Chicken Penang Curry with Vegetables
Description
This Chicken Penang Curry is a rich, creamy Thai-style coconut curry packed with tender chicken and a colourful mix of vegetables including broccoli, baby corn, red capsicum, and red onion. Made with Penang curry paste and coconut cream, then deepened with soy sauce, fish sauce, and fragrant makrut lime leaves, it delivers incredible flavour in every bowl. Mild enough for the whole family yet satisfying enough for any curry lover, this easy weeknight dinner is served over fluffy jasmine rice for a complete and budget-friendly meal.
Ingredients
Curry Base
- 600 g boneless chicken sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 2 Penang curry sachets
- 270 ml coconut cream
Vegetables
- 410 g baby corn spears drained, each cut into 3 pieces
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets, inner stem cut into matchsticks
- 1 red onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 red capsicum thinly sliced
Seasonings & Aromatics
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp white sugar
- salt pinch, to taste
- 3 makrut lime leaves scrunched before adding
- fresh coriander leaves and stems separated; stems finely chopped, leaves reserved for garnish
To Serve
- 1.5 cups jasmine rice cooked via absorption method
Instructions
Rice
- Cook the jasmine rice using the absorption method. Combine rice with water (1:1.5 ratio), bring to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cover with a lid and allow to absorb for 12–15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it steam, lid on, for a further 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Curry
- Prepare the curry sauce as directed on the sachet packaging, using the coconut cream as the liquid base. Bring the sauce together over medium heat in a large pan or wok until fragrant.
- Add the sliced chicken to the curry sauce. Stir well to coat and cook through, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains.
- Add the broccoli florets, broccoli stem matchsticks, baby corn pieces, sliced red onion, and sliced red capsicum. Stir everything together so the vegetables are fully coated in the sauce.
- Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, white sugar, a pinch of salt, scrunched makrut lime leaves, and the finely chopped coriander stems. Stir to combine, then let the curry simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still have a slight bite and the sauce has deepened in colour and flavour. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serving
- Ladle the curry into bowls and spoon the fluffy jasmine rice over the top. Garnish generously with the fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately.
Notes
- Using two curry sachets is recommended when adding this many vegetables — it ensures the sauce has enough depth and flavour to coat everything properly. One sachet can work if you reduce the vegetable quantity.
- Scrunch the makrut lime leaves in your hands before adding them to the pot — this releases their natural oils and significantly boosts the aroma and flavour of the curry.
- Do not discard the inner broccoli stem. Sliced into matchsticks, it becomes tender and flavourful when simmered in the sauce, and reduces food waste.
- The coriander stems are added during cooking while the leaves are reserved for garnish — the stems carry more flavour when simmered, while the leaves are best fresh.
- Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store rice separately. The curry can also be frozen for up to 2 months — thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water or coconut cream if needed.
- To make this vegetarian, substitute the chicken with firm tofu or chickpeas and replace fish sauce with soy sauce or tamarind.