Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Thai Pandan Chicken
泰式班蘭雞
Recipe overview
Boneless chicken thigh is marinated for 20 minutes in a coconut-spice mixture, enclosed in pandan leaves and fried in batches. Control the oil in two temperature stages and verify 74°C at the chicken centre.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 600 g Boneless chicken thighs
- 12 leaves Pandan leaves
- 20 g Garlic
- 10 g Coriander roots
Chicken marinade
- 80 ml Coconut milk
- 1 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 tbsp Palm sugar
- 1/4 tsp Ground white pepper
Frying oil
- 750 ml Vegetable oil
02
Tools
- Deep frying pan or small pot
- Heatproof tongs
- Knife and board
- Mortar and pestle
- Draining rack
- Probe thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Cut and dry chicken
Cut and dry chicken: cut thighs into 3 cm pieces and pat them dry with paper; surface water makes hot oil spit.
Step 2
Pound the aromatics
Pound the aromatics: pound garlic and coriander roots into a fine paste with no large pieces so the chicken seasons evenly.
Step 3
Mix the marinade
Mix the marinade: stir coconut milk, fish sauce, palm sugar, white pepper and aromatic paste until the sugar fully dissolves.
Step 4
Chill-marinate chicken
Chill-marinate chicken: coat chicken evenly, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes; do not leave it long at room temperature.
Step 5
Wash and dry pandan
Wash and dry pandan: rinse all 12 leaves, dry each leaf and make a loose loop without cracking it.
Step 6
Thread the chicken
Thread the chicken: slide one chicken piece into each loop and press both ends around it; keep parcels in one layer.
Step 7
Heat frying oil
Heat frying oil: pour in 750 ml oil and heat over medium heat to 165°C; cooler oil makes the chicken greasy.
Step 8
First fry
First fry: fry six parcels per batch at 165°C for 4 minutes, turning once with tongs for even heating.
Step 9
Raise heat to finish
Raise heat to finish: bring oil to 175°C and fry each batch 2 more minutes until leaves are deep green and chicken is gold.
Step 10
Drain and rest
Drain and rest: set parcels on a rack for 2 minutes so steam escapes; do not press paper directly onto the crust.
Step 11
Probe the chicken centre
Probe the chicken centre: unwrap the thickest piece and check 74°C with no pink juices before serving.
Step 12
Remove leaves and serve
Remove leaves and serve: take off pandan leaves, plate chicken hot on clean dishes and state that the leaves are wrappers only.
Common mistakes
- Frying chicken that has not been dried causes spitting and weak browning.
- Oil below 165°C makes chicken greasy and pandan limp.
- Overcrowding the pan drops oil temperature and cooks parcels unevenly.
- Serving without probing the thickest unwrapped chicken piece to 74°C.
Tips
If leaves are short, overlap two leaves around one chicken piece; keep one piece per parcel so heat reaches the centre. Crush palm sugar before mixing so it dissolves. Cool and strain frying oil before reusing it for savoury food, but discard oil containing burnt leaf fragments.
