Panang chicken curry (kaeng panang gai)

Name: Panang chicken curry (kaeng panang gai)
Prep time: 16 min
Cook time: 29 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 400ml Coconut Milk; 1-2tbsp Panang Curry Paste; 200g Chicken Breast; 100g Green Beans; 2-3 tbsp Fish Sauce; 1-2tbsp Brown Sugar; 2 makrut lime leaves; Handful Basil Leaves; Boiled Jasmine Rice; 6 Red Chilli; 4 Dried Red Chillies; 1 teaspoon Shrimp Paste; 4 Cloves Chopped Garlic; 1 tblsp Galangal; 1 tblsp Lemongrass; Zest of 2 Lime; 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg; 1 tsp Ground Coriander; 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin; 2 tblsp Peanuts

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Chicken recipe with Thai flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 51 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 45 min total

400ml Coconut Milk
1-2tbsp Panang Curry Paste
200g Chicken Breast
100g Green Beans
2-3 tbsp Fish Sauce
1-2tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Makrut Lime Leaves
Handful Basil Leaves
Boiled Jasmine Rice
6 Red Chilli
4 Dried Red Chillies
1 teaspoon Shrimp Paste
4 Cloves Chopped Garlic
1 tblsp Galangal
1 tblsp Lemongrass
Zest of 2 Lime
1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
2 tblsp Peanuts

Step-by-step instructions

First, make the curry paste. Use a pestle and mortar to pound together the dried and fresh chillies, shrimp paste, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, lime zest, white pepper, coriander, cumin, nutmeg and peanuts, plus 1 tsp salt. You should have a rough paste. Alternatively, add all the ingredients to a food processor along with 2-3 tbsp of coconut milk and pulse until you have a paste. Store in a lidded jar in the fridge. Will keep for up to two weeks.
Add 2-3 tbsp of the thick part of the coconut milk into a saucepan over a medium-high heat. When the coconut milk starts bubbling, add 1-2 tbsp of the curry paste and stir well for about 1 min, until fragrant.
Stir in the chicken and let it cook for about 3-4 mins until beginning to brown all over. Follow with the French beans and stir well.
Season with the fish sauce and sugar, then add the rest of coconut milk. Mix well, add half the makrut lime leaves and simmer for 3-5 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Taste and add more sugar or fish sauce if necessary – it should be salty and nutty, and the sweetness should come through. Add the Thai basil leaves, give it a quick mix and take off the heat. Serve with steamed jasmine rice, garnished with the sliced chilli and the rest of the makrut lime leaves.

Why this works on a weeknight

Panang chicken curry (kaeng panang gai) lands at about 45 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Weeknight Curries collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Panang chicken curry (kaeng panang gai) actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🌶️ Weeknight Curries Chicken Thai