Tamarind Chicken

I was first introduced to tamarind chicken 3 years ago after having it at Som Saa; a delicious Thai restaurant in East London. Recently I started craving it, but after years of not having it, the exact flavours profiles don’t come to mind. Instead, I decided to focus on tamarind as the main flavour profile, and build on top to create a succulent, tangy and delicious chicken dish.

If you’re not familiar with tamarind; it’s a fruit that comes in a pod, filled with seeds coated in a sticky sweet and sour pulp. It’s used across the world in different cuisines to add a tangy sour flavour. You can find it being used in chutneys, curries, drinks as well as desserts.

Tip: This chicken recipe is on the sour side, if you’re sensitive, omit the lime juice or add only 2 tsps, and serve with lime wedges for garnish.

Serves: 2-3 people

Prep time: 10 minutes

Marinating time: 4 hrs-overnight

Cooking time: 40-45 mins

Ingredients

2 bone in, skin on chicken legs (thigh and drumstick still attached together)

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp tamarind concentrate

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 red chilli (your spice preference,) sliced

2 tbsp coconut sugar or honey

1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1/2 of a lime, juiced

thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, bashed

1 stalk of lemongrass, bashed

3 tbsp oil

1/3 cup of Thai basil or normal Italian basil

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup spring onions, sliced thin

salt, oil

Method:

1. In a bowl or box big enough to fit the 2 legs, add all marinating ingredients: smoked paprika, tamarind, fish sauce, chilli, sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, and lemongrass. Whisk until everything comes together

2. Pat the chicken legs dry and season both sides generously with salt Add the chicken legs into the bowl and coat them in the marinating liquid. Cover, and let marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours up to overnight. The longer it marinates the more tender and juicy the chicken will be.

3. 45 minutes before cooking the chicken, remove it from the fridge.

3. Preheat the oven to 190°C fan.

4. In an oven safe pan on medium high heat, add the 3 tbsp of oil. When the oil gets hot, drop the basil leaves and cook them until crispy. Remove from the oil and place on a kitchen towel lined plate to drain the excess oil. Turn the heat down to medium.

4. Take the chicken out from the marinade letting the excess drip off, and place the chicken skin side down into the pan. Sear the skin until it gains colour and turns golden brown with caramelised spots. The sauce will caramelise and slightly burn, thats ok.

5. When the skin has turned golden brown remove the chicken from the pan and place in a clean bowl. Add water into the pan, still on the heat, and scrape out the majority of the burned sauce from the bottom of the pan, discard water and all burnt pieces.

6. Bring the pot back onto the heat add the chicken back in flesh side down. Pour in the water, ginger and lemongrass pieces from the marinade. Turn the heat up high and let it come to a boil. Transfer the pan into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

7. After 20 minutes, add the leftover marinating liquid into the pan, not touching the chicken skin. Let bake for another 15-20 minutes, basting the chicken every 5 minutes. The chicken legs should be cooked through at this point. You can check by poking the chicken and making sure the juices running are clear or taking its internal temperature: the chicken should reach a minimum of 75°C.

8. Remove it from the oven, sprinkle with the crispy basil and spring onions. Serve hot.