Thai Panang Curry with Chicken

Warm and comforting Thai Panang Curry with Chicken is a rich and nutty curry sauce that uses creamy natural peanut butter, panang curry paste, and coconut milk. This mild panang curry is prepared in just 30 minutes in the Instant Pot, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Better yet, this recipe is made with chicken but can also be made with vegetables, pork, or beef.

Chicken Panang Curry is probably something you’ve ordered for takeout from a Thai restaurant, but never thought to try at home. Let me tell you, it’s so easy to make, especially in your one-pot electric pressure cooker.

This panang curry sauce gets its unique and nutty flavor from natural peanut butter as well as lime juice and a little bit of fish sauce. It’s similar to some of my other Easy Thai Recipes like Pad Thai, Thai Massaman Curry Chicken, and Thai Basil Fried Rice.

What is Panang Curry?

Thai panang curry is a very rich, and creamy curry when compared to other curries since it has more coconut milk or cream in the sauce. Originating in Laos, Thailand, the name panang comes from an ancient Khmer word “cross” for sitting cross-legged. 

It was said that long ago in Laos, they would cross chicken’s legs on the grill and baste them with a curry paste with peanuts and coconut cream. This panang curry recipe is now made in a pot usually rather than the grill. 

Panang curry is made from panang curry paste which has ingredients like dried chilies, shallot, garlic, lemongrass, makrut (kaffir) lime zest, and many times shrimp paste. Panang curry sauce is different from other red curries thanks to its use of unsweetened natural peanut butter, kaffir lime leaves, and coconut milk or cream.

Ingredients in Panang Curry Recipe

• Panang curry paste: I like the Maesri Brand Panang Curry Paste. It’s the base of this rich, warm curry sauce and has ingredients like dried red chilies, lemongrass, shallot, garlic, ginger, shrimp paste, and kaffir lime zest 
• Unsweetened full-fat coconut milk: Full-fat coconut milk is essential to any panang curry recipe to make that creamy sauce. You can also use coconut cream if that is what you have on hand.
• Boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs: I’m using chicken in this panang curry, but you could just use vegetables and tofu to make it vegetarian panang curry or use other proteins like beef and pork.
• Unsweetened natural creamy peanut butter: This ingredient makes panang curry unique when compared to other curry recipes. 
• Fish sauce: Optional to use, but it gives the panang curry a salty, slightly fishy, umami that is so delicious.
• Brown sugar: Adds a hint of sweetness to the peanut butter and intense spices of the panang curry paste.
• Soy sauce: Adds the saltiness to the curry sauce that highlights all of the many ingredients in the sauce. 
• Lime juice: Is the acidic ingredient that brightens the flavors to make every flavor in the curry paste more vibrant in taste. 
• Vegetables: Onion, red and yellow bell pepper are the base vegetables to go with the chicken. The peppers add a nice natural sweetness to the sauce.
• Kaffir lime leaves: These are optional, but if you can find them I highly recommend using them. They infuse the sauce with a warm, bright lime flavor that makes panang curry special. If you can’t find it, the Maesri red curry paste has kaffir lime zest in it. 
• Thai basil leaves: a unique ingredient, Thai basil is different from regular basil in that it is spicier with a hint of licorice flavor.

How to Make Thai Panang Curry with Chicken

• Heat the Instant Pot on Saute and add the oil. Add the panang curry paste and cook for one minute to allow the flavors to toast and become aromatic. 
• Stir in half of the coconut milk into the panang curry paste until smooth and combined. Press Cancel on the Instant Pot.
• Add the chicken, season with salt, and stir to combine. Close the Instant Pot lid and be sure to seal the pressure valve. Pressure cook on High for 4 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes then carefully manually release the lid.

• Remove the lid and add the peanut butter, fish sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, and lime juice. Stir in the remaining coconut milk until everything is nicely combined.
• Add the onions and peppers and cook on Saute mode for about 5 minutes or until the panang curry sauce comes to a gentle boil. Be sure not to overcook the veggies, they should be crisp-tender. 
• Garnish with Thai basil.

Chicken Panang Curry Recipe Tips

• Kaffir lime leaves are sometimes a difficult ingredient to find in the grocery store. If you have a local Asian market, try sourcing them there. They are definitely worth using in the recipe if you can find them, they add a spicy, citrus lime flavor to the sauce. 
• If you can’t find kaffir lime leaves, not a problem, there is some kaffir lime zest in the panang curry paste already so the flavor will still be in the sauce. 
• Coconut cream vs. coconut milk. You can use either in this recipe, I’ve made it easier by calling for a whole can of full-fat coconut milk.
• To make this a vegetarian panang curry, simply use all peppers and onions in the base recipe rather than chicken. I like to add green beans, tofu, or spinach too.

How to Serve Chicken Panang Curry

This authentic chicken panang curry recipe has a luscious and creamy sauce that is perfect over jasmine rice. I have the easiest jasmine rice recipe that is also made directly in the Instant Pot. 

This jasmine rice recipe cooks the rice in half of the time, is hands-free, and gives you perfectly cooked rice every single time. 

Storing

Store the panang curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat over medium heat in a skillet on the stove for a few minutes or heat in the microwave for a couple of minutes until warmed through.

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