I absolutely love panang curry. If you’ve never tried it, Panang curry is a mild, nutty curry which has the nutty, mellow flavor and texture of roasted peanuts ground right into the curry paste.
Here, inspired by Panang curry, I used Whole30 ingredients to make a delicious weeknight dinner. To make a quick Penang that remained Whole30 approved, I combined ready-made Thai Red Curry Paste with some creamy almond butter, plus a little ground coriander and cumin for added flavor. I really love the way the flavors all mend together. The warm, spicy, creamy curry combined with the sweetness of the spaghetti squash is such a dreamy, delightful combination.
Whole30 Panang Curry Chicken + Noodle Bowls

Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. Red Curry Paste
- 3 tbsp. Crazy Richard's Almond Butter
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tbsp. avocado oil
- 1 large shallot diced small
- 1 red bell pepper seeds and core removed, and sliced thin
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 can full fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced into bite sized pieces
- 2 tsp. red boat fish sauce
- 1.5 cups sliced shittake mushrooms
- 4 cups Roasted Spaghetti Squash 1 large squash OR 4 cups spiralized zucchini
- thai basil for serving
- cilantro for serving
- 1 lime cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the red curry paste, almond butter, coriander, and cumin. Set Aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until tender.
- Add in the penang curry mixture, saute for about 2 minutes, or until very fragrant.
- Pour in the coconut milk and the fish sauce, whisk until well combined.
- Season the sliced chicken with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add in the chicken, red bell pepper, broccoli, and stir into the sauce. Let simmer in the sauce until cook through, covered (but stirring occasionally) until the chicken is cooked through and the bell peppers are tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Uncover and stir in the mushrooms and let simmer for 2 more minutes.
- Divide zoodles or the roasted spaghetti squash amongst 4 bowls. Ladle the curry over the "noodles" and toss to coat. Garnish with basil and cilantro, and serve with a wedge of lime.
22 Comments
Bridget
April 12, 2022 at 11:38 pmMade this with rotisserie chicken I didn’t know what to do with. Served with rice. SO good. All three kids ate it up…said it was SO good and hubby had two servings.
Alex
April 13, 2022 at 11:39 amGreat idea with the rotisserie Chicken!!! yum!!
Jennifer
November 2, 2021 at 4:07 pmThere are no words for how delicious this is!
Chelsea
August 4, 2021 at 12:16 amOh my goodness!!! I forgot how good this is, just made this again after it had been a few years since I’ve had it! Thank you for always creating amazing recipes that aren’t too hard to recreate!
Alex
August 4, 2021 at 11:53 amyay! I am so glad you loved. Thanks, Chelsea!
Erin Bryant
May 1, 2021 at 9:45 pmMade this tonight and YUM! Your rotisserie chicken week inspired me to use rotisserie chicken in this. Will make regularly!
Alex
May 2, 2021 at 12:18 pmlove it so much!!! Great idea to sub rotisserie chicken!
Maria
February 9, 2021 at 12:21 amLove this dish! Used peanut butter and peas as my veggie because that’s what I have on hand. Will definitely make again. I used cauliflower rice but would love to use spaghetti squash next time.
Quinn
December 21, 2022 at 4:34 pmCan’t wait to make this this week. Panang curry is a fave. What premade curry do you recommend? The link to Thrive no longer works. Also, my family loves peanut butter, if I were to sub peanut butter would you recommend a 1:1 ratio with the almond butter?
Alex
December 21, 2022 at 8:52 pmhi! for red curry paste, I recommend Mae Ploy brand if you can find it!! and yes, 1:1 on the peanut butter is perfect!
Kristina A
February 6, 2021 at 2:53 amSuch a good recipe! The sauce is so simple yet so flavorful. We used fish instead of chicken so adjusted the cooking times accordingly. Thanks for a great recipe!
Alex
February 6, 2021 at 1:32 pmlovely!!!
Bridget
June 27, 2017 at 3:47 amI made this for dinner tonight and it was sooooo delicious! I will be making this again.
Alex
June 27, 2017 at 5:28 pmYAY!
Jessica
May 18, 2017 at 9:35 pmTried this tonight with peanut butter instead – SO delicious!
Alex
May 21, 2017 at 9:58 pmGreat!! Thanks for commenting 🙂
Danielle
May 17, 2017 at 3:56 amWe made this tonight and used cauliflower rice as the base instead of squash, it was so great! Thanks for then inspiration and sharing!
Alex
May 17, 2017 at 1:33 pmGlad you liked it, Danielle!
Garland Caldwell
May 11, 2017 at 11:07 pmI made this tonight! SO amazing! Thank you.
Alex
May 14, 2017 at 12:32 pmWonderful!! Glad you enjoyed it.
Xylia
May 8, 2017 at 12:33 amIs there anything else I can use beside the almond butter? Have to avoid almond due to allergies.
Alex
May 8, 2017 at 11:38 amIf you aren’t Whole30, use Peanut Butter. If you are Whole30, try using this Cashew Butter (https://www.crazyrichards.com/product/crazy-richards-cashew-butter/) or Sunbutter (http://sunbutter.com/). I would only do 2 tbsp. of the butter in that case, taste and see if you need more and add another tbsp. if desired! Enjoy!