Coconut Milk BBQ Chicken
This recipe is something else. While there are quite a lot of steps to make the bbq chicken, it is worth it in the end. That I can guarantee. The marinade is pretty much a red curry without lemongrass, galangal, and fish sauce. I then marinated bone in skinless thighs overnight with half of this curry marinade. Then I roasted the chicken for a half hour. Every 10 minutes for the next 30 minutes, I brush on layers of the other half of the marinade. This creates a thick kinda crust over the chicken, sealing in the juices of the chicken thighs.Chicken thighs work best for this recipe. The are more moist than the other parts on the chicken, allowing it to still be juicy after cooking them for an hour. This marinade is great if you want to have chicken skewers. Marinate boneless skinless breasts or thighs overnight in the marinade. Skewer up the chicken the next day. Broil or grill the skewers for 2 minutes a side. Then brush on multiple layers of the other half of the marinade, flipping every minute or so brushing on another layer, until both sides have had 3 coatings.This red curry marinade also works great with pork, salmon, catfish, and shrimp.
Equipment
- Spice grinder
- Blender or food processor
- gallon sized ziplock bag
- roasting rack
Ingredients
- 3 lbs bone in skinless chicken thighs
- 15 grams dried guajillo chilies
- 5 grams spicy dried chilies
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2/3 cup shallots
- 1 tsp coriander seed
- 1/4 tsp cumin seed
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 40 grams palm sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
- 2 tbsp tamarind juice
Instructions
Coconut Milk BBQ Marinade
- Weigh out 15 grams of dried guajillo chilies and 5 grams of dried spicy chilies.
- Add the dried chilies, coriander, and cumin to a spice grinder.
- Grind!
- Add the ground spices, garlic, shallots, and shrimp paste to a blender or food processor.
- Blend until smooth. You might need to add a little water if the paste is too dry.
- Heat up coconut oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir in the curry paste and fry for 3 minutes; deglazing with a little bit of coconut milk if the paste starts to stick.
- Stir in the rest of the coconut milk, water, palm sugar, salt, and tamarind juice. Simmer for 20 minutes until the marinade becomes thick.
- Let the marinade cool before using.
- Put the chicken thighs in a gallon sized ziplock bag. Add half of the marinade to the chicken. Marinate overnight for best results.
Coconut Milk BBQ Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken thighs on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Brush each of the chicken thighs with the other half of the saved marinade.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Brush with another layer of the marinade.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Brush with one more final layer of the marinade.
- Bake for a final 10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with stir fried pea tip leaves.
