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    Home » Recipes by Category » Curries

    Published: Aug 16, 2019 · Modified: May 7, 2021 by Nart · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Chicken Panang Curry | Panang Gai

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Full of flavor and ready in just minutes, this Thai chicken panang curry is one of the best curries with mild heat. As it's freezer-friendly and reheats like a dream, it's also a great make-ahead meal with rice - the perfect midweek dinner!

    Thai chicken panang curry in a white bowl

    Thai Chicken Panang Curry (Panang Gai - พะแนงไก่)

    Me and my chicken panang? Yeah, we're best buds.

    Panang (พะแนง) is a rich and creamy Thai curry that is only mildly spicy. Unlike the more generic red curry, panang is salty and sweet. While it may sound a bit weird to describe a curry with the word sweet, panang is, in fact, one of the tastiest and most popular Thai curries, along with green curry and red curry. 

    This recipe uses chicken as the main ingredient but panang can actually be made with other kinds of meat. Other than chicken, the more common types we enjoy in Thailand include pork, beef or even salmon or shrimp. If you want to make it meatless, then you can use vegetables instead.

    Although you can find panang at most Thai takeaway outlets, the homemade version will almost always be better because you get to choose your own ingredients and eat it fresh off the pan. Yes, panang curry does reheat well, making it perfect for make-ahead meals. But who wouldn't want to eat it freshly cooked?

    Oh, have I mentioned I have a one-pan policy when it comes to making panang? If not, I declare it now!

    rice topped with panang chicken or panang gai in a white plate

    Panang Curry Paste (Prik Gaeng Panang)

    Homemade curry pastes are usually better than the premade ones (if you do it right, that is!). I realize I'm generalizing here but really we don't usually make our own panang curry paste. This isn't just true for panang but also our other curries (my family only makes our own paste for Thai sour curry).

    If you live in Thailand, you can find freshly made curry pastes at almost any market. I don't usually make the panang curry paste from scratch and when I have to buy it, I always prefer the market version to the nicely-packaged ones that often come with preservatives in the supermarket.

    Yes, I understand that not everyone can find the ingredients and time to make their own Thai panang curry paste or live in Thailand where they can buy good quality fresh curry pastes.

    When I was a student abroad, I, of course, relied heavily on the tubbed version too. All I can say about it is that it's not bad at all. The brand I recommend is Mae Ploy, which I believe is distributed to many parts of the world. So, if you can't make or find any fresh panang curry paste, just go with this one and you should be fine.

    shreded fresh coconut for making coconut milk at a Thai market

    Coconut Milk

    Again, all I have to say about coconut milk is pretty much the same as what I did with the curry paste. It would be ideal if you can make your own coconut milk! In Thailand, you can find shredded fresh coconut or freshly made coconut milk at the market. Many of the curry paste shops often sell curry pastes and shredded coconut and fresh coconut milk together. 

    Making Coconut Cream / Milk

    If you're looking to make about 2 servings of panang curry, 0.5 kilogram or 1.1 pounds of shredded fresh mature coconut meat should do. To make coconut cream and milk, you will need to:
     
    1. Place the coconut in a bowl and add about 1 cup of warm water to the shredded coconut. Adding warm water is key to extracting the creaminess out of the coconut.
    2. Squeeze the coconut with your hand in the bowl. Repeat until the liquid becomes creamy. Then use a grachon กระชอน (Thai coconut strainer) to strain. You need to squeeze the coconut when straining the liquid. The first batch will be very creamy and this is what we often call coconut cream or hua gati (หัวกะทิ) in Thai.
    3. Add more water to the coconut that has already been strained. You can add just about as much warm water as you want to use. There is no set amount that you need to follow. You can just eyeball it but for this recipe, you only need another ¼ cup of warm water. The second batch is what we normally call coconut milk or hang gati (หางกะทิ). It's still creamy but noticeably less creamy than the first batch. Just remember that you don't want it super watery because all the milk will be used as the liquid base in your curry.
    4. Squeeze and strain again.

    And that's it! You've got your coconut cream and milk. 🙂

    P.S. It seems to me that the difference between coconut cream and coconut milk is not widely known in the West and people tend to use them interchangeably but refer to both as coconut milk. Again, if you can't find coconut cream, coconut milk is fine.

    top view of Thai Panang curry in a white bowl with handles

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons of panang curry paste
    • 1 cup of coconut cream
    • 8 ounces or about 225 grams of chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
    • ½ cup of pea eggplant (also known as Turkey berry)
    • ¼ cup of coconut milk
    • ½ teaspoon of sugar
    • 5 red Thai chilis, halved and deseeded
    • 9 kaffir lime leaves, 8 torn and 1 finely julienned

    panang gai garnished with finely julienned kaffir lime leaf

    Instructions

    If you look online, you'll see that there are a few ways to make panang. Some people start by cooking the protein in coconut milk, others by frying the curry paste with coconut milk. There's no right or wrong here or at least that's what I think. At the end of the day, it's all about good food and being comfortable in the kitchen, right?

    Now, when I said some people start making panang by cooking meat in coconut milk, those people will usually set the meat and coconut milk aside, and then move on to the curry paste. This is absolutely fine, BUT if you hate cleaning up like me, I think you're going to love my method because, like I said, it's one pan and it's ready in just 30 minutes!

    So here's how to make panang gai:

    1. In a large skillet with deep sides, fry the panang curry paste over medium heat until fragrant.
    2. Pour half of the coconut cream into the pan and bring to a boil.
    3. Once the coconut cream is boiling, add the chicken and pea eggplant and cook for about 5 minutes.
    4. Add the rest of the coconut cream and coconut milk.
    5. Season with ½ teaspoon of sugar. Taste and adjust as needed, but remember Thai panang curry has to be sweet and salty.
    6. Add the red chili peppers and torn kaffir lime leaves. Cook for another minute and turn off the heat.
    7. Transfer the curry to serving bowls, garnish with finely julienned kaffir lime leaves and serve with rice. Or even better, serve it on a bed of rice.

    a close up of rice with Thai chicken panang curry

    Serving Chicken Panang Curry

    You can serve it in a large bowl with a serving spoon to share and enjoy it with rice. This is just Thai etiquette. But if you're not comfortable doing this, then by all means, serve it in two individual serving bowls with two plates of rice OR simply serve it on top of steamed rice! Okay, maybe with a little bit of nam pla prik (Thai chili fish sauce condiment) as well!

    Freezing And Reheating

    Absolutely! Just put any leftover in an airtight container and pop it in your freezer. When you want to eat, simply microwave it for a few minutes. I'd say it'll stay good for a long time in the freezer but I personally wouldn't keep it longer than a month. Though that's just my thing 😉

    Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

    • Thai-Style Omelet | Kai Jeow
    • Thai Stir-Fried Morning Glory | Pad Pak Boong
    • Stir Fried Yardlong Beans with Bacon
    • 4-Ingredient Thai Stir-Fried Cabbage – Vegan and Healthy
    • Thai Beef Jerky (Neua Dad Deow or Neua Kem)
    • Long Bean Stir Fry with Bacon

    📖 Recipe

    Thai chicken panang curry in a white bowl

    Thai Chicken Panang Curry Recipe | Panang Gai | พะแนงไก่

    Full of flavor and ready in just minutes, this Thai chicken panang curry is one of the best curries with mild heat. As it's freezer-friendly and reheats like a dream, it's also a great make-ahead meal with rice - the perfect midweek dinner!
    5 from 28 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Curries, Main Dishes
    Cuisine: Thai
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 servings
    Author: Nart

    Equipment

    • Grachon (Thai coconut strainer)

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons panang curry paste
    • 1 cup coconut cream
    • 1.1 pounds chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
    • ½ cup pea eggplant (also known as Turkey berry)
    • ¼ cup coconut milk
    • ½ teaspoon sugar
    • 5 red Thai chilis halved and deseeded
    • 9 kaffir lime leaves 8 torn and 1 finely julienned
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • In a large skillet with deep sides, fry the panang curry paste over medium heat until fragrant.
    • Pour half of the coconut cream into the pan and bring to a boil.
    • Once the coconut cream is boiling, add the chicken and pea eggplant and cook for about 5 minutes.
    • Add the rest of the coconut cream and coconut milk.
    • Season with ½ teaspoon of sugar. Taste and adjust as needed, but remember Thai panang curry has to be sweet and salty.
    • Add the red chili peppers and torn kaffir lime leaves. Cook for another minute and turn off the heat.
    • Transfer the curry to serving bowls, garnish with finely julienned kaffir lime leaves and serve with rice. Or even better, serve it on a bed of rice!
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cookingwithnart or tag #cookingwithnart!

     

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Priya Lakshminarayan says

      October 12, 2020 at 10:43 pm

      5 stars
      This looks yumm..made my mouth water

      Reply
    2. Alison says

      October 12, 2020 at 10:21 pm

      5 stars
      This is one of my husbands favorite dishes to order for take-out! Now I can make it at home! Thanks for the simple recipe!

      Reply
    3. Carrie Robinson says

      October 12, 2020 at 10:09 pm

      5 stars
      Oh yum! I am down for any kind of curry, and this looks amazing. 🙂

      Reply
    4. Stephanie says

      October 12, 2020 at 10:03 pm

      5 stars
      My husband had been asking for curry and I wasn't sure the best way to make it. He really enjoyed this and has already asked me to make it again!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        December 03, 2020 at 10:46 am

        That's great to hear, Stephanie!

        Reply
    5. Jess says

      October 12, 2020 at 9:34 pm

      5 stars
      This is perfect for a Fall night! So warm and comforting!

      Reply
    6. Paul says

      September 21, 2020 at 8:07 pm

      This is a great website Nart, i love your little intros!
      I'm going to use a few of your recipes as reference to create a few of my Thai favourites.
      Which part of Thailand do you and so the recipes hail from?
      Regards,
      Paul

      Reply
      • Nart says

        October 01, 2020 at 1:44 pm

        Hi Paul, thanks for the comment! I'm from the Central part of Thailand but my recipes are not limited to just Central Thai dishes. I hope you enjoy my recipes!

        Reply
    7. Nisha says

      September 15, 2020 at 12:30 am

      5 stars
      Love Panang curry, easy to whip up and so delicious ! I also love your food photography .All the dishes look amazing!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        September 17, 2020 at 2:00 pm

        Thank you so much! <3

        Reply
    8. Jovita says

      September 03, 2020 at 12:04 am

      5 stars
      I love how easy and quick this curry is! And since our kids are not into curries yet, it's really great that it's a small batch. Definitely bookmarking!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        September 08, 2020 at 3:11 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    9. Alisha Rodrigues says

      September 02, 2020 at 11:41 pm

      5 stars
      I could have this for any meal.. Easy to make and so so delicious... Love the simplicity and flavor it has

      Reply
      • Nart says

        September 08, 2020 at 3:11 pm

        Thank you so much. Same here!

        Reply
    10. Beth says

      September 02, 2020 at 11:35 pm

      5 stars
      Yum! This looks so delicious and so flavor filled! I can't wait to make this! My husband is going to love it!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        September 08, 2020 at 3:12 pm

        Hope he enjoys it!

        Reply
    11. Pris Frank | LikeHotKeto says

      September 02, 2020 at 11:29 pm

      5 stars
      Well, I wholeheartedly agree with you, Nart. ANYTHING, actually, homemade is much better than take-out. Nobody is gonna cook so good for you as yourself or somebody who loves you (or, at least, somebody who's gonna be eating too!). Loved the chicken panang recipe, seems super simple, will try it very soon!!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        September 08, 2020 at 3:12 pm

        Hope you enjoy it! <3

        Reply
    12. Katie says

      September 02, 2020 at 11:29 pm

      5 stars
      Looks great! Can't wait to try this one.

      Reply
      • Nart says

        September 08, 2020 at 3:12 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    13. Christian Guzman says

      July 26, 2020 at 7:39 pm

      5 stars
      So flavorful and creamy. I had to cut the chiles down to about half because I'm a lightweight, but that just let more of the other flavors shine. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        September 08, 2020 at 6:58 pm

        Thank you so much Christian!

        Reply
    14. Alexandra says

      July 26, 2020 at 7:19 pm

      5 stars
      Thai curries are our favourite, and this is no exception - such wonderful flavours!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        September 08, 2020 at 6:57 pm

        Thanks so much, Alexandra!

        Reply
    15. Dannii says

      July 26, 2020 at 6:07 pm

      5 stars
      This curry looks amazing. So creamy and delicious.

      Reply
      • Nart says

        September 08, 2020 at 6:42 pm

        Thank you Dannii 🙂

        Reply
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