Remember those tortured times where you knew that someone was not good for you, but you convinced yourself it’ll be different if you gave that person a second chance? You went back, and then you’re quickly reminded why that person is not good for you and then you hate your life for going back. You continued running in this abusive hamster wheel until you’ve emotionally hit rock bottom.
No, it’s never happened to you? Me either, I was just asking for a friend…
That’s how “she” describes the spicy dipping sauce that seems essential in bringing this roasted Thai chicken alive. Grant it, the chicken is perfect on its own: moist and flavorful with a crispy layer of skin. And who doesn’t love rendered chicken fat drizzled on top of rice?
But heat-intolerant friends, you’ll have to decide for yourself if you want to venture into this tortured relationship with the spicy dipping sauce. One taste and you’ll be hooked. Your brain will warn you that you’re going to pay for it later, but your heart will convince you that you can handle it, so you pair the chicken with the sauce for another bite, and another, and another. Before you know it, you’ve eaten all of the chicken! What’s left is the consequences of the spicy sauce later.
Adapted from Marion Grasby’s Thai Roast Chicken with Spicy Sauce
If you like this Roasted Thai Chicken recipe, give this a try:
Crispy Chicken Thighs with Spring Vegetables
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Roasted Thai Chicken
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Mains
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Thai
Description
Perfectly cooked chicken with a highly addictive spicy sauce. Heat-intolerant friends, you have a very tough decision to make!
Ingredients
MARINADE
- 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of ground white pepper
- 8 cloves of garlic, pressed
- A small handful of cilantro stems, finely chopped
- 5 or 6 skin-on boneless chicken thighs, pat dry, excess fat trimmed
SPICY DIPPING SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon of tamarind concentrate
- 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
- Juice from 1/2 a lime
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of Thai ground chili powder
- 1 small red shallot, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. Place all of the marinade ingredients other than the chicken thighs in a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken thighs into the bowl and coat them well in the marinade. Transfer the marinade and the chicken thighs into a freezer Ziplock bag. Remove any excess air in the bag and close to secure. Lay the bag flat in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.
- Time for some easy peasy cooking. Take the thighs out of the refrigerator and allow the thighs to come back to room temperature, 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove thighs from the marinade and pat them as dry as possible. Place them on a foil-lined, oil-sprayed baking sheet and roast them for 17 minutes.
- Make the dipping sauce. While you’re waiting for the chicken to work its magic, combine all of the dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl.
- We’re almost there. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and check that the thighs have reached an inner temperature of at least 165 degrees. If so, place the baking sheet back in the oven and broil the thighs on high for 2 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to rest for at least 5 minutes, tented with foil. Serve the thighs (plus the rendered chicken fat) over some piping hot rice and of course, the spicy dipping sauce!
