste.

    Panang curry has an extra ingredient in it which is not present in Thai green or red curry. Crushed or ground peanuts makes is that extra ingredient you don’t use in Thai curries. It’s less spicy compared to the famous Thai curry.

    Panang curry paste looks just like Thai curry paste, bright red in color. But it’s made using lesser chilies, hence makes it less spicy. The curry is sweeter than other Thai curries. And much thicker as well.

    Coconut milk and cashews(yes some add cashew paste) makes it richer, creamier and thicker. A pinch of nutmeg goes in the curry, which is not added to Thai curries.

    Panang curry is a thick Thai curry with a sweet, salty and nutty peanut flavour.

    best Thai chicken Panang curry served with steamed rice in white ceramic bowl

    Homemade Panang Curry Paste

    Traditionally Panang curry paste is made from scratch using a huge pestle and mortar. Nothing comes closer to fresh homemade curry paste from scratch.

    Yes, it takes time  to prepare the curry paste (get ready for sore arms). Or conveniently add everything into food processor and blend into coarse paste. Choice is yours.

    Panang curry paste is traditionally made from chili peppers (bits eye chilies), galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime, coriander root, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, shallot, shrimp paste, salt and peanuts.  Grind everything in mortar pestle and your curry paste is ready.

    And if finding all the ingredients is a challenge, use store bought panang curry paste( we did that).

    Is Panang Curry Spicy

    Yes, it is. But to my palate it’s mildy spicy. Though not as spicy as traditional Thai Red and Green Curries. In comparison, panang curry is sweeter.

    Panang Curry Ingredients

    The main ingredients you’ll need to make a good panang curry are:

    Panang Curry Paste – Use store bought or homemade curry paste. Panang curry paste is sold separately, so I prefer to use that for more authentic taste. You could use Red curry paste as well.

    Vegetables –Onion and garlic is needed to start off the base of the curry. To that you can add any vegetables. I used red and green bell peppers and to me it works beautifully with Thai curries.

    You can switch it up and use different veggies like zucchini, broccoli, egg plant, sweet potato, celery or even mushrooms.

    Protein – Chicken or beef is what I would recommend to use for non vegetarian protein option. Fish and shrimp are good seafood proteins. Use plain firm tofu is you want to make it vegetarian or vegan. Chickpeas would be good choice too.

    Coconut Milk – use a mix of both full-fat (thick) and light (thin) coconut milk. Full-fat coconut milk will give you richer, thicker curry. If you like it that way, do use full fat coconut milk.

    Natural Peanut Butter – Panang curry recipe has peanut as one of the ingredient. Use good quality, natural peanut butter that is unsweetened. I used peanut from the jar that has ‘just peanuts’. Not the ones with peanut and salt, or peanuts and sweeteners.

    Coconut Oil – Curry tastes best with coconut oil. Use virgin coconut oil.

    Other Thai Curry Ingredients – What makes Thai curry stand out are some ingredients like galangal, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves. These ingredients have strong flavors. Use it as much as you could take the strong flavors.

    If your not a big fan of these strong Thai flavors, use all three ingredients in minimal quantity.

    Fish Sauce – Though Panang curry does not usually call for fish and shrimp sauce like Thai curries, I added a dash of fish sauce. It makes curry, salty with strong flavor.

    Nutmeg – another ingredients that is specific to Thai Panang curry is nutmeg. Use a dash of nutmeg powder. I skipped nutmeg as I didn’t have stock of nutmeg in my pantry.

    Palm Sugar – use brown sugar if palm sugar is not available to you.

    Thai Basil – Add basil leaves just before you serve the curry. Simmer and heat the curry and add basil leaves before serving. Basil leaves can turn dark from prolonged heating.

    best Thai chicken Panang curry served with steamed rice in white ceramic bowl

    Tips and Secrets

    Essential step to make a good curry with great taste is frying curry paste in oil. Fry curry until you see oil separates from the curry paste.

    Prior to adding fish sauce, taste your curry. There is a great amount of salt in store bought curry paste. Skip fish sauce if curry tastes enough salty.  If using fish sauce use it as needed. (Note – use the amounts in the recipe as a guide. Curry recipes are greatly flexible).

    Kaffir Lime Leaves have bold flavors. Crush leaves before adding to curry. Crushing kaffir lime leaves with release all it’s aromatic oil to the curry. Lime leaves can be eaten from the curry, but I prefer to take it out. It turns a big tough after cooking, plus it’s has very strong flavor.

    Use Panang curry paste depending on your spice preference. Start with 2 tablespoon of curry paste first, then gradually add as per your spice tolerance level. I like it spicy so I used up the entire jar which was about 4-5 tablespoon.

    best Thai chicken Panang curry served with steamed rice in white ceramic bowl

    How To Make Panang Curry

    1. Heat skillet or deep bottom pan. Add coconut oil and wait until oil melts.
    2. Sauté finely chopped onions in hot coconut oil until onion is translucent.
    3. Add minced garlic, red and green bell peppers. Cook for 2 minutes constantly stirring.
    4. Add roughly chopped galangal, lemon grass.

    cooking Thai panang curry with chicken5.Push veggies to one side of the pan. Add washed and cleaned chicken things. Cook until chicken browns a bit and changes colour.

    cooking Thai panang curry with chicken

    6. Mix chicken and veggies together. Continue cooking it for a minute more.

    7. Again gather chicken veggie mix to one side of the pan. Scoop out Thai Panang curry paste ( or Thai red curry paste) to empty side of pan. Stir the paste and fry it in oil. Wait until oil separates from the paste.

    Pro-Tip : Do not skip frying curry paste in oil. Flavors cone out and curry turns delicious with this step.

    cooking Thai panang curry with chicken8. Stir in unsweetened peanut butter, fish sauce and palm sugar. Take Kaffir lime leaves on your palm and crush it. Add crushed kaffir lime leaves to the pan.

    Note – If you can’t get palm sugar , substitute with brown sugar or jaggery.  Crushing kaffir lime leaves helps release its wonderful aromatic oil, making Panang curry flavorsome.

    9. Cook stirring regularly for 2 minutes.

    10. Simmer flame. Pour in thick coconut milk. Give it a good stir.

    cooking Thai panang curry with chicken11. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

    best Thai chicken Panang curry topped with fresh basil cooked in cast iron pan

    12. Add few Thai basil leaves. Stir.

    best Thai chicken Panang curry topped with fresh basil cooked in cast iron pan13. Turn off flame. Thai Chicken Panang Curry is ready. It’s great when served with steamed jasmine rice. You can also serve Thai Panang curry with rice noodles.

    best Thai chicken Panang curry served with steamed rice in white ceramic bowl

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    best Thai chicken Panang curry served with steamed rice in white ceramic bowl

    Best Thai Panang Curry Recipe With Chicken

    Thai chicken panang curry is a rich curry with complex flavors. You’ll need under 30 minutes to make this bright and hearty Thai Panang Curry.
    5 from 33 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: Asian, Thai
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 460kcal
    Author: Jyothi Rajesh

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ lbs chicken thigh boneless, cut into bite size pieces
    • 1 white onion finely chopped
    • 5 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 green bell peppers chopped
    • 1 red bell peppers chopped
    • ½ inch galangal roughly sliced
    • 1 inch lemongrass roughly sliced
    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
    • 1 small jar Thai Panang curry paste measured to about 4 ½ tablespoons
    • 1 tablespoon unsweetened peanut butter
    • 2 teaspoon fish sauce
    • 1 pinch nutmeg powder optional
    • Salt to taste if required
    • 2 teaspoon palm sugar or brown sugar
    • 6-8 kaffir lime leave crushed
    • 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
    • ¼ cup Thai basil leaves

    Instructions

    • Heat skillet or deep bottom pan. Add coconut oil and wait until oil melts.
    • Sauté finely chopped onions in hot coconut oil until onion is translucent.
    • Add roughly chopped galangal, lemon grass.
    • Add minced garlic, red and green bell peppers. Cook for 2 minutes constantly stirring.
    • Push veggies to one side of the pan. Add washed and cleaned chicken things. Cook until chicken browns a bit and changes colour.
    • Mix chicken and veggies together. Continue cooking it for a minute more.
    • Again gather chicken veggie mix to one side of the pan. Scoop out Thai Panang curry paste ( or Thai red curry paste) to empty side of pan. Stir the paste and fry it in oil. Wait until oil separates from the paste. Pro-Tip : Do not skip frying curry paste in oil. Flavors cone out and curry turns delicious with this step.
    • Stir in unsweetened peanut butter, fish sauce and palm sugar. Nutmeg powder to be added now if using. 
      Take Kaffir lime leaves on your palm and crush it. Add crushed kaffir lime leaves to the pan. 
      Note - If you can’t get palm sugar , substitute with brown sugar or jaggery.  Crushing kaffir lime leaves helps release its wonderful aromatic oil, making Panang curry flavorsome.
    • Cook stirring regularly for 2 minutes.
    • Simmer flame. Pour in thick coconut milk. Give it a good stir.
    • Let it cook for 5-7 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
    • Add few Thai basil leaves. Stir.
    • Turn off flame. Thai Chicken Panang Curry is ready.
    • It’s great when served with steamed jasmine rice.
    • You can also serve Thai Panang curry with rice noodles.

    Video

    Notes

    1. Fry Curry Paste - Essential step to make a good curry with great taste is frying curry paste in oil. Fry curry until you see oil separates from the curry paste.
    2. Kaffir Lime - Crushing kaffir lime leaves will release all it’s aromatic oil to the curry. Crush leaves before adding to curry.
    3. Peanut Allergy? Panang curry has peanuts in it. If you allergic to peanuts, you may want to avoid this curry or leave out adding peanut butter in the recipe.
    4. Fish Sauce - Add it as per taste. Before adding fish sauce taste curry and if it's too salty, adjust the amount of fish sauce to be added to the curry. 
    5. Coconut Oil - I prefer to use coconut oil.
    6. Spicier Curry - The recipe makes medium spicy curry. Spice tolerance levels varies greatly for every palate. If you want to make it more spicier, use curry paste that is spicy enough or use 1 or 2 birds eye chili in the recipe. 
    7. Palm Sugar Substitute - If you can’t get palm sugar , substitute with brown sugar or jaggery.
     
    Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 534mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 860IU | Vitamin C: 44.4mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 3.6mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I love to see your creations. Tag me on instagram @CurryTrail or tag #CurryTrail!
    best Thai chicken Panang curry with text overlay
    best Thai chicken Panang curry with text overlay
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jeanne Brown

      March 28, 2022 at 7:15 am

      Can this be frozen and thawed/reheated with fresh batch of noodles?

      Reply
      • Jyothi Rajesh

        March 29, 2022 at 9:07 pm

        I usually cook noodles separately. I never freeze rice or noodles. But Thai curry itself can be frozen and stored. To reheat thaw it in the refrigerator and reheat it on the stove top or in the microwave.

        Reply
    2. Laura Zambrano

      February 28, 2022 at 4:32 am

      5 stars
      I will definitely make this again and again! It tastes so fresh like every Thai dish I’ve eaten. This is just as good as eating at a good Thai restaurant. You won’t be disappointed!

      Reply
      • Jyothi Rajesh

        February 28, 2022 at 10:47 am

        I’m so glad you loved the curry Laura. Thank you for sharing your feedback!

        Reply
    3. Sarah

      October 20, 2021 at 6:29 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. My family loved it too!

      Reply
      • Jyothi Rajesh

        October 20, 2021 at 6:54 am

        So glad you loved it

        Reply
    4. Keri Anne Hall

      September 16, 2021 at 5:20 am

      5 stars
      I have never made curry before, but i love it. This recipe tastes just like at a resturaunt, but feels better because I made it at home .My parents loved it and so do i! Thank you for sharing🥰😍

      Reply
      • Jyothi Rajesh

        September 17, 2021 at 8:18 am

        Glad you liked it

        Reply
    5. Jc

      May 28, 2021 at 6:20 am

      5 stars
      So good! I actually added 2 cans of coconut milk cause I went a little too much in the Panang. It was amazing!!!!!!!!!! This recipie was easy, clear to follow and delish. Thank you so very much!!!!

      Reply
      • Jyothi Rajesh

        May 28, 2021 at 12:20 pm

        I’m so glad to hear you loved the recipe! Thank you!

        Reply
    6. Desirae

      March 20, 2021 at 7:20 am

      5 stars
      This was so good! My 10 year old daughter had seconds (which she rarely does) and we are making it again a week later. We made our own panang paste for extra authenticity! Added extra veggies too.

      Reply
      • Jyothi Rajesh

        March 20, 2021 at 5:11 pm

        I’m so glad to hear your daughter had her seconds and loved it. Thank you very much for sharing!

        Reply
    7. KIMBO

      February 21, 2021 at 12:46 am

      5 stars
      Made this many times-a crowd pleaser!!
      Great way to introduce food skeptics to a new cuisine.
      Rich flavors and super easy.

      Reply
      • Jyothi Rajesh

        February 21, 2021 at 1:00 pm

        So glad you loved the recipe! Thank you!

        Reply
    8. Nikki

      February 20, 2021 at 10:18 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious!

      Reply
      • Jyothi Rajesh

        February 20, 2021 at 4:43 pm

        SO glad you loved the recipe

        Reply
    9. Nina Gorges

      January 10, 2021 at 7:28 am

      5 stars
      Thank you for the amazing recipe! My boyfriend and I prepared it this evening. We made a few changes. Instead of peanut butter we used powdered peanut butter, lite coconut milk and pan spray instead of coconut oil to save on calories. We had it with brown rice and it was so tasty and delicious. I will def give it a try next time with the ingredients you recommended. Thank you again.

      Reply
      • Jyothi Rajesh

        January 10, 2021 at 8:44 pm

        So glad you are loving the recipe Nina

        Reply
    10. Jonathan

      January 10, 2021 at 7:28 am

      5 stars
      Excellent flavor. Great instructions. It was basically a one pan meal. I was able to reduce the 38g fat to 16 by using lite coconut milk, pan spray instead of oil, and powdered peanut butter. I imagine my sauce wasn’t as thick but it still had a nice mouth feel and serving it over brown rice you’d never know.

      Reply
      • Jyothi Rajesh

        January 10, 2021 at 8:44 pm

        So glad you are loving the recipe

        Reply
    11. Susan Dubose

      January 04, 2021 at 9:49 am

      5 stars
      Unbelievably fast and so delicious!!

      Reply
      • Jyothi Rajesh

        January 04, 2021 at 11:12 am

        Susan so glad you love the recipe. Thank you for sharing

        Reply
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    I'm Jyothi. This is my creative space where I share my stories on my culinary adventures. You will find a variety of recipes from across the world. Read more...
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