Chef it up, yo!

Alright so you are up for something different, right? Feeling a little adventuresome even. Try this one on for size. I found the original recipe for Thai BBQ Chicken online at the Food Network site a few years ago and it remains one of my all-time favorites. I have to warn you though, it is pretty spicy. I like it fiery hot so this totally works for me. In the original recipe I found that they asked for 2 tablespoons of red curry paste in the marinade…aw HELLS no - that has GOT to be an error in the recipe! I couldn’t imagine having it that hot….well anyway on the recipe that I go by and the one that I put up here I cut that back to 2 teaspoons. Trust me, that is plenty of heat. Listen up: Don’t be an idiot like I have been several times in the past and NOT wear gloves while handling the thai chili peppers. Seriously, it had been hours after dinner and I had washed my hands about a hundred million times. When I was getting ready for bed I apparently still had the chili pepper oils in my fingertips and hands, which I was not aware of. Matter in fact, I hadn’t realized it until I was removing my second contact lens. Yeah you felt that didn’t you? Well, need I say more??? WEAR frickin’ GLOVES!

The Thai Basmati Rice dish I made to go along with it came out great. There was just enough sweetness to compliment the heat in the chicken and the vinegar in the spicy sauce. I made up the rice as I went along because I couldn’t find a decent-sounding rice dish that didn’t require a whole coconut or some funky spice I have never heard of. I do have to thank Karen for hooking me up with some ingredients I would never have been able to get my hands on up here in the woods…She gave me kaffir lime leaves, thai chili peppers, and lemongrass - all which has been tucked away happily in the freezer. Thank you again Karen! Enjoy!!

Serving size: 4 - 6

Marinade:

• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 cups light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons red curry paste
• 2 pounds chicken breasts and thighs, on the bone

Sweet and Spicy Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chilies
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped very fresh garlic

Remove the grassy tops of the lemongrass, leaving stalks about 6 inches long, and cut off any hard root section. Using the blunt edge of a large knife or cleaver, bruise each stalk all over, then chop…also peel away any hard skin/shell that surrounds the heart of the lemongrass. Combine marinade ingredients in blender, process until smooth and pour into a non-reactive bowl. Add chicken, turning to coat all over. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened slightly, then remove from heat.
Prepare grill or preheat broiler. Remove chicken from marinade, and grill or broil breasts and thighs until golden brown on all sides over high heat, starting chicken skin side down first. Then move chicken to a medium hot part of the grill or broiler until cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes total. Serve with Sweet and Spicy Sauce.

(click on images to enlarge)

The Methane Meter sports a:

Download or print recipe here:
Thai BBQ Chicken Recipe (PDF 19.7 kb)
Thai Basmati Rice Recipe (PDF 19.5 kb)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 at 9:47 pm and is filed under Chicken, Rice/Grains, Thai. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.