There is possibly no other dish that is more palatable, more acceptable, more universally beloved, more classic . . . and more made fun of (by me) than this dish. During our rotating-menu lunch days, I would not stop making fun of people for ordering the most boring of all our dishes and the “least loved of my children.” But honestly, it’s fucking delicious.
2–4 SERVINGS
1 pound dark meat chicken
1 tablespoon fish sauce
¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
3 tablespoons minced lemongrass
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 whole Thai chilies, chopped
1 tablespoon minced ginger
½ onion, sliced
honey, to glaze with while cooking
BALLS OUT
40–80 SERVINGS
20 pounds dark meat chicken
1¼ cups fish sauce
5 tablespoons ground turmeric
3¾ cups minced lemongrass
40 cloves garlic, minced
60 whole Thai chilies, chopped
1¼ cups minced ginger
10 whole onions, sliced
honey, to glaze with while cooking
1. Combine chicken, fish sauce, turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, Thai chilies, and ginger in a bowl. Hand mix and massage the chicken with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight to get the best flavor.
2. When ready to cook, bring a pan with a little bit of oil to medium-high heat and sauté onions for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.
3. The chicken will taste the BEST if it can be grilled. The grill really brings out the flavor the most in the lemongrass. If grilling, bring flame to medium-high heat. Place chicken on the grill, and brush honey on the top side of the chicken. Grill for about 3–4 minutes before flipping over. Brush more honey on the chicken after flipping over.
4. If you’re not grilling, just bring a pan with some cooking oil to medium-high heat, and sauté chicken for about 7–8 minutes. Brush honey on, and brush more on after flipping chicken.
In both cases, you’ll want to get a nice golden color on the chicken and cook until it’s fully cooked through. Remove from heat, serve with a bed of rice and top with the onions from before. And find out why people would just ignore me even if there were more exciting options on our menu. It’s pretty damn tasty.