Dominique's Kitchen
By Dominique Woolf
Tamarind, honey & sesame chicken
1 hr 5 mins plus 20 minutes optional marinating time
Not Too Tricky
serves 4
About the recipe
I first discovered the joys of tamarind a few years ago when my Thai auntie Dang brought us a jar of her homemade tamarind sauce. It was a complete revelation, and after one taste I was hooked. Made from just tamarind, fish sauce and sugar, it was sticky and sweet, and the perfect match for our crispy fried salmon that night. Since then tamarind has become a much loved ingredient of mine, and the combination here with honey, garlic and sesame oil, on juicy chicken thighs, borders on the addictive.
Recipe From
Ingredients
120g tamarind paste
8 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil, preferably toasted
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon salt
4 spring onions, cut into 5cm pieces
8 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in, fat trimmed
To serve
spring onion, finely sliced
Delicious served with
rice
Top Tip
I use the brown variety of tamarind. If you have the more concentrated, inky-black version, just use 40g here, loosened with 5 tablespoons of water.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.
- In a jug, combine the tamarind, honey, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and salt.
- Pour half the sauce into a roasting tray, then add the spring onions. Score each chicken thigh twice, then place on top, skin side up. Coat the flesh but leave the skin dry. Reserve the remaining sauce for drizzling over the finished dish. If you have time, leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes – if not, proceed to the next step.
- Sprinkle each chicken thigh with sea salt flakes and a touch of black pepper, then place in the oven for 40–50 minutes, or until cooked through. If you like a crispier skin, heat the grill to high and place the tray under it for a minute or two, or until the skin is done to your liking.
- Once ready, sprinkle the chicken with thinly sliced spring onion. Combine the tray juices with the leftover sauce and drizzle over liberally. Great with bowls of rice, Cucumber pickle (see page 183 of Dominique’s Kitchen) and Garlicky green beans (see page 168 of Dominique’s Kitchen), sprinkled with a few spoonfuls of Peanut serundeng (see page 163 of Dominique’s Kitchen).
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