Chicken Panang Curry
"Restaurant Quality"
Serves 3-4 | Prep Time 20 mins | Cook Time 30 minsWhy I Love This Recipe
One of my favorite curries to order at Thai restaurants, but I find that it's very inconsistent from place to place, so I took it into my own hands.
In researching recipes, I found out why it's so inconsistent from restaurant to restaurant...there doesn't seem to be one right way to make this. People vary the amount of coconut milk and curry paste by A LOT, and there's ingredients like peanut butter, ginger, and corn starch that some people use and some people don't. So this is definitely a WIP recipe, but we were pretty happy with it.
The one thing you need in order to make a Panang truly taste like a Panang, is the Kaffir Lime Leaves. You'll probably need to go to an Asian market to find it, but it's definitely worth it.
Might want to try this with chicken thigh instead of breast next time.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 pound chicken breast chopped
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3-5 thai chili peppers (note, these are extremely spicy) *optional
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon coconut oil
4-5 tbsp Panang red curry paste
2 tablespoon peanut butter
12 kaffir lime leaves, crushed
13.5 ounces thick coconut milk, unsweetened
2 tsp corn starch
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves or sweet basil
cayenne pepper to taste
Directions
Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Chop the onions into rough 1-inch pieces and the peppers length-wise to look like fajita strips. Chop the Thai chilis into tiny pieces. Mince the garlic. Then crush the kaffir lime leaves to help release their oils. Add the cornstarch to the coconut milk and whisk together
Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil melts, add the onions. Sauté for 1 minute, then add the peppers, garlic, and ginger. Sauté another 2-3 minutes
Move the veggies to the sides of the skillet and add the panang red curry paste and peanut butter to the center of the pan. Sauté the curry for 2-3 minutes to intensify the flavor, moving around the pan. Then add the kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk/cornstarch blend, and fish sauce. Stir to mix everything together
Stir in the chopped chicken and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the basil leaves and cayenne. Serve with rice, quinoa, or noodles
Enjoy!
Pairs Well With
White Rice
