Peanut Butter Panang Beer Curry with Chicken and Rice Noodles

Did you need to read that title twice? There's a lot going on in it- especially the beer in a curry sauce. But I do like to put my own slight twist on recipes; even more so when beer is involved!

The Bruery sent me a few bottles of their Autumn Maple beer in exchange for a recipe as part of their Facebook Blogger Invitational - I was all too happy to play around with a new beer.


This beer, which is brewed with yams, is their answer to the many pumpkin beers found on the market today. I found it to be a bold beer that is reminiscent of all things fall - bold, earthy and warming with a hint of spice and happily not too sweet.

There are a lot of obvious pairings with fall beers, but I wanted to go just beyond the typical. In this dish, coconut milk and red curry paste are an obvious combination as is the chicken and rice noodles. And often a dish like this would call for a fish sauce, but using a full-bodied fall beer helps to give this sauce an earthy undertone.

The peanut butter marries well with this spiced beer and rounds out the richness of the sauce while giving a nutty crunch (if you opt for a crunchy peanut butter.)

Bring on the Autumn chill - I'm ready with a Fat and Happy warm fall dish that's slightly off the beaten path.


Fat and Happy Food Blog Tips and Techniques: Adding the peanut butter to the sauce too soon seemed to cook away the flavor and richness so I prefer to add it towards the end of the cooking process.

Peanut Butter Panang Beer Curry with Chicken and Noodles

2 tomatoes, chopped or crushed

1 cup beer

1/2 can coconut milk

2 tbl red curry paste

1 cup sliced red pepper

1 tbls brown sugar

1/3 cup peanut butter (crunchy is optional)

bean sprouts

green onions, chopped

parsley or cilantro, chopped

olive or peanut oil

1 lime, cut into wedges

4 oz rice noodles

Marinate the chicken as directed below. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature before cooking it. Heat a pot of water to cook the rice noodles. Heat a medium-size skillet over medium high heat, add a drizzle of oil and brown the chicken on all sides. Set the chicken on a plate and set aside.

To the hot chicken pan add the tomatoes- use a wooden spoon to help scrape the tasty scraps off the bottom of the pan. Add in the beer to complete deglaze the pan. Add in the coconut milk, curry paste, red peppers and brown sugar and bring to a simmer.

Now add the chicken to the sauce, cover and simmer about 10 minutes until the chicken is done. Boil the noodles according to package directions. Add the peanut butter to the sauce and simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes.

To serve, place chicken and noodles in individual bowls along with a big scoop of the panang sauce. Top with bean sprouts, green onions and parsley. Squeeze a little lime over the top (optional).

Curry Beer Chicken Marinade

1/2 can coconut milk

2 tsp red curry paste

2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

1/2 cup beer

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp black pepper

6 chicken drumsticks (or 1.5 lbs of pieces), skin removed

Add all the ingredients in a large ziplock bag and seal tight. Carefully shake and mix everything together. Allow the chicken to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.