THAI COCONUT MARINATED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix marinade in a large bowl. Add chicken and mix. Cover with cling wrap and marinate in the fridge for 24 - 48 hours (can't skip marinating for this recipe).
• Brush BBQ with oil, or heat 1 tbsp in a skillet (I used a skillet). Use Medium heat - or Medium Low if your stove/BBQ runs hot (otherwise marinade may burn). Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off excess. Cook the first side for around 5 minutes or until caramelised and golden. Turn then cook the other side for 4 minutes until caramelised.
• BAKING: See Note 4.
• Transfer chicken to serving plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with coriander / chilli if desired, and serve with lim wedges and Sauce.
• Place ingredients in a bowl and mix a bit. Microwave for 30 seconds, then mix until smooth. Bring to room temperature or serve warm (it thickens a bit when cooled).
• Recipe Notes
• The marinade is best made with fresh ginger, garlic, chilli and lemongrass but it is still terrific using store bought jarred garlic etc. Lemongrass is sold in tubes in the fresh produce section of Australian supermarkets and it is actually very good. I would use 1 1/2 teaspoons if using paste.
• Chilli - use any fresh chilli you want. Rule of thumb - the smaller the chilli, the spicier it is! I used large red chillis in this (cayenne peppers) which are not that hot. Thai Chillies are super spicy, as are Birds Eye Chillies.
• If using fresh lemongrass, peel the green reedy outer layer off to reveal the white part. Then finely chop the white part only.
• You can also use lemongrass paste. I would use 1 1/2 teaspoons.
• This recipe works best with chicken cuts with fat. Boneless thigh is my favourite. It is fantastic with drumsticks and other bone in cuts, but it is better to roast rather than cook on BBQ (marinade has tendency to burn and these take longer to cook).
• Roast drumsticks and wings for 45 min @ 180C/350F, bone in thighs for 50 min - it caramelises nicely.
• For CHICKEN BREAST, it is best to cut in half horizontally before marinating. Then they will only take 3 minutes on each side to cook so they'll be nice and juicy. Coconut milk is fantastic for adding richness into breast! I don't recommend roasting breast - you won't get the caramelisation on the surface (key for flavour)
• SERVED WITH plain tomato and cucumber chunks (very typical side in Thailand) and Thai Fried Rice (but without chicken).
• The Sauce is a variation of the fantastic (quick!) Vietnamese Peanut Sauce I use for my Vietnamese Spring Rolls. All I did was sub the milk for coconut milk and use lime instead of vinegar. Works a treat!
• Nutrition assumes 5 servings, 1 kg/2lb chicken, accounts for 1/4 cup coconut milk in the marinade (rest is discarded) and that all the sauce is consumed.