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Home > Asian Recipes > The Best Thai Chicken Panang Curry
30 minutes minutes

The Best Thai Chicken Panang Curry

Published: Apr 11, 2024

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Thai chicken curry served with rice in ceramic bowl with text
chicken panang curry in skillet with text
chicken Panang curry cooked in a cast iron skillet and served with rice.
chicken panang curry served over rice on white bowl with text overlay

Thai chicken panang curry is a richly flavored Thai curry that you can make in 30 minutes. Try it once and you’ll be hooked. It’s a perfect weekday meal that the entire family will love. It’s the best comfort meal served with steamed rice or jasmine rice.

Panang Thai curry with chicken and vegetables cooked in cast iron skillet.
Jump to:
  • Why does this recipe work?
  • Ingredients
  • Step-by-step instructions
  • Useful tips
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Related curries
  • 📋The Best Thai Chicken Panang Curry

For hearty vegetarian Thai curry try our Thai butternut squash curry or Thai sweet potato curry.

Why does this recipe work?

  1. It’s the ultimate comfort food.
  2. It’s richly flavored and has loads of vegetables and protein in it.
  3. It takes 30 minutes or less to make the curry.
  4. It’s best served with rice. I love this curry with steamed rice, jasmine rice, and plain rice pilaf.

Ingredients

  1. Panang curry paste – Use store-bought or homemade Thai curry paste. Panang curry paste is different than regular Thai curry paste. For an authentic taste, buy Panang red curry paste. You can substitute it with regular Thai red curry paste.
  2. Aromats (onion and garlic) – yellow onion, white onion, or shallots may be used. Use fresh garlic for the best taste. It forms the base of the curry.
  3. Vegetables – I recommend using a mix of red, and green bell peppers. You can switch it up and use different veggies like zucchini, broccoli, eggplant, sweet potato, celery, or mushrooms.
  4. Protein – Chicken or beef is recommended. Fish and shrimp can be used if you opt for seafood. Use firm tofu for vegetarians or vegans. Chickpeas would work too.
  5. Coconut milk – for rich creamy curry use full-fat coconut milk.
  6. Natural peanut butter – peanut is one of the unique ingredients in this recipe. Use good quality, unsweetened natural peanut butter.
  7. Coconut oil – dish tastes best with virgin coconut oil.
  8. Other Thai curry ingredients – ingredients like galangal, lemon grass, and kaffir lime leaves induce strong Thai flavors. If you’re not a big fan of these strong Thai flavors, reduce the amount of these ingredients.
  9. Fish sauce – you’ll need a dash of fish sauce. It makes the recipe, salty with a strong flavor.
  10. Nutmeg – another ingredient that is specific to this recipe is nutmeg. Use a dash of nutmeg powder. I skipped nutmeg.
  11. Palm sugar – use brown sugar if palm sugar is not available.
  12. Thai basil – add it only in the end, it adds flavor to the curry.

Step-by-step instructions

vegetables sautéed in a cast iron pan.

Step 1: Heat coconut oil in a skillet. Sauté finely chopped onions in hot coconut oil until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic and red and green bell peppers. Cook for 2 minutes constantly stirring. Add roughly chopped galangal and lemongrass.

boneless chicken and vegetables cooked for Thai curry in a cast iron pan.

Step 2: Push veggies to one side of the pan. Add cubes of chicken things. Cook until chicken begins to brown.

red Thai curry paste cooked with vegetables in a cast iron skillet.

Step 3: Continue cooking it for a minute. Push the mix to one side, and add the paste. Stir the paste and fry it in oil. It’s crucial to cook the paste in oil first.

Note: Do not skip frying curry paste in oil.

Thai red curry paste is added to vegetables and chicken in a skillet.

Step 4: Stir frequently until oil is released from the paste and turns aromatic. Mix it with veggies and chicken and cook for a minute.

cook Thai curry with peanut butter, kaffir lime leaves, vegetables and chicken.

Step 5: Stir in unsweetened peanut butter, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Crush kaffir lime leaves in our palm and add it to the skillet. Cook stirring frequently for 2 minutes.

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 it flavorsome.

Thai curry cooked in coconut milk in a skillet.

Step 6: Simmer flame. Pour in thick coconut milk. Stir well.

Thai chicken curry with coconut milk simmer in a skillet.

Step 7: Let it simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

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

Step 8: Turn off the heat and add Thai basil leaves.

For best taste serve it immediately hot with steamed rice or jasmine rice.

For hearty vegetarian Thai curry try our Thai butternut squash curry or Thai sweet potato curry.

Useful tips

  1. Fry curry paste – The essential step to make a good curry with great taste is frying the paste until you see the oil separate from the paste.
  2. Kaffir lime leaves – Crushing kaffir lime leaves before adding to the recipe will release all its aromatic oil to the dish. 
  3. Peanut allergy? Panang paste usually has peanuts. If you are allergic to peanuts, you may want to avoid this curry.
  4. Fish sauce – adjust as per taste preference. I didn’t add any salt.
  5. Coconut oil – make the dish taste better. You can substitute with vegetable oil or canola oil, I don’t recommend olive oil.
  6. Spicier curry – The recipe makes medium spicy curry. If you want to make it 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.
best Thai chicken Panang curry served with steamed rice in white ceramic bowl

Recipe FAQs

What is Penang curry?

This red curry originates from an island located off the west coast of Malaysia. This curry is richer, spicier, mildly sweet, and creamier.
It’s usually less spicy as the paste is made with milder red chilies compared to Thai curries. Peanut butter and coconut milk make the curry sweeter than other Thai curries.

What is panang paste made of?

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

Is Panang curry paste the same as red curry paste?

Panang paste is more aromatic than compared to red curry paste. It has cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and roasted peanuts which gives it a rich aromatic taste.

Is Panang curry spicy?

The level of spiciness depends on the brand of curry paste you use. Compared to regular Thai curry, this curry has mild spiciness.

Related curries

  • red lentil curry served over bowl of rice and garnish with cilantro

    Coconut Red Lentil Curry

  • butternut squash curry in a skillet.

    Easy Thai Butternut Squash Curry

  • close up of thai curry with sweet potatoes and chickpeas cooked in pot

    Thai Sweet Potato Curry

  • chicken curry in cast iron pan

    Quick & Easy Chicken Curry

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best Thai chicken Panang curry served with steamed rice in white ceramic bowl
5 from 65 votes

📋The Best Thai Chicken Panang Curry

Jyothi Rajesh
Thai panang chicken curry is a rich curry with complex flavors. You’ll need under 30 minutes to make this bright and hearty curry.
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Servings 6 servings
Calories 460

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
  • 1 teaspoons 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.
  • Turn off the flame. Add Thai basil leaves. Stir.
  • It’s great when served with steamed jasmine rice. You can also serve with rice noodles.

Video

Notes

  1. Fry curry paste – The essential step to make a good curry with great taste is frying curry paste until you see the oil separates from the curry paste.
  2. Kaffir lime leaves – Crushing kaffir lime leaves before adding to the curry will release all its aromatic oil to the curry. 
  3. Peanut allergy? Panang curry paste usually has peanuts. If you are allergic to peanuts, you may want to avoid this curry.
  4. Fish sauce – adjust as per taste preference. I would skip salt if adding fish sauce.
  5. Coconut oil – gives curry a better taste. You can substitute with vegetable oil or canola oil, I don’t recommend olive oil.
  6. Spicier curry – The recipe makes medium spicy curry. If you want to make it 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 the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 460kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 21gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 271mgPotassium: 534mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 860IUVitamin C: 44.4mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 3.6mg
Did you make this recipe?Follow @CurryTrail and tag #CurryTrail to share your creation!

Created by Jyothi Rajesh

Thank you for stopping by.

I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.

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    5 from 65 votes (24 ratings without comment)

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Dani says

    October 15, 2022 at 10:35 am

    5 stars
    This recipe came out amazingly well! Tastes 100% authentic! Made the paste from scratch from the ingredients listed, beyond perfect! I highly recommend you give this panang a try!

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      October 18, 2022 at 8:11 pm

      I’m so glad to hear you are loving this curry Dani, thank you!

      Reply
  2. Mrs L A James says

    October 07, 2022 at 11:10 am

    Thai Parang Curry Chicken is delicious. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      October 10, 2022 at 12:19 pm

      Glad to know you liked the curry!

      Reply
  3. Sonali says

    September 28, 2022 at 11:55 am

    5 stars
    Amazing! No other recipe I’ve read so far recommended peanut butter. I’m so glad I made this one for meal prep this week

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      October 06, 2022 at 10:51 pm

      So glad you loved my recipe, thank you!

      Reply
  4. koen says

    August 22, 2022 at 8:18 pm

    5 stars
    This is so seriously good, thank you very much!

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      August 23, 2022 at 4:08 pm

      So glad you loved the recipe Koen! Thank you.

      Reply
  5. Alex Baker says

    July 12, 2022 at 12:37 pm

    5 stars
    This has been my go to recipe for the past year as my efforts were terrible. This is the closest to a restaurant Penang Curry I you can make at home.

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      July 21, 2022 at 2:33 pm

      Thank you so much, so glad you are loving the recipe

      Reply
  6. Jeanne Brown says

    March 28, 2022 at 7:15 am

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

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      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
  7. Laura Zambrano says

    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 says

      February 28, 2022 at 10:47 am

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

      Reply
  8. Sarah says

    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 says

      October 20, 2021 at 6:54 am

      So glad you loved it

      Reply
  9. Keri Anne Hall says

    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 says

      September 17, 2021 at 8:18 am

      Glad you liked it

      Reply
  10. Jc says

    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 says

      May 28, 2021 at 12:20 pm

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

      Reply
  11. Desirae says

    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 says

      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
  12. KIMBO says

    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 says

      February 21, 2021 at 1:00 pm

      So glad you loved the recipe! Thank you!

      Reply
  13. Nikki says

    February 20, 2021 at 10:18 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious!

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      February 20, 2021 at 4:43 pm

      SO glad you loved the recipe

      Reply
  14. Nina Gorges says

    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 says

      January 10, 2021 at 8:44 pm

      So glad you are loving the recipe Nina

      Reply
  15. Jonathan says

    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 says

      January 10, 2021 at 8:44 pm

      So glad you are loving the recipe

      Reply
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Jyothi - Author of Curry Trail.

Welcome, I'm Jyothi

My food philosophy is simple, fresh and full of flavors! I love ‘spicy’ food. In fact so much so that I can skip dessert for extra spicy savory food!

More About Me
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