Chicken Panang Curry
A rich, slightly sweet Thai curry with creamy coconut, fragrant kaffir lime and crisp veg — ready in about 35 minutes.
Panang is the easy-going cousin of red curry: nutty, slightly sweet and luxuriously creamy. This chicken version is ideal for a weeknight when you want something fragrant without faff.
The trick is in frying the paste briefly to release its aromatics, then finishing with lime, palm sugar and Thai basil for that perfect balance of salty, sweet and sharp. Serve with steamed jasmine rice or sticky rice if you like.
Ingredients
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 600 g chicken thigh, boneless, skinless
- 45 ml panang curry paste
- 400 ml coconut milk — one standard can
- 100 ml chicken stock
- 30 ml fish sauce
- 15 ml palm sugar
- 6 kaffir lime leaves
- 15 g Thai basil leaves
- 1 red pepper — thinly sliced
- 150 g green beans — trimmed and halved if long
- 30 g unsalted peanuts — lightly crushed
- 1 lime — juice only
- 3 garlic cloves — finely chopped
- 1 shallot — finely sliced
- sea salt — to taste
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients: thinly slice the shallot; finely chop the garlic cloves; slice the red pepper into strips; trim the green beans; tear the kaffir lime leaves into strips (discard the centre stalk); crush the unsalted peanuts; cut the chicken thigh into bite-sized pieces.
Warm a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the vegetable oil and when hot add the shallot and garlic. Fry for 1–1½ minutes until soft but not browned, then add the panang curry paste and fry for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly until fragrant.
Pour in half the coconut milk (200 ml) and the chicken stock to loosen the paste, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 minutes so the flavours marry.
Add the chicken pieces, stir to coat in the curry base, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook gently for 10 minutes, partially covered, until the chicken is cooked through.
Stir in the remaining coconut milk, red pepper and green beans, add the kaffir lime leaves, then simmer uncovered for 4–5 minutes until the vegetables are tender-crisp and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Remove from the heat and stir in the fish sauce, palm sugar and the juice of the lime. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt if needed. Scatter over the Thai basil leaves and crushed peanuts before serving.
Tips
- Fry the curry paste gently in oil — this unlocks the aromatics. If you skip this the curry will taste flatter.
- If the sauce splits, whisk in a tablespoon of coconut milk off the heat to bring it back together.
- Make ahead: the curry keeps well in the fridge for 2 days and the flavours deepen — reheat gently over a low heat.
- Freeze portions without the Thai basil and peanuts for up to 2 months; add fresh basil and crushed peanuts when serving.
- Adjust heat by adding a pinch of crushed dried chilli or a little extra curry paste if you prefer it spicier.
Substitutions
chicken thigh, boneless, skinless → firm tofu, 400 g, cubed (add with the coconut milk and cook 4–5 minutes)
Stays closepalm sugar → soft brown sugar, same quantity
Stays closefish sauce → light soy sauce, 1½ tbsp (noticeably less fishy, saltier)
Noticeably differentThai basil leaves → fresh coriander, 15 g, chopped (different flavour but still fresh)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 690
- Calories
- 28 g
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 1200 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use store-bought panang curry paste?
Yes — good-quality store-bought paste works well. Fry it in oil to bloom the flavours before adding liquids.
Why has my coconut milk separated?
High heat can cause coconut milk to split. Simmer gently rather than boil and stir in a spoonful of coconut milk off the heat to re-emulsify if needed.
Can I make this vegetarian?
Use firm tofu instead of chicken and swap fish sauce for light soy sauce or a vegetarian fish-sauce alternative; flavour will be slightly different but still delicious.
How do I make it spicier or milder?
Add a small pinch of crushed dried chilli or extra curry paste to increase heat; reduce the paste or omit crushed chilli to make it milder.
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