Thai Panang Curry; bursting with aromatic flavours and made with crushed peanuts and a sweet yellow paste. The hint of coriander and the creaminess of the nuts is what really sets this dish apart from all other Thai curries.
Chicken Panang curry is the Thai curry I always opt for in a Thai restaurant or takeaway. Why? Well I feel that its best of both worlds when it comes to flavour and spiciness. Thai red curry and Thai green curry are both vibrant and flavourful but also pack a punch when it comes to spice – particularly when eating out.
Thai panang Curry on the other hand is milder and sweeter than both red and green curry but still keeps a complex flavour. This is thanks to the use of extra ingredients including ground coriander and crushed peanuts. Whats more, these simple additions are easy to get hold of in the shops, so this creamy, coconut, Thai chicken curry is really easy to replicate at home.
🥘 Ingredients
Full ingredients & recipe instructions in recipe card below: Jump to Recipe CardTo make Chicken Panang curry for 4 people you will need the following:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 600g chicken breast cubed
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced into semi circles (260g)
- 2 orange bell peppers sliced (300g)
- 150g baby corn sliced in half length ways
- 1 red chilli pepper finely chopped 15g
- 2 tbsp Thai yellow curry paste (homemade or from a jar)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped peanuts
- 1 tin full fat coconut milk 400ml
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp golden caster sugar
- Fish sauce to season
- 2 dried kaffir lime leaves
- Fresh basil leaves, plain yogurt and freshly sliced red chilli pepper to serve (optional)
Substitutions:
For a change from the usual chicken curry why not try this recipe with white chunky fish instead, such as cod, haddock or hake.
The best replacement for coconut milk in terms of consistency and flavour is cream. This can be a little heavy so you can also use yogurt or milk. If using milk I would recommend adding flour as well, as described below, to help keep the sauce thick.
If you don’t have time to make the Thai yellow paste then you can substitute with a jar of paste. If you can’t find Thai yellow paste in the shops then buy Thai red paste and follow the instruction in this Thai yellow curry paste recipe for turning Thai red curry paste into yellow paste.
🔪 Step by step instructions
- Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large shallow pan or wok on a medium heat. Add the chicken and stir fry for a few minutes until browned all over. Remove the chicken and set to one side.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Then add the chopped carrot, bell pepper, baby corn and finely chopped red chilli. Pan fry for a couple of minutes then remove and set to one side along with the browned chicken.
- Place the pan back on the heat. Add the 2 tbsp of Thai yellow curry paste and 1 tbsp of finely chopped peanuts. Stir the peanuts into the paste as it heats. Cook the paste and nuts for 1-2 minutes to allow the flavours to release.
- Next pour the coconut milk over the paste and stir well to combine into a yellow curry sauce.
- Heat the sauce gently (do not boil) whilst adding 1 tsp sugar, 2 kaffir lime leaves and a good shake of fish sauce (to taste).
- Next, in a small bowl or ramekin, add a little water to the tbsp of flour and stir into a loose paste. Pour the paste into the curry. Keep heating the sauce and continue to stir allowing it to thicken.
- Once thickened return the chicken and veg to the sauce and stir well.
- Bring the curry to a gentle simmer then place on a lid and continue to simmer gently for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- When chicken is cooked remove the lime leaves and serve the chicken panang curry with plain yogurt, fresh basil leaves and sliced red chillies.
📖 Is panang curry the same as Thai yellow curry?
Chicken panang curry is pretty much the same as yellow curry apart from the addition of peanuts. So if you are wanting to make a Thai yellow curry instead, just leave out the chopped peanuts.
You can also use the Thai yellow paste in this recipe to make Massaman curry paste and Massaman curry.
🥗 Serving suggestions
This lovely Thai Panang curry is great on its own but I love to add extras to really enhance the flavour. I usually serve Chicken Panang curry with plain yogurt, fresh basil leaves and freshly sliced chilli. A squeeze of lime juice would also work really well. In addition, there are a number of side dishes you could serve up as well including coconut rice, pilau rice and spring rolls.
💭 Recipe tips
Veg substitutions: Swap in your preferred choice of vegetables if you aren’t a fan of carrot or baby corn. However, carrot does go very well here due to the use of ground coriander in the yellow curry paste.
Vegetarian version: If you are wanting to make a vegetarian panang curry then leave out the meat and add in extra vegetables. Aubergine is usually a good option of for bulking out a curry. In addition, remember to leave out the fish sauce or replace with a vegetarian fish sauce or seaweed paste.
How to make curry sauce thicker: Use full fat coconut milk in the recipe. The reduced fat versions are more watery and so will ultimately thin out the sauce. Coconut milk can also lose its consistency when boiled rapidly over a prolonged period. So even though reducing a sauce does thicken it, rapidly boiling the curry in this instance will not help. When making chicken panang curry, ensure that the the finished dish is heated gently until just simmering before serving.
Other options for thickening a curry sauce include:
- Add full fat yogurt, but be aware that this will reduce the spiciness of the dish, so you may need to add more chillies at the same time. Only add yogurt right at the end of cooking – too much heat and the yogurt will curdle. Take the curry off the heat and stir in enough yogurt to reach your desired consistency.
- Instead of serving rice at the side, mix it directly into your curry then serve.
- If adding vegetables that release water during cooking (e.g. courgettes, aubergine, mushrooms) roast these in the oven first and then mix into the finished curry.
- Add flour to the curry – this method is used in this recipe. To avoid flour lumps forming I usually mix 1 tbsp of flour with a bit of water to form a paste. Then add the flour paste to the curry and mix well. For best results add the flour paste before the curry is heated up to much. Then stir continually until the sauce thickens and the flour is ‘cooked out’.
Freezing guidance: Once fully cooked allow to cool and then transfer to sealable containers (within 1 hour) and freeze for up to 3 months. When reheating, first defrost thoroughly then slowly bring to a gentle simmer in a pan (try not to rapidly boil) and heat until piping hot throughout. Panang curry can also be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days after cooking.
Let me know what you think of this Chicken panang curry recipe by leaving a comment and star rating below. You can also pin the recipe on pinterest. Or if you prefer you can pin the video!
📖 Recipe
📋 Chicken Panang curry
Equipment
- Large shallow frying pan or wok
- Small dish or ramekin
- 2 medium bowls for setting aside chicken and veg once fried off in the pan
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 600 g chicken breast cubed
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced into semi circles (260g)
- 2 orange bell peppers sliced (300g)
- 150 g baby corn sliced in half length ways
- 1 red chilli pepper finely chopped 15g
- 2 tbsp yellow curry paste homemade or from a jar
- 1 tbsp finely chopped peanuts
- 1 tin full fat coconut milk 400ml
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp golden caster sugar
- Fish sauce to season
- 2 dried kaffir lime leaves
To serve:
- Fresh basil leaves
- Plain yogurt
- Freshly sliced red chilli pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large shallow pan or wok on a medium heat. Add the chicken and stir fry for a few minutes until browned all over. Remove the chicken and set to one side.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Then add the chopped carrot, bell pepper, baby corn and finely chopped red chilli. Pan fry for a couple of minutes then remove and set to one side along with the browned chicken.
- Place the pan back on the heat. Add the 2 tbsp of Thai yellow curry paste and 1 tbsp of finely chopped peanuts. Stir the peanuts into the paste as it heats. Cook the paste and nuts for 1-2 minutes to allow the flavours to release.
- Next pour the coconut milk over the paste and stir well to combine into a yellow curry sauce.
- Heat the sauce gently (do not boil) whilst adding 1 tsp sugar, 2 kaffir lime leaves and a good shake of fish sauce (to taste).
- Next, in a small bowl or ramekin, add a little water to the tbsp of flour and stir into a loose paste. Pour the paste into the sauce. Keep heating the sauce and continue to stir allowing it to thicken.
- Once thickened return the chicken and veg to the sauce and stir well.
- Bring the curry to a gentle simmer then place on a lid and continue to simmer gently for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- When chicken is cooked remove the lime leaves and serve the curry with plain yogurt, fresh basil leaves and sliced red chillies.
Video
Nutrition
Notes
- Add full fat yogurt, but be aware that this will reduce the spiciness of the dish, so you may need to add more chillies at the same time. Only add yogurt right at the end of cooking – too much heat and the yogurt will curdle. Take the curry off the heat and stir in enough yogurt to reach your desired consistency.
- Instead of serving rice at the side, mix it directly into your curry then serve.
- If adding vegetables that release water during cooking (e.g. courgettes, aubergine, mushrooms) roast these in the oven first and then mix into the finished curry.
- Add flour to the curry – this method is used in this recipe. To avoid flour lumps forming I usually mix 1 tbsp of flour with a bit of water to form a paste. Then add the flour paste to the curry and mix well. For best results add the flour paste before the curry is heated up to much. Then stir continually until the sauce thickens and the flour is ‘cooked out’.
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