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.
Oh My Goodness!
I just made this curry and it is totally delicious!!
I ordered a Panang Curry Paste online and got anything else I needed from the local supermarket so it was easy to get the ingredients
It is the best curry I have ever made and rivals any Penang Curry I’ve eaten in Thai restaurants an I’ve eaten quite a few!
Would also be super with Prawns and or Salmon
Thank you
It was spot on! Delicious! Tastes just like restaurant thai chicken panang! Impressed my dinner guests.
Forgot to say, I used 1 tbsp fish sauce and used 1/2 can more coconut milk to cut the spiciness, great recipe, ty.
Hi Sabrina,
I’m so glad you liked it! XOXO
Absolutely awesome. This is the best Thai dish that I ever cooked at home! Posting the link on my little insta blog called @expatadventuring
Hi Faryal,
YAY!! I’m so very glad you liked it!
i live in a small town and the nearest Asian market is 3 hours away. I can only find dry kiffer lime leaves on Amazon. Would they work. I did find thai basil yea.
I also have to order the curry but that is ok.
Hi Karen,
Yes, dried kiffer lime will work if you can’t get fresh. Good luck!
I will use dry leaves, also. Do I use less or the same amount and do I leave them whole?
Hi Eddie,
With dried herbs you usually use 1/3 the amount of fresh.
I made this recipe last night. Followed it to the tee but I do have a large family so I essentially doubled all the ingredients with the exception of the coconut oil and used 1.5X veggies. I did use two cans of curry paste and the kick, though too much for most, was just right for my family. The taste of this recipe is identical to our favorite Thai restaurant in Houston(also the highest rated in the Houston area), however its located 20 miles from us. No need to go back to the restaurant just for panang curry ever again.
I tried this out after becoming tired of paying $14 at my favorite thai place every time I wanted a fix of coconut curry. Pretty on point except 12 lime leaves seemed a bit too much for me. Next time I’ll probably use half. And I agree with others that it’s safe to use 3 teaspoons of fish sauce instead of 3 tablespoons. Heat can be adjusted to your liking by controlling how much of the panang paste you put in. Started with half and worked my way up to about 3/4 of the can.
Excellent recipe. Extremely impressed with how everything turned out. Added mushrooms and broccoli instead of chicken to make it vegetarian.
Amazing recipe! My only suggestion is half of the Panang Curry. Super spicy with just that amount! Plus I only used 1/3 of the fish sauce and we used chicken breast meat. Finally, I chopped the lime leaves super small as to not pick them out.
A trick I researched was to put the leftover curry paste into a freezer bag and then flatten it. Works well because I now also have a huge bag of frozen lime leaves to go along with it next time!
Cant wait to try it again with more fish sauce, thank you!
Made this last night and the recipe is spot on. I made sure to hunt down the Maesri panang curry paste and the Three Crabs brand fish sauce which made all the difference. I didn’t find the Coco King coconut milk so I used another good brand of thick unsweetened coconut milk. Added bonus was that it was easy to make on a weeknight after work.
Loved the taste except it was very salty. And when I say salty I mean to the point of beeing almost imposible to eat even after I added the double amount of coconut milk (ended up with trice the amount and added extra currypaste). I mesured exactly according to your recepie but have to wonder if it should be 3 teaspoons and not tablespoons in the recepie?
I have to agree that this recipe was absolutely amazing!!! I will make this one over and over again!!
I have been waiting for this recipe all my life! Thank you!!! I actually used Massaman paste as I find that a little less spicy and only used about 3/4 of a tin, but it was amazingly delicious!!!
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Awesome. Made my own curry paste but fantastic recipe
Should have mentioned I only used 2 tbsp of fish sauce and 1 tsp of brown sugar after tasting.
Hello, I’ve had a really hard time finding thick coconut milk. Can I use coconut cream instead?
Hi Grace!
Absolutely, but make sure it is unsweetened. :)
Wonderful taste…I miss my favorite San Diego Thai Restaurant Panang since moving several years ago back to Ohio. I have to drive 45 minutes to the Asian market to stock up…but well worth the trip. Added a little more spice (we like it hot) with thai chili peppers. This is almost exactly like I remember it being. Thanks for your recipe. I will make it every time I have a need for Panang.
Followed this to a T, but raised my brow when it came to 3 tablespoons of fish sauce. I thought it would be too salty and I was right. The curry was almost inedible and I tend to like my salt. Luckily watering it down a little helped, but next time I’ll probably only add 1.5 or 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. The flavor is amazing though, the kaffir lime leaves really make a difference!
I used 1TBSP and half the amount of curry paste, and it was still too salty.
This dish reminded me EXACTLY of the panang curry I used to get from my favorite childhood restaurant. I altered it slightly though – I tore up the tough lime leaves into little pieces (they’re easier to eat that way). Also, I added another half can of coconut milk, which made it perfect (maybe because I didn’t get the extra thick kind – couldn’t find it!). When I added the extra half can, I didn’t shake the can first, and only took the thick stuff that had settled at the top of the can.