Coconut and tamarind grilled chicken

If you're a grilled chicken enthusiast, you'll want to be trying this version at your next barbecue. The coating is a mix of milky coconut and tangy tamarind, and it's served with a fragrant Vietnamese-style dipping sauce.

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 6 chicken thigh cutlets
• 1 tbsp tamarind puree
• 200 ml coconut cream
• 2 tbsp grated palm sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• vegetable oil, to grill

Dipping sauce

• 1 tsp uncooked rice
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp chilli powder (preferably Thai roasted chilli powder or Korean chilli powder)
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tsp palm sugar
• 1 coriander plant, washed well and finely minced
• 2 tbsp fish sauce

Resting time: 5 minutes

Marinating time: 2 hours

Instructions

1. Using a sharp knife, slightly trim around the bone of each thigh cutlet so that the meat sits flat, but don't remove the bone. Place the chicken in a large bowl, add the tamarind, coconut cream, palm sugar, fish sauce, dark soy sauce and salt and toss to combine well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before grilling.
2. Meanwhile, for the dipping sauce, toast the rice in a dry frying pan until lightly browned in parts. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and grind to a coarse powder. Transfer to a bowl, add the remaining sauce ingredients and 1-2 tablespoons of cold water to form a thick, saucy consistency.
3. Heat a barbecue grill over medium heat and brush with vegetable oil. Grill the chicken thighs, turning occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until cooked through. Remove and rest for a few minutes before serving with the dipping sauce.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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