This easy chicken Panang curry uses prepared red curry paste, toasted peanuts, coconut milk, and warm spices for a full-flavored dinner with only a few minutes of hands-on work.

Easy chicken Panang curry solves a very specific weeknight problem: you want the rounded flavor of a long-cooked curry, but making curry paste from scratch is not happening on a Tuesday. Prepared red curry paste handles the chile and aromatics. Toasted peanuts, cumin, and coriander push it toward the warm, nutty character associated with Panang curry. Chicken thighs simmer directly in coconut milk, so the active cooking is short even though the pan stays on the stove for about half an hour. Put rice on first and dinner lines up without much juggling.

How pantry curry paste becomes a fuller sauce

Curry paste tastes noticeably better after it fries in oil. Those two minutes wake up the spices and remove the raw edge before any liquid enters the pan. Finely ground toasted peanuts give the sauce body without making it taste like peanut butter, while cumin and coriander add a toasted bass note. Chicken thighs suit the gentle simmer because they stay tender and give the coconut milk time to reduce around them. Waiting until the end to add fish sauce and sugar matters. Curry paste brands contain different amounts of salt, so early seasoning can leave you with nowhere to go.

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Use full-fat coconut milk for the simmer and a spoonful of coconut cream for the finish. They do different jobs: the milk creates the sauce, while the cream adds a fresh-looking ribbon at the table. Blanched peanuts are easiest because the skins can taste slightly bitter once ground. Makrut lime leaves are optional but distinctive. Slice them hair-thin across the leaf so they perfume the curry without becoming chewy strips. If they are unavailable, a small amount of finely grated lime zest at serving time is closer than adding lime juice, which changes the sauce’s balance.

A calm order for a 40-minute curry

Toast the peanuts before the large pan comes out. They can go from pale to scorched quickly, so shake the skillet and pull them when the first few are golden. Grind them to a fine meal and combine them with the curry paste and dry spices. Heat the oil over medium, then cook this mixture until it darkens slightly and smells fragrant. Add the thinly sliced chicken and turn the pieces until the raw exterior is gone. They do not need to brown deeply. Pour in the coconut milk, scrape the pan, cover, and lower the heat. A quiet simmer is better than a hard boil, which can split the coconut milk and toughen the meat. After 30 minutes, check the largest piece of chicken and then season. Add fish sauce and palm sugar in small additions, tasting between them. You are looking for a savory sauce with a gentle sweetness, not a sugary curry. Spoon it over rice and add the garnishes just before eating.

Cool leftovers within two hours and refrigerate in a shallow container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove with a spoonful of water. The sauce often thickens overnight, and that small splash brings it back.

Serving easy chicken panang curry

Steamed jasmine rice is the obvious base, but plain rice noodles work too. Add something crisp and green so the plate is not one soft, creamy texture. Sliced cucumber with lime, blanched green beans, or cabbage slaw all fit. A Thai-style omelet makes the meal more generous without competing with the sauce. If serving children or heat-sensitive guests, leave sliced chile on the table. I keep extra lime nearby, though I squeeze it over the vegetables rather than directly into the curry. Put the garnishes in small bowls and let everyone adjust heat, citrus, and coconut cream at their own place.

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Easy Chicken Panang Curry

Author: Yas Sine Cooking Method: Simmering, Stovetop Cuisine: Dinner, Main Course Courses: Dinner Recipes Recipe Keys: M Make-Ahead O One Pan W Weeknight Dinner

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 5 mins Cook Time 40 mins Total Time 45 mins

Servings: 4

Best Season: All Seasons

Description

Prepared red curry paste gets extra depth from toasted peanuts, cumin, and coriander in this creamy chicken Panang curry.

Ingredients

Servings

• 1 tablespoon blanched peanuts
• ¹⁄₂ jar Thai red curry paste (about 3 to 4 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets thinly sliced (500 g)
• ³⁄₄ cup coconut milk (180 ml)
• 1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons fish sauce or to taste
• 1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons finely shaved palm sugar or light brown sugar or to taste
• 2 tablespoons coconut cream
• finely sliced makrut lime leaves for serving
• sliced fresh red chile for serving.

Instructions

1. Toast the peanuts in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until lightly golden. Transfer to a mortar or small processor and grind finely
2. Mix the ground peanuts with the red curry paste cumin and coriander
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the curry paste mixture and stir for about 2 minutes until fragrant
4. Add the sliced chicken and cook while stirring until the outside begins to color
5. Stir in the coconut milk. Cover reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through
6. Season with fish sauce and palm sugar. Taste and adjust the balance of salty sweet and spicy
7. Spoon into bowls. Drizzle with coconut cream and finish with makrut lime leaves and red chile. Serve with steamed rice.

Note

Prepared curry pastes vary widely in salt and heat, so add fish sauce and sugar after simmering. Nutrition information was not supplied by the source. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 3 days.

Keywords: easy chicken Panang curry, weeknight Thai curry, chicken thigh curry, coconut milk curry