Jun 13, 2014
Kate’s Tasty Asian Chicken Thighs
Makes 4–6 servings
These tangy, flavorful chicken thighs, based on a recipe by Anya
Von Bremzen and Jon Welchman in their Terrific Pacific Cookbook, go
well with Asian Noodle Salad with Sesame Mayonnaise (see recipe
below). This recipe calls for grilling, but you can also barbecue
the chicken in a smoker for a truly unforgettable dish, and then
finish it by crisping the skin on a hot grill. Because this is a
relatively complicated recipe to make, Kate likes to do a double
batch and freeze half for later enjoyment.
12 chicken thighs (31/2 lb | 1.75 kg), bone in, skin on
2 tsp | 10 mL ground coriander
1 tsp | 5 mL freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp | 5 mL kosher salt
11/2 Tbsp | 22 mL tamarind pulp (Thai is best)
1/3 cup | 75 mL chicken stock or tinned broth, boiling
6 Asian dried red chiles (2 to 3 inches | 5 to 8 cm)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp | 45 mL chopped shallots
2 tsp | 10 mL chopped fresh ginger
1 Tbsp | 15 mL chopped fresh lemongrass or
2 tsp | 10 mL grated lime zest
11/2 Tbsp | 22 mL vegetable oil
3 Tbsp | 45 mL dark soy sauce
3 Tbsp | 45 mL packed light brown sugar
11/2 Tbsp | 20 mL rice vinegar
11/2 Tbsp | 20 mL ketchup
1/2 cup | 125 mL finely chopped fresh basil
Rinse the chicken pieces well in cold water and pat them dry with
paper towels. Prick the skin all over with the tines of a fork. In
a small bowl, combine the coriander, pepper, and salt, and rub the
mixture into the chicken pieces. Set the chicken aside.
Add the tamarind pulp to the boiling stock, remove it from the
heat, and soak it for 15 minutes. Stir the mixture and mash it with
a fork to help the tamarind dissolve. Strain it through a fine
strainer into a bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a
wooden spoon to extract all the liquid. Discard the tamarind that
remains in the strainer and set aside the liquid.
Stem the chiles and shake out and discard the seeds. Using
scissors, cut the chiles into 1/4-inch | 5-mm pieces. Soak them in
warm water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain them well. Combine the
chiles, tamarind liquid, garlic, shallots, ginger, lemongrass or
lime zest, oil, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, and basil in a
food processor and process them into a purée. Arrange the chicken
in a large, shallow dish and pour the marinade over it. Cover and
refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and pour the marinade
into a saucepan. Heat it to a boil and let it simmer for 10
minutes. Taste it and adjust the seasonings. Remove it from the
heat and transfer it to a bowl.
Prepare your grill for indirect medium heat, with a pan underneath
the unheated side of the grill to catch the drippings. Place the
chicken on the grill and cook it for 20–25 minutes, or until the
internal temperature reaches 160˚F | 71˚C, basting it every 5
minutes with the marinade. At the last minute, move the chicken
thighs to the hot side of the grill and toss them about to crisp
the skins, taking care not to burn them. Place the chicken on a
serving dish, spoon over the remaining basting sauce, and serve it
immediately.
Barbecue Secret
Chicken thighs cooked with wood smoke will usually develop a smoke
ring—turning the meat close to the outside a characteristic pink
color. Inexperienced guests can sometimes mistake this for
underdone fowl. Reassure them by making sure you monitor the
internal temperature of the meat during cooking and remove the
chicken only after it has reached the desired 160°F | 71°C at its
thickest part.
Asian Noodle Salad with Sesame Mayonnaise
Makes 3–4 servings
This is a great summer salad that goes well with grilled chicken or
any Asian-flavored grilled or barbecued meat. I like to use rice
spaghetti noodles (as opposed to Asian rice vermicelli, which
doesn’t have the same chewiness). You can find rice spaghetti
noodles in health food stores, but plain old durum wheat spaghetti
also works well.
For the sesame mayonnaise:
1 cup | 250 mL mayonnaise
1 tsp | 5 mL toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp | 2 mL soy sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp | 5 mL Chinese chili sauce or
spicy Szechuan chili oil (or to taste)
1 Tbsp | 15 mL grated fresh lemon,
lime or orange rind
For the salad:
one 1 lb | 500 g package rice or wheat spaghetti noodles
2 Tbsp | 25 mL chopped cilantro
1 to 2 Tbsp | 15 to 25 mL toasted
sesame seeds (to taste)
2 fresh limes, cut into wedges
Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl, cover it, and
refrigerate the sesame mayonnaise for at least a few hours or
overnight.
Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water for 8–10
minutes, or until they’re al dente. Drain the noodles and rinse
them with cold water. Drain them again thoroughly. Toss them with
the sesame mayo, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Serve the salad
garnished with lime wedges.
Photo credit: @Copyright John Sinal Photography. Used with permission.