Recipe Thai Grilled Chicken with Lemongrass and Basil

vernplum

vernplum

Guru
Joined
1 Jan 2021
Local time
1:59 PM
Messages
1,468
Location
Singapore
IMG_3559.jpg


This recipe uses two herbs in the forms of Lemongrass and Basil (three if you count the coriander garnish which is sort of essential IMHO). Now if you can get it, you can use Thai Basil which will make it more authentic, but I used regular Basil here; their tastes are quite different with Thai being more minty. Another way if you're using regular sweet Basil would be to just add in some mint leaves.

Ingredients
  • 2 large chicken thighs or breasts. Skin optional
Marinade​
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, cut roughly
  • 5 leaves Basil (or Thai Basil if you can get it)
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1 green chili
  • 2 tsp palm sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1 large garlic clove
Garnish​
  • 1 tbsp coriander, chopped
  • 1 Bird's Eye chili (chili padi), thinly sliced
Method
  1. Blend all the marinade ingredients in a vessel with a stick blender until you have a smooth paste.
  2. Pour it over the chicken in a bowl, give it all a good rub, then leave it in the fridge for 2 hours or up to overnight.
  3. Heat your grill (broiler) then grill the chicken skin side down for 5 minutes, flip it over, then grill for another 5 minutes till done.
  4. Serve it with your accompaniment of choice garnished with the coriander leaves and red chili.
 
Last edited:
Gather your ingredients. I didn't have any fresh green chili to hand so used this pickled green chili, which worked fine and kept the colour uniform. As for chicken, I use thighs. Breasts are also fine, but be careful not to dry them out under the grill.

IMG_3538.JPG


On palm sugar - it's this stuff below which is common in Thai recipes. You can sub in brown sugar which is fine.

IMG_3537.JPG


Blend all your marinade ingredients. Lemongrass is very fibrous, so you have to make sure it's chopped up into very small bits.

IMG_3540.JPG


Smother your chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours. I did mine overnight.

IMG_3541.jpg


After a bit of grill action; I'm sure these would be even more awesome on the barbie...

IMG_3558.jpg


I served mine on top of some Thai Pomelo Salad from the recipe book 'Cooking With Poo'.

IMG_3559.jpg
 
Last edited:
Fantastic and creative dish!
Im learning from this recipe so much so apologies for to many questions.
Just to make short observations on details.
Just to say your recipe is very clean organized and well illustrated.
Lemongrass marinade sound like great idea for any meat if you agree.
Also its creative to sugest using regular basil with mint leaves in absence of thai basil.
Have question about fibers from lemon grass: what happened after the grilling- did they fall off or sticked to meat. Also, you suggest chopping in small parts but have long fibers. Suggestion: could it be strained somehow or its part of the desirable outcome?
Also, dont have experience with pomelo salad- is it ready used or you prepared yourself from fruit and how?
 
Reggiechefs said:
Fantastic and creative dish!
Im learning from this recipe so much so apologies for to many questions.
Just to make short observations on details.
Just to say your recipe is very clean organized and well illustrated.
Lemongrass marinade sound like great idea for any meat if you agree.
Also its creative to sugest using regular basil with mint leaves in absence of thai basil.
Have question about fibers from lemon grass: what happened after the grilling- did they fall off or sticked to meat. Also, you suggest chopping in small parts but have long fibers. Suggestion: could it be strained somehow or its part of the desirable outcome?
Also, dont have experience with pomelo salad- is it ready used or you prepared yourself from fruit and how?
Click to expand...

After grilling, you can see there are small fibers left on the meat in little green clumps, but they're softened from the marination process. If you blend long enough they'll end up about 5-10mm and all be separated so you won't find them unpleasant to eat subsequently.

As for pomelo salad, no, you have to make it fresh. I followed the recipe from the book mentioned above but there are loads around such as this one: Pomelo Salad (Yum Som-O) ยำส้มโอ Recipe & Video Tutorial
 
badjak said:
Lemon grass ..
Wonder where I can get it :)
View attachment 129234

You just use the bottom part
Cut in quite small pieces before blending or pounding
It will stay a little fibrous, but fibre is good for you :)
I love the chicken-lemongrass combo :okay:
Click to expand...
Ive herd that if you cut it in very small chopps whole plant can be used but need to cut very small cuts. Its deepening flavor to use greener parts- not just white part. Im not expert just thinking...
Fiber is good for intestinal flora but its not pleasant to have large fibers for chewing and swallowing I suppose.
 
badjak said:
Lemon grass ..
Wonder where I can get it :)
View attachment 129234

You just use the bottom part
Cut in quite small pieces before blending or pounding
It will stay a little fibrous, but fibre is good for you :)
I love the chicken-lemongrass combo :okay:
Click to expand...
Lucky you! I've yet to get some started here. They're locally available so I just need to do it.
 
Reggiechefs said:
Ive herd that if you cut it in very small chopps whole plant can be used but need to cut very small cuts
Click to expand...
I'll back badjak 100% here.
Remove the green leaves and peel off the outer casing of the "white" (bottom) part. Remove the tough root.
Slice, then dice, using your chef's knife, until the lemongrass root is chopped into tiny pieces.
No fibrous bits will be detectable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom