Thai Panang Chicken Curry | How to make Thai Panang Chicken Curry from Scratch | Kitchenstagram
Thai Panang Chicken Curry is a rich, creamy, and flavourful dish made with panang curry paste, coconut milk and peanuts. This Panang curry stands out with its rich, slightly sweet and spicy profile, combining the best of Southeast Asian flavours. While often overshadowed by the popular red and green curries, panang curry deserves a place in your kitchen.
If you’re new to Panang curry, it’s a staple on Thai restaurant means, though it’s often overlooked. Preparing this curry is straightforward, especially if you have the curry paste ready. In just 30 minutes, you can have a delicious meal that’s not only gluten-free but can also be made vegan. While this recipe features chicken, you can easily substitute it with your preferred protein.
Serve Thai Panang Chicken Curry with fluffy steamed rice or jasmine rice and a generous sprinkling of chopped peanuts for a quick and tasty dinner. It’s the perfect weeknight meal that offers a delightful taste of Thai cuisine in no time.
Why you’ll love this recipe?
This recipe excels as the ultimate comfort food.
This recipe is packed with rich flavours and abundant protein.
It’s a quick and easy dish, perfect for busy weeknights, taking just 30 minutes if using bone-in chicken or less for boneless chicken, to prepare.
This recipe is best enjoyed with rice, it pairs wonderfully with steamed rice or jasmine rice.
What is Panang Curry?
Panang Curry is a distinct and flavourful Thai curry, known for its thick, rich sauce. Unlike the most soupy Thai Green Curry, panang curry has a creamy, almost saucy stir-fry consistency. Its unique taste comes from the generous use of cumin and coriander seeds, setting it apart from the basic Thai Red Curry. A notable ingredient in Panang curry is ground peanuts, which contributes to its thicker and richer texture. For those with peanut allergies, mung bean can be a suitable alternative. Interestingly, panang curry typically lacks vegetables, focusing instead on meats like pork, beef or chicken, though ant protein can be used. This dish always enhanced with the aromatic scent of makrut or kaffir lime leaves, adding to its distinctive character.
Can Panang Curry be made vegan/vegetarian?
Certainly! To make it vegan or vegetarian, some simple modifications can be made without compromising its delicious flavour. The base flavour of Panang curry is akin to Thai Red Curry but with a pronounced use of cumin and coriander seeds. It’s thickened with peanuts and infused with the aromatic scent of makrut or kaffir lime leaves.
When preparing the curry paste from scratch, omit the shrimp paste to keep it vegan or vegetarian. Replace fish sauce with soy sauce to maintain the umami taste. While buying curry pastes, it’s always wise to double-check the ingredient list for any animal derived products like shrimp paste. Instead of meat used roasted or grilled vegetables like eggplants, mushrooms, tofu. Prepare the curry as usual, then combine it with cooked veggies or tofu.
Ingredients:
Thai Panang Curry Paste:
5-6 Heaped tbsp Homemade Thai Red Curry paste
1 tsp Cumin seeds, toasted
2 tsp Coriander seeds, toasted
2 tbsp Peanut, roasted
Thai Panang Chicken Curry:
1 kg Chicken, bone-in or boneless
500 ml Coconut milk
3-4 nos. Kaffir Lime leaves, ribbons
salt to taste
1 Tbsp Palm Sugar/Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Fish sauce
Garnish:
Coconut cream
Makrut lime/ Lime leaves, ribbons
Sliced Red chilies
Preparation:
Thai Panang Curry Paste:
- Step 1: The base flavour of Panang curry is akin to Thai Red Curry but with a pronounced use of cumin and coriander seeds and peanuts. So, I’m using my Homemade Thai Red curry paste.
- Step 2: In the grinder jar add toasted cumin seeds, coriander seeds and roasted peanuts and grind the into a fine powder.
- Step 3: Add the peanut-spice powder into the Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste and mix properly. Keep aside.
Thai Panang Chicken Curry:
- Step 4: In a wok add 100 ml of coconut milk and reduce until thick and coconut oil starts to separate from the milk or you can use extra virgin coconut oil instead of rendering the coconut oil from the milk. Traditionally, the curry paste is sautéed in the rendered coconut oil.
- Step 5: Then add the panang curry paste and saute for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant and the oil separates from the paste.
- Step 6: Then add kaffir lime leaves ribbons and continue to saute for few more minutes.
- Step 7: Then add chicken pieces and stir fry for 6-8 minutes on medium heat. I have used bone-in chicken, as they are more flavourful than the boneless ones. But if you want feel free to use boneless chicken.
- Step 8: Next add the remaining coconut milk, brown sugar and fish sauce and stir to combine everything properly.
- Step 9: Then cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes or until the chickens are done.
- Step 10: Remove from the heat and transfer to a serving plate. Drizzle some coconut cream and top with some kaffir lime leaves ribbons and sliced chilies.
- Step 11: Serve hot with steamed rice or jasmine rice. Enjoy!!
Tips:
For a delicious curry, fry the curry paste until the oil separates for enhanced flavour.
Extra coconut oil is ideal, but vegetable oil or canola oil can be used, avoid olive oil.
If palm sugar is unavailable, use brown sugar as substitute.
Crush kaffir lime leaves to release their aromatic oil, adding a burst of flavour to the dish.
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DEBJANI MONDAL
Welcome to Kitchenstagram, the home of delicious recipes, culinary inspiration and cooking adventures. I’m Debjani and I’m thrilled to be your guide through the wonderful world of food. I’m a self-taught professional baker, home chef, recipe developer, author of Kitchenstagram and an aspiring YouTuber.
My passion for food and cooking began at a very young age, when I would watch my mom and dad cook for me and my brother. My dad, in particular is a great cook whose culinary skills made a lasting impression on me. My dad would cook up a storm on special occasions by cooking variety of dishes, from delicious biriyani to samosa, fish fry, rasgullas and kachoris (sweet & spicy deep fried pastry with filling of lentils, meat or fish…>>>>>
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