She Who Must Be Obeyed and I are beginning to get settled in new digs down South. We have a huge learning curve ahead of us as to how things work in this part of the world in general, though we’re at least at the point where we don’t get lost every time we drive somewhere and have already made several runs to the coast and bay.
We had a trusty grill rust out in rainy Washington and have just replaced it this week. We’ve both had a hankering for some great Seattle-area Thai food and struck a compromise yesterday with this recipe for Thai Grilled Chicken.
While you wouldn’t find this on the menu of an authentic Thai restaurant there’s a lot going on in terms of depth of flavor here; coupled with a crispy skin and sweet, bone-in goodness, this recipe has been one of our long time favorites.
Keep in mind this one needs to cooked over medium heat on the grill as the honey and fat from the skin tend to make these prone to burn (actually had my biggest grill fire in history cooking a big batch of these for a party and trying to win the casting contest several yards away in the back yard at the same time…).
No matter where you are in the country – fall is the time to cranking up the grill every chance you get. This Thai Grilled Chicken needs to be in your rotation this week.
2 chickens, skin on, split
1/2 cup Chinese rice wine
1/2 oyster sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Asian chile sauce
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 soy sauce
Zest of 2 limes, minced
12 cloves garlic (yep, 12) minced
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
Get things ready. Split the chickens, rinse and pat dry. Work a bit of the skin over the breast loose.
Sauce it up. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together; spoon 2 or 3 tbsp. under the loosened skin and massage around. Coat the chicken halves in the marinade and let soak (in the fridge) up to 8 hours.
When ready, fire the grill and bring the chicken to room temperature.
Grill time. Grill for 12-15 minutes per side, brushing with a bit more of the marinade during the first half of the cook. Remember the thighs will take a bit longer to cook than the breasts…
Serve ‘em up. Let rest for 4 or 5 minutes then serve hot; we almost reflexly serve this one with an Asian inspired slaw, though good grilled chicken goes with anything.
Enjoy.
