Best Thai Panang Chicken Curry
The Best Thai Panang Chicken Curry we’ve ever made! An authentic Thai Panang Curry Recipe, straight from Thailand. Cancel your takeout order and give it a try!
Authentic Thai Cuisine
What’s your favorite type of food?
That is a question I get a lot. Especially when I meet new people and they find out I write a food blog.
Although my answer is likely to change on any given day, swayed by my current cravings, Asian cuisine is always at the top of my list.
There are a few Asian dishes I cannot get enough of. Dishes that make me squeal with delight at the sheer thought of them… Vietnamese Bun Cha Gio Bowls, Thai Pad Kee Mao, and Korean Bulgogi to name a few.
Many of these are meals that can be ordered at Asian restaurants. Yet I find they are often even tastier when made at home.
Thai Panang Curry Recipe
Thai Panang Curry is another dish I swoon over.
It’s rich and spicy with a distinctly unique flavor from the addition of kaffir lime leaves and panang curry paste. I could eat this every day of the week and never get tired of it!
To top it off, the fragrance of a good Panang curry is so intoxicating, it should be bottled in my humble opinion.
I have ordered Panang chicken curry numerous times at Thai restaurants, and experimented with homemade version nearly as many times.
After much testing, I have finally come up with a recipe I feel is The Best Thai Panang Chicken Curry I’ve ever made, and possibly the best we’ve ever eaten.
I know that sounds braggy, and I do apologize, but this recipe is flipping amazing!
Just taste it and you’ll forgive me.
Best Panang Curry Recipe
The Best Thai Panang Chicken Curry is extremely simple to make. The catch is, that you will most likely have to go to an Asian market to gather the ingredients.
But trust me, The Best Thai Panang Chicken Curry recipe is worth the trip!
If you live in a large multicultural city, your standard grocery stores may have everything you need.
Panang Curry With Chicken
If not, google Asian markets… Even small towns usually have one.
Once there, hand your grocery list over and ask the clerk to help you find the best brand of panang red curry paste, thick coconut milk, and fish sauce. Be sure to also pick up Thai basil leaves and kaffir lime leaves.
You can substitute other types of basil, however, the kaffir lime leaves cannot be replaced. The flavor is too unique to swap another ingredient, or to leave it out. The Panang curry paste has some kaffir lime leaf in it, but it’s not enough.
Find a Local Asian Market
When I go to the Asian market, I usually stock up on panang curry paste, the thickest coconut milk I can find, and kaffir lime leaves.
Fresh kaffir lime leaves can be frozen for longevity. They do turn dark in the freezer, but retain their vibrant flavor.
Panang curry paste is a type of red curry specific to Thailand and Laos.
It is less spicy and more aromatic than standard red curry paste. In a pinch you could substitute red curry paste, but the flavor will not be quite the same.
Panang Curry Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs (or chicken breast)
- Sweet onion
- Red bell pepper
- Orange bell pepper
- Garlic cloves
- Coconut oil
- Panang red curry paste – made with lemongrass, galangal, shrimp paste, coriander seeds, lime zest, cumin seeds, and chilies
- Peanut butter
- Kaffir lime leaves
- Thick coconut milk (or coconut cream)
- Fish sauce
- Thai basil leaves or sweet basil
How To Make Panang Curry
Ready to make The Best Thai Red Curry you’ve ever tasted?
- Start by cutting chicken thighs, onions, and bell peppers into bite-size pieces.
- Then crush the kaffir lime leaves to help release their oils. They are tough little leaves so smash and twist away, until they smell very strong.
- Sauté the onions, peppers, and garlic in a large skillet. Then add the panang curry paste and a spoonful of peanut butter to the center of the pan. Sauté the curry for a couple of minutes to intensify the flavor.
- Then add the kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, fish sauce, and chicken to the pan.
- Simmer the curry until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens. Stir in Thai basil leaves and you have a dish worth drooling over.
- Bold, fragrant, and oh-so delicious! Your local takeout joint has nothing on The Best Thai Panang Chicken Curry.
Get the Full (Printable) Best Panang Curry Recipe + Video Below!
Panang Chicken Curry FAQ
As mentioned above, you will need to make a stop at a local Asian market. However, this recipe is worth the trip… And Asian markets are tons of fun to explore!
Yes! As long as the curry paste and fish sauce you buy are gluten-free, the entire recipe is as well. Most are, but be sure to check the ingredients. P.S. This recipe is dairy-free as well!
This recipe will keep well for 5-7 days in the refrigerator. Keep in an airtight container. That makes this a fabulous MEAL PREP dish!
More Thai Recipes You Will Love
- Thai Pad Kee Mao
- Red Lentil Curry
- Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
- Easy Chicken Pad Thai
- Tom Yum Soup
- Thai Larb Rolls (Keto)
- Thai Turkey Meatballs
Thai Panang Chicken Curry Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs chopped
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 4 ounces Panang red curry paste (1 can)
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 12 kaffir lime leaves, crushed
- 13.5 ounces thick coconut milk, unsweetened (1 can)
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1/4 cup Thai basil leaves or sweet basil
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Chop the onions and peppers into rough 1-inch pieces. Mince the garlic. Then crush the kaffir lime leaves to help release their oils.
- Place a 14-inch skillet (or wok) over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil. Once the oil melts, add the onions. Sauté for 1 minute, then add the peppers and garlic. Sauté another 2-3 minutes.
- Move the veggies to the sides of the skillet and add the panang red curry paste and peanut butter to the center of the pan. Sauté the curry for 2-3 minutes to intensify the flavor, moving around the pan. Then add the kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Stir to blend.
- Stir in the chopped chicken and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the basil leaves. Serve with rice, quinoa, or noodles.
Great recipe. Instead of sour cream I used Boisin. I also didn’t have ritz crackers but used some graham crackers. Yummy
Didn’t change a thing. I have made curry before and tried a few recipes, but this one is so easy to follow. Ppl can change their veggie or protein if they wish, but the base sauce as it is great and I love it.
Thank you. I hate when somebody posts “but with a few changes”, drives me nuts because that is not rating the recipe as published.
This recipe is ALMOST just as good as our local Thai restaurant.
I think this is personal preference, but here are the changes I would make to make it absolute perfection, and maybe better than our local thai restaurant:
1. Start with just onions and garlic, then follow the recipe. Add the other veggies toward the end (peppers, carrot, broccoli, cabbage) and simmer until just slightly tender (I like my veggies more crisp instead of extra soft).
2. I cook my proteins separate because my partner and I have different preferences. I go for tofu and he likes chicken. So to compensate for the juices the chicken would give off, I add about 0.5-1 cup of water and some bullion (1-2 tsp). I scaled back the fish sauce to 2 TBSP as our better than boullion is decently salty. Then I just cooked the proteins separately and added them at the end to our individual bowls.
Thanks so much for this recipe framework, it was great!
This recipe exceeded our expectations and tasted just like the panang we get from our favorite thai spot in Milwaukee. Delicious!
I do agree with some of the other reviews – I would’ve waited to add the veggies in until later to keep some crunch on them. I also plan on adding some snow peas in next time!
ALSO – we added 2 Tbsp of brown sugar at the end, which was the perfect finish to the dish. It tempered the spice level a bit and evened out the fish sauce (if you’re a little triggered by too much fish sauce!). Either way – this recipe is truly perfect as is and it’s a win either way. Delicious!
I used this recipe for the first time a couple nights ago because my wife LOVES panang curry. I used duck instead of chicken though to take it up a notch. To do this I used 4 small duck breasts (1-1/2 lbs), scored the fat cap and started them in a cold cast iron pan on medium high heat until the fat cap was well rendered, golden and crispy…flipped them over and put the pan into a 350 oven for about 10 minutes while I worked on the rest of the sauce. I removed the duck breasts from the oven and allowed them to rest at least 5 minutes, then sliced thinly and added them to the sauce. I also added a few finely sliced Thai chilis to the sauce because we like it spicy. It was OUTSTANDING.
This was just like you said, absolutely delicious. My husband isn’t always very open to new things and he said “ this is really good”. Yea!!!!!! My favorite Thai receipe so far. Thank you.
Delicious!!! Family loved it!
Love this recipe so much. I’ve made it at least a dozen times.
Penang is on Malaysia not Thailand. Delicious none the less.
It’s a Thai curry: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phanaeng
I cut the fish sauce to 1 TBL. I also added a zucchini, and couple of carrots. Didn’t have Thai basil, so subbed with a handful of cilantro. It was a tad bitter for my liking, so I added a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and it was perfect! It had a nice kick to it. Better than the local Thai place!
I made this last night for my daughter and it was great. I have Mae Ploy brand Panang curry paste. It is stronger than some so depending on how strong you want the spice to be you might back off a little. Also, Mae Ploy has shrimp paste in it so maybe less fish sauce as the combo is quite strong when first cooked (the taste blends better today).
Things I did differently than the recipe… I didn’t have Thai Basil so I left that out (but did have dried Kaffir Lime leaves go figure). Also, I sauteed the onions in coconut oil but added the top 5th of a can of unshaken coconut milk (Aroy-D brand) to bloom the curry paste spices and then added the rest of the can. Also used whole boneless chicken thighs and tested doneness with a meat thermometer.
Just made this vegan style — no fish sauce, added more veggies and tofu — turned out amazing! Exactly like a few of my local Thai restaurants. I added a bit more peanut butter to get the flavor just right, but could be due to not using fish sauce that it felt like it was missing something. With the extra tbsp of peanut buster, it’s definitely on the peanutier side of Penang, but just a delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe!! I can finally make one of my all time favs at home.