Thai grilled chicken (gai yang)
PHOTOGRAPHS MAJA SMEND FOOD STYLING SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH STYLING TONY HUTCHINSON
SERVES 4-6 AS PART OF A THAI MEAL. HANDS-ON TIME 15 MIN, BARBECUING/ ROASTING TIME 1-1¼ HOURS, PLUS AT LEAST 6 HOURS BRINING
MAKE AHEAD
You need to start brining the chicken at least 6 hours before you want to cook it.
KNOWHOW
• SPATCHCOCK A CHICKEN Ask your butcher to do this for you, or search “how to spatchcock a chicken” at deliciousmagazine.co.uk.
• CORIANDER ROOT is used in many Thai and Asian recipes. Its flavour is more earthy and celerylike than that of the leaves. Find it in Asian grocers and online at thai-food-online.co.uk. If you can’t find it, use coriander stalks.
FOOD TEAM’S TIP
If you’re oven-roasting the chicken, start it off in a hot griddle pan or under a grill to re-create the charring from a barbecue.
• 1.6kg free-range chicken, spatchcocked (see Know-how)
• Sticky rice, handful fresh coriander sprigs and lime wedges to serve (optional)
FOR THE BRINE
• 1 tsp white peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
• 4 large garlic cloves, bashed with a rolling pin or the flat of a knife
• 125g salt
• 50g caster sugar
FOR THE BASTE
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp white peppercorns, crushed with a rolling pin/flat of a knife
• 4 coriander roots, roughly chopped (see Know-how)
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• Splash vegetable oil
YOU’LL ALSO NEED…
• Pestle and mortar or mini blender
1 For the brine, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl with 3 litres cold water, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the chicken, cover, then leave in the fridge for 6 hours (see How to Master Grilling, left). Remove the chicken and pat dry with kitchen paper.
2 To make the baste, pound the garlic, peppercorns and coriander roots to a paste in a pestle and mortar (or use a mini-blender). Stir in the remaining ingredients with a good pinch of salt to combine well.
3 To barbecue the chicken, light the coals and arrange them in a bank under one side of the grill rack. Once they’re glowing white hot, set the chicken away from the banked coals and grill for 1-1¼ hours, turning and basting from time to time, until cooked through and the juices run clear when you push a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh or breast. (Alternatively, to roast the chicken, heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6, then roast in a tin for 1-1¼ hours until cooked through and the juices run clear.) To serve, see How to Master Grilling, top left.
PER SERVING (FOR 6) 246kcals, 8.6g fat (2g saturated), 38.4g protein, 4.2g carbs (3.6g sugars), 2.9g salt, 0.2g fibre