Honey and coconut caramelised chicken
- Main
- Medium
- 4
- 60 minutes
PT1H
Thuy Pham's spectacular Vietnamese coconut chicken recipe is a feast for the senses, with sweet and aromatic chicken served with a crispy egg for good measure. Serve with plenty of fresh herbs to balance the sweetness of the chicken.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken supremes
- 520ml of coconut juice , (1 can) passed through a strainer to remove any coconut pieces
- 3 tbsp of honey
- 4 tbsp of vegetable oil
Marinade
- 2 tbsp of sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp of fish sauce
- 10 spring onions , white part only, finely chopped
- 2 chillies , finely chopped
- 10 garlic cloves , crushed and finely chopped
Crispy egg
- 4 small eggs
- 1 egg , whisked
- 100g of Panko breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
To serve
- glutinous rice , (sticky rice)
- 1 baby gem lettuce , leaves seperated and washed
- Thai basil
- coriander
- dill
- 1/2 cucumber , finely sliced on the diagonal
- fish sauce
- crispy shallots
Equipment
- Deep fat fryer
Method
1
To begin, place the chicken in a mixing bowl with all of the marinade ingredients. Rub the ingredients into each breast evenly and then leave to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour (overnight would be ideal)
2
To make the crispy eggs, boil the eggs for 5 minutes then immediately submerge in an ice bath for 10 minutes when done. Peel and set aside for later
3
To cook the chicken, add the 4 tbsp of vegetable oil to a frying pan over a medium heat. Place the chicken in the pan, skin-side down, for 2–3 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden, but make sure you don't cook the chicken more than halfway through
4
Now turn the chicken so the skin is facing upwards and add the strained coconut juice and any excess marinade. Close the lid, leaving a finger-width gap, and leave to cook for a further 20 minutes. This should cook the chicken through slowly, tenderising the meat
5
When the 20 minutes is up, remove the lid and increase to a high heat. Pour the 3 tbsp honey on top of the chicken, making sure you do not at any point take your eyes off the pan! You will see the caramelisation take place very quickly, so keep turning the breasts around to caramelise the pieces evenly. Do this until the coconut juice is thick like syrup and the chicken is perfectly golden
6
Blast under the grill for a minute or 2 for an extra crispy skin
7
Preheat a deep-fryer to 160°C. Set up 3 small, wide bowls containing flour, whisked egg and panko breadcrumbs. One by one, carefully roll the boiled eggs in flour, then egg, then the breadcrumbs
8
Fry for 30–40 seconds, just until the crumbs become crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper
9
Cook your rice as per the packet instructions. Glutinous sticky rice is suggested, but jasmine rice is nice too
10
Slice the chicken breasts and serve with the rice topped with crispy egg. Add a side salad of baby gem and herbs and dress with fish sauce and crispy shallots
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Honey and coconut caramelised chicken
