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This Chicken Panang Curry will quickly become on of your favorite Thai recipes. SO easy to make, loaded with veggies, and the whole family will love it!
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Panang Curry, if you have never had it before, is typically a little more mild than most traditional curries. The flavor, in my opinion, is somewhere between Massaman Curry and Red Curry. The balance of flavors is absolutely delicious — when I made this for my family, they were begging for more (even the toddlers)! In the recipe, I added some vegetable suggestions to add to the curry, last time I made this I put ALL of the vegetables in and it took it to a whole new level (I love my curry packed with veggies though. It makes me feel like I am eating healthier). Add all the vegetables or just one or two, whatever you think your family would like best!
What is Curry?
Curry is a combination of spices often associated with Indian and Thai cooking. Several variations exist and the combination can include five or ten or more spices. Some of the common spices include ginger, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, fenugreek, chili pepper, and more. It is difficult to classify the flavor of curry because it includes a combination of both savory and sweet. It can be quite spicy, or more mild depending on the spices included in the mix.
Ingredients in Chicken Panang Curry
- Panang Curry Paste
- Coconut oil
- Chicken breast
- Coconut milk
- Palm sugar – regular sugar works if you can’t find palm sugar
- Fish sauce
Optional (to your taste and preference):
- Potatoes
- Fresh peas
- Diced tomatoes
- Shredded carrot
- Onions
- Sliced cashews or peanuts
- Red bell peppers
- Fresh red chilies – for garnish
- Kaffir lime leaves or Thai basil leaves – for garnish
Frequently Asked Questions
The paste is usually made of chiles, lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime zest, cilantro roots, garlic, shallots, shrimp paste, white pepper, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds. These aromatic ingredients, herbs, and spices combine to create the strong paste that is the base for your delicious Chicken Panang Curry.
Also to note, you can find vegan Panang curry paste at any local asian markets near you, or online.
Panang curry paste does not contain sugar. When you are making your dish, you may want to add sugar to taste and bring out natural flavors in the dish.
Panang curry paste is known to be mild. If you want your Panang curry recipe to be spicy, you can add extra ingredients like chili peppers to spice it up.
Read more:35+ Dinner Ideas
Why Thai?
Incorporating Thai food into your regular meal planning adds depth to your culinary experience. There are so many great dishes to try:
- Two Minute Thai Peanut Noodles jazzes up ordinary ramen noodles for a great new taste.
- Creamy Thai Peanut Dressing is zesty, tangy and slightly sweet — perfect way to dress up your salad.
- Thai Chicken Salad Wraps are everything you love in an Indian or Thai dish, wrapped in a tortilla.
- Thai Chicken Enchiladas are a filling, fresh, spicy and sweet way to enjoy your meal.
How to Make Chicken Panang Curry
Chicken Panang Curry
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Panang Curry Paste
- 3 tablespoons Coconut oil
- 1 pound chicken breast sliced into thin strips
- 4 cups coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar regular sugar works fine if you can’t find palm sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons fish sauce
- Optional all to taste unless specified:
- potatoes peeled and diced small (about 2 potatoes)
- fresh peas
- diced tomatoes
- carrot shredded
- sliced cashews or peanuts
- red bell peppers thinly sliced
- fresh chili peppers for garnish
- Kaffir lime leaves or Thai basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet, stir fry Panang curry paste with coconut oil until curry becomes fragrant.
- Add chicken and cook until chicken becomes white (doesn’t need to be cooked through).
- Slowly add coconut milk and bring to a light simmer.
- Add remaining ingredients (including optional vegetables like potatoes*, peas, tomatoes, carrot..etc..). Simmer until chicken is cooked through.
- Serve with jasmine rice.
- *If you dice the potatoes bigger, you may want to quickly boil them until fork-tender before adding them to the curry.
- Serves appx. 4
We love making all different kinds of ethnic dishes and this is one of them! So tasty!
This curry is amazing! So packed with flavor, we loved it!
We love Thai curries to at home. It’s so easy to prepare delicious dishes, especially with instant store-bought curry pastes.
I agree that adding lots of veggies makes a dish seem that much healthier. This sounds delicious and easy. I love Thai flavors!
Looks amazing, can’t wait to try!
Love trying new international-style dishes. This curry looks like one my whole family will love … gotta make it soon!
I wish I could rate this higher than 5 stars. This was a delicious recipe. My family loved it! You had me at curry!
Thank you so much!!