I saw this recipe online here http://www.taste.com.au/ and just had to try it. I also proved along the way that you don’t have to follow recipes exactly to get a great result. I did some steps out of order accidentally and had to rapidly reduce the sauce before everything went south.

Everything worked out well though and I hardly had enough left over for lunch the next day :).

The chicken was so tender and the sticky sauce had an amazing balance of citrus, salt and sugar. I will definitely be making this again but I intend to follow the instructions to the letter.

You will be:

1. Preparing your ingredients.
2. Poaching the chicken
3. Grilling the chicken and reducing the sauce
4. Serving.

You will need:

• Ingredients:
  • 1kg boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 cup chicken stock (see PK’s Slow Cooker Chicken Stock)
  • a few slugs of olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 2cm fresh ginger root, grated (or 1 tsp store bought minced ginger)
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, grated
  • the rind from 1 lime, finely grated
  • 2 Tbsp (or more) lime juice
•  Equipment:
  • a long sharp knife
  • a chopping board
  • a grater
  • a citrus juicer
  • a mixing jug
  • a whisk or fork
  • an oven dish
  • a large strainer
  • a medium saucepan

Prepare your ingredients

1. Lay the 1kg  boneless chicken thighs out in an oven proof dish.
2. Peel and dice the 3 garlic cloves, add to the mixing jug along with the 1 cup chicken stock.
3. Finely grate the 2cm of ginger and add to the jug.
4. Finely grate the 1 lemongrass stem (use the tender parts only and not the thick outer leaves) and add to the jug.
5. Grate the rind from a single lime and squeeze 2 Tbsp of lime juice (I used my frozen lime cubes from last season). Add both to the jug.
6. Add the 1 Tbsp fish sauce to the jug.
7. Add the 1/4 cup of raw sugar to the mixing jug and give everything a good mix (make sure the sugar has dissolved fully).

Poaching the chicken

1. Pour the liquid mixture over the chicken and cook for an hour in a fan-foced oven pre-heated to 180C.
2. Turn the chicken half way.

Grilling the chicken and reducing the sauce

1. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and start reducing it.
2. Return the chicken to the oven tray and turn on the grill to brown the chicken.
3. When the sauce is very reduced, pour it back onto the chicken a grill for a little bit longer.

Serving

Serve with your favourite rice, some fresh spinach (the heat of the meal will blanch them) or some asian vegetables and a few sprigs of coriander.

Enjoy,

PK