An original dish of Thailand that we cannot take credit for: juicy morsels of chicken deliciously wrapped in pandan leaves that beg to be unwrapped like Christmas presents (because you’re not actually supposed to eat the leaf), but they’re a whole lot tastier than a crappy holiday fruitcake, if anyone cares for my opinion. (Sorry Mom!)
2–4 SERVINGS
1 pound dark meat, cut into 1-inch-cubed, chicken morsels
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced lemongrass
1 tablespoon grated galangal
½ teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Chinese dark soy sauce
¼ pound pandan leaves*
Pickled Persian Cucumbers, on the side
Fresno chilies, sliced, on the side
BALLS OUT
40–80 SERVINGS
10 pounds dark meat chicken morsels
10 tablespoons minced shallots
10 tablespoons minced lemongrass
10 tablespoons grated galangal
1⅔ teaspoons white pepper
1¼ cups fish sauce
3⅓ tablespoons sugar
3⅓ tablespoons ground turmeric
1¼ cups honey
3⅓ tablespoons Chinese dark soy sauce
2½ pounds pandan leaves*
1. Combine ingredients, except chicken, pandan leaves, and pickles, in a bowl. Mix thoroughly, and then add chicken. Make sure every piece of chicken is covered in sauce, like “white on rice.”
2. Cover the bowl, refrigerate, then marinate overnight. (If you’re using the chicken for the Galangal Chicken Fried Rice, it’s ready to go after it marinates overnight. You can also sauté the meat as-is and eat with rice, as a Banh Mi sammie, or even try some crazy Italian-Asian fusion, which we’ve done from time to time.)
3. After marinating chicken overnight, rinse pandan leaves, dry, and lay them out. Cut leaves one foot in length. If they’re a little shorter or longer, that’s fine.
4. Have toothpicks handy. Lay a leaf flat in front of you. Take a morsel of marinated chicken, place it on one end of the leaf, then roll it up and wrap the leaf around and all over the chicken, covering the chicken as much as possible, ideally so no chicken is visibly exposed. Stick a toothpick through the leaf wrapping and the middle of the chicken to hold the wrap. Repeat.
5. Next, heat 2 inches of oil in a pot to 350°F. Fry wrapped chicken morsels for 2½–3 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Thicker pieces of chicken will require longer cooking. Remove, shake off excess oil, then plate.
Serve with nice sides of some mighty fine pickles and fresh Fresno chilies to munch on with every juicy morsel. Sit back, unwrap your tasty Southeast Asian delight, drink some beer, and have yourself a good tasty time.
* The fresher they are, the more malleable and less brittle, and they just smell NICE. This can be used in savory dishes, too (Hainan chicken, anyone?), and sweet dishes like Vietnamese che ba mau and Filipino halo-halo. If you can’t find pandan leaves, we will weep for you, but without the leaves it becomes Galangal Chicken.