Slow-roast Thai citrus chicken with cucumber and peanut salad
Ingredients
- Marinade
- 2 lemongrass stalk (roughly chopped)
- chopped ginger (3cm piece, peeled and roughly chopped)
- chopped cilantro leaves (a large handful)
- 1/2 orange (juice of 1/2 orange (other half for the dressing))
- 1 lime (juice of 1 lime (plus 2 more limes below))
- 4 cloves peeled garlic
- 1/2 T fish sauce (plus more below)
- 2 T light soy sauce
- 1 t ground white pepper
- 1 T caster sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 4 T canola oil
- 4 chicken legs (or 8 thighs)
- Cook the chicken
- 5 peeled shallot (halved lengthwise)
- pinch sea salt
- 2 T canola oil
- 100 mL water
- Cucumber salad
- 2 limes (juice and zest of 2 limes)
- 1/2 orange (juice of 1/2 orange (other half used above))
- 1 T fish sauce
- 1 finely chopped chili (deseeded)
- pinch sea salt
- 1 chopped cucumber
- chopped cilantro (fresh)
- chopped Thai basil leaves (or mint, fresh)
- 50 g finely chopped peanuts (roasted, plus more to serve)
- To serve
- cooked brown rice (or jasmine)
- 1 pinch sea salt
Method
Equipment: blender + baking tray + pot for rice + large bowl for salad
1. Preheat the oven to 240C.
Marinade
2. Put the lemongrass, ginger, cilantro leaves, orange and lime juice, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper, sugar, pinch of salt, and oil into a blender. Blitz to a paste.
3. Set aside one-fourth of the paste.
4. Rub the remainder all over the chicken, then let marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Cook the chicken
5. Put the shallots on a baking tray with a pinch of salt.
6. Add the remaining marinade paste and 2T oil. Toss to coat.
7. Lay the chicken on top in a single layer.
8. Roast for 25 minutes.
9. Add 100mL water to the tray. Turn down the heat to 190C.
10. Roast for another 45 minutes, until golden.
Rice
11. Cook the rice according to the package directions.
12. Once cooked, carefully pour over a few tablespoons of the chicken juice from the tray, add a pinch of salt, and stir briefly with a fork.
Cucumber salad
13. In a large bowl, add the lime zest, lime juice, orange juice, fish sauce, chilli, and salt. Mix.
14. Add the cucumber and herb leaves.
15. Toss the peanuts into the salad.
Serve
16. Serve the chicken with a few roast shallots, a scoop of rice, and a mound of salad. Top with an extra sprinkling of peanuts.
Notes
Notes from source: Inspired by Thai gai yang, this chargrilled chicken is marinated in a salty-sour sauce, then cooked in its own fat and served with a zingy salad.