Let me just say that this Panang Curry recipe could be my ultimate favorite kind of curry! It’s bursting with rich and creamy flavor from the curry paste and coconut milk and is made hearty with chicken, veggies and fresh basil.
Recently I shared a new Yellow Curry and Massaman curry recipe, but if I had it my way, I’d serve these dishes together on the same night alongside some homemade naan and roasted vegetables! I’ve also included options for vegan and vegetarian panang curry, because this recipe is easily adaptable to any dietary restrictions.
My affinity for Thai food recipes is no secret–especially ones you can make at home, that taste just as good as take-out! You all have come to LOVE my Homemade Pad Thai just as much as I do, and I have too many other favorite Thai recipes to count. I just love the hugely bold flavors and freshness that comes with dishes, including this one!
I think the thought of making homemade curry can sound intimidating but it’s actually one of the EASIEST meals to make! Let’s walk through it, step by step!
Quick and Easy Panang Curry (and overview)
1. Sauté vegetables. Heat oil over medium high heat in large non-stick skillet. Sauté onions for 2 minutes, then add bell peppers, garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes more.
2. Add to make sauce: Add curry paste and peanut butter and sauté for 1 minute. Add 1 ½ cans of coconut milk. Whisk cornstarch into remaining 1/2 can coconut milk then add to the pan. Stir well.
3. Add chicken. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or just until chicken is no longer pink and sauce begins to thicken.
4. Final touches. Stir in sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and basil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Serve curry over hot cooked rice, zoodles or spaghetti squash, with a side for naan.
Panang Curry Paste:
Which type? You have the choice of buying this curry paste or making it homemade. Personally, I prefer to buy panang curry paste and I am partial to the Mae Ploy Brand. You can find it at your local Asian market, or on Amazon.
Spice level. The spiciness of this dish will largely depend on the type and amount of curry paste you use. I have found Mae Ploy to be a little spicier than other brands (2 tablespoons is medium spicy). That being said, I found when I used 1 tablespoon Mae Ploy Panang Curry paste it was lacking flavor for my taste.
If you want, you can always use less Panang curry paste and add additional Sriracha/Asian hot chili sauce to taste at the end of cooking.
Variations and Dietary Restrictions:
More vegetables: This is a great recipe to “clean out your veggie drawer”. Try adding mushrooms, zucchini, bean sprouts, spinach, bamboo shoots or carrots.
Chicken: You can substitute the chicken for shrimp or tofu.
Rice: Brown, white, or jasmine rice pair well with curry, or skip the rice and serve your curry over zoodles or spaghetti squash.
Vegetarian and vegan panang: Use a vegetarian curry paste (one that doesn’t contain fish sauce or shrimp paste) like this one. Also omit the chicken and fish sauce from the recipe and add additional vegetables of tofu!
The customization of this Panang Curry is endless, and so will be your love for it!
Storing and Freezing Instructions:
This recipe will keep for 5-7 days in the refrigerator (and that makes it a fabulous MEAL PREP dish)! For even quicker meal prep, you can cut the chicken and slice the red bell peppers in advance.
Panang curry can be frozen for 2-3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove or in the microwave. Cook rice fresh for serving.
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Panang curry
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 tablespoons Panang curry paste *
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 2 pounds chicken breasts , cut into pieces against the grain
- 1 small onion , sliced
- 1 green bell pepper , thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper , thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 14 oz cans coconut milk (Chaokoh brand is my favorite)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 1 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves , roughly chopped
- Hot cooked rice white, brown or jasmine
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in large non-stick skillet. Saute onions for 2 minutes, then add bell peppers, garlic and ginger and saute for 2 minutes more.
- Add curry paste and peanut butter and saute for 1 minute. Add 1 ½ cans of coconut milk. Whisk cornstarch into remaining 1/2 can coconut milk then add to the pan. Stir well.
- Add chicken, stirring to coat. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or just until chicken is no longer pink and sauce begins to thicken.
- Stir in sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and basil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve over hot cooked rice.
Notes
Nutrition
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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Krystal says
This was awesome!! I’ve tried other recipes from others and they were ok but never got that restaurant feel. This got that flavor! I added string beans (pre-steamed), mushrooms, and carrots. I’d say the coconut milk brand the the curry brand is very important! I’d say it may be a little thicker than restaurants so I guess you could maybe not do the corn starch if that’s a must for you.
Gail says
I can’t begin to tell you how outstanding this recipe was! I originally was going to use a recipe I had found for my Instant Pot, but decided I wanted to use my cast iron skillet and cook it on the stovetop instead. I’m so glad I did.! In my opinion, nothing beats the FLAVOR that comes from cooking in your cast iron skillets and pots, and certainly this one delivered!
We have a favorite Thai place we go to and I order the red curry chicken while he orders the panang. But the last two times, he was disappointed, as they did not cook the veggies right. So, being that I found this recipe and had all but the peanut butter on hand, I decided to make it. He said it tasted FAR better than the one at our favorite Thai restaurant! I agreed! It was fantastic! I added asparagus to it also, but as she stated, including any veggie will work. This will be a favorite and a regular of ours from now on as it was so easy to make. THAN YOU!
Janet says
I’ve been making yellow and red curry for awhile now, but never Panang Curry. I wanted to try it because it has peanut butter in it and I LOVE anything wth peanut butter. I made this today, and the only change I made was adding some carrots and yellow squash with the bell pepper and onion. And I used pre-minced ginger and garlic to save some time. It came out really thick! I think this is the first curry I’ve made that is so rich and creamy. I can see that I may need to add some broth to thin it out a bit if needed, but I love it! I will be making this again and again.
Lisa says
OMGOSH! This is my new most favorite recipe!!! I have been searching for a recipe like this as this is my favorite dish at a restaurant we would go to but they took it off their menu. This is sooooooooo delicious with layers of decadent flavors and just the right amount of spice. Seriously I could eat this for the rest of my life! Thank you so much for creating and sharing this recipe!
Monica says
I did love this recipe like most of your recipes. However, not sure if you know this, but the Chaokoh coconut milk is a very, very bad product to purchase. This company uses captured baby monkeys and chain them to crawl up the trees to get the coconuts. They are terribly abused, do not get veterinary care and are fed little. These types of acts should not be happening in this world to any living being. It is so sad that you would use such a product. Perhaps it’s time to use another reputable coconut milk.
Marion says
That’s good to know Monica and certainly a reason to avoid the brand you talk about. It would probably be better understood if you included a link to your source for that information. That way, people could read about it first-hand. Thank you for bringing this injustice to our attention.
Mariea says
Very good, just right for me but I’m taking away a star because it was too spicy for my family! I’m glad I only used 1 tablespoon of the Mae Ploy curry paste. I added carrots, mushrooms and broccoli and used almond butter. I didn’t have any basil or lime, but that would have made it even better! I didn’t thicken with cornstarch and the consistency was perfect for rice noodles. This will be going into my rotation for quick meals.
Jessica Villanueva says
Can I substitute cornstarch with flour?
Lauren Allen says
Cornstarch has twice the thickening power as flour. So you could try substituting it by doubling the flour.
Molly Page says
outstanding!! I am pregnant and one of my cravings has been curry- and instead of spending all my money eating out at Thai restaurants I searched for a recipe online. This tastes just like my favorite curry dish! Feeling super thankful I found this! 🙂 I am one happy mama to be! SOO quick and easy too! I added sweet peas to mine since that is what is in the Panang curry dish at my fav Thai restaurant. LOVE
Arpita P says
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I’ll be making this again. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Jennifer says
This recipe was just ok. I tasted sugar mostly. Next time, I would omit brown sugar all together to get the coconut milk and red curry sauce flavor.