This is a Thai/Viet inspired, simple fried chicken recipe. It was derived after looking at examples in a couple of Thai cookbooks, and simplified from them.
| Quantity | Item |
|---|---|
| 4 | chicken thighs, skin on |
| 1 T | fresh ginger, grated |
| 2 | lemon grass stalks, mid-section sliced, minced |
| 2 | garlic cloves, minced |
| 10-20 | cilantro sprigs, minced (including stalks) |
| 1 T | Viet or Thai fish sauce |
Preheat the oven to about 250°F.
Remove excess fat from the thighs and any loose skin, being careful not to damage the skin.
Mix the herbs and fish sauce and blend if possible, otherwise macerate (use a mortar and pestle ?) to release the herbs juices. Possibly add a little water to get a loose paste.
Put ½ to 1 tsp of paste under the skin of each thigh - stick a finger between the skin and thigh on the 'outside' face of the thigh to make a space for it. There should be paste left over, reserve.
Heat an oven-proof frying pan over medium high heat and add a thin layer of oil. Add the thighs 'outside' side down and fry until the skin is well browned. A spatter screen is useful for this part. Turn the thighs over, fry for a few minutes. Add the remaining paste into the pan and then put the pan in the oven for 10-20 minutes or so.
There will be a bit of chicken fat in the pan this can be saved and used to fry other things. We ate just 2 of the thighs and put the others in the fridge for a later dinner. I used the saved chicken fat to fry the others' skins (removed from the thighs) for the later dinner - very much like bacon - yum!