Roast Coriander Chicken & Peanut Sauce

Tender and juicy roasted chicken thighs served with sweet, sour and slightly spicy peanut sauce. Not forgetting the refreshing and crunchy cucumber that adds zing to the flavourful dish.  An appetizing dish inspired by satay chicken 🍢

Servings: 4-person portions

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs, about 530g 鸡腿

1/2 onion, chopped 洋葱蓉

3 garlics, chopped 蒜蓉

25g gula melaka/palm sugar 椰糖

2 tsp raw sugar 黄砂糖

1/4 tsp light soya sauce 新抽

1 tsp sambal chili paste 叁巴辣椒酱

100ml water 水

1 tsp crispy fried onion 炸葱粒

50g coarsely ground peanut 粗花生粒

2~3 tsp lime juice 酸柑汁

1 tsp cut coriander leaf 芫荽粒

1/8 tsp salt 盐

Marinade 

1/4~1/2 tsp salt 盐

Some black pepper powder 黑胡椒粉

1 tbsp coriander powder 芫荽粉

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp paprika/chilli powder

2 tsp raw sugar 黄砂糖

1/2 tsp light soya sauce

1 tsp rice wine

1 tsp honey

Garnishing

Some julienned japanese cucumber 黄瓜丝

Coriander leaves 芫荽叶

Some cut red chili 切片红椒

Directions

1. Rinse and trim excess fat from chicken thighs.

2. Marinate the thighs with the marinade for at least 1/2 ~ 2 hours.

3. Arrange the marinated chicken thighs on a roasting plate in a single layer.

Heat up in a preheated oven toaster set at 180°C for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the toaster oven and baste some honey over the skin.  You can also smear some melted fat collected below the meat to add gloss to the skin.

Return to the toaster oven, lower the temperature to 160°C and roast for about 20 to 25 minutes, or till the skin turns golden.

Let the chicken thighs remain in the toaster oven to let the remnant heat melts the fat under the skin.

While roasting the chicken, you can start to prepare the peanut sauce.

>>  This step is optional << 

Peanuts tend to turn rancid fast after opening. Therefore, nowadays, I prefer to get the freshest ground peanuts from small packet of shell roasted peanuts. Although it is slightly tedious, I save on wasting a big packet of ground peanut just to grab a small handful of it for cooking.

4.  Stir-fry garlic till fragrant at medium low heat.

5. Add in the onion and stir-fry till fragrant and soft.

6. Add palm sugar/gula melaka*, raw sugar and about 1/4 tsp of low-salt light soya sauce to the side of the pot. 

Avoid adding liquid to the centre of the pot to prevent splattering.

* you may add sugar in place of gula melaka.

7. Add the sambal chili paste to the pot. Stir fry under medium low heat till fragrant.

The sauce will bubble.

8. Add water and crispy fried onion. Bring the ingredients to a light boil.

9. Pour in the ground peanuts, lime juice and cut coriander leaves.

Add salt to taste.

Transfer to a small bowl to cool down slightly.

10. Serve the roasted chicken thighs with peanut sauce and garnish with julienned cucumber, coriander leaf and cut red chili over warm rice 🍚😁