Dinner · 30 min · thai

Panang Curry with Chicken

A Thai dinner built around chicken thighs and coconut milk — on the table in 30 minutes.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb Chicken thighs
• 2 14-oz cans Coconut milk
• 4 tbsp Panang curry paste
• 1 Red bell pepper
• 6 Kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tbsp Fish sauce
• 1 tbsp Palm sugar
• 2 tbsp Roasted peanuts

Steps

1. Spoon the thick cream from the top of both coconut milk cans into a wok or heavy pot. Heat over medium until it sizzles and the oil separates out. This is called cracking the coconut cream, and it is what gives panang its glossy, restaurant-style finish.
2. Add the panang paste to the cracked cream and fry 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until deeply fragrant and a shade darker. Raw curry paste tastes flat; fried curry paste tastes like a Bangkok night market.
3. Add the chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces, and toss to coat. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Never a hard boil, which can split the sauce.
4. Simmer 15 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the fish sauce and palm sugar, then taste: panang should be rich and nutty with a salty-sweet balance, heat humming underneath.
5. Add the sliced bell pepper and the kaffir lime leaves, torn in half to release their oils. Simmer 3 more minutes. The peppers should stay bright and just tender.
6. Serve over jasmine rice with the roasted peanuts scattered on top. The peanuts are not garnish; they are the whole point of panang.

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