The Best Pandan Chicken (Gai Bai Tuey)
Crispy Thai Pandan Chicken wraps the savory goodness of marinated chicken in fragrant pandan leaves, deep-frying them to perfection. An elegant appetizer, it delights with its wonderful aroma and flavorful taste.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 8-10 pandan leaves
- 1 lb chicken thigh. Cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce.
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce.
- 1 tbsp sugar. Use brown, white, or palm sugar.
- 1/2 tsp white pepper.
- 4 clove garlic.
- 1/4 cup cilantro stems or 2 coriander root.
- 20-30 toothpicks. Used to secure the pandan leaf packets.
- Cooking oil for deep frying. Use neutral oil like avocado, vegetable, or canola oil for deep frying the chicken. Olive or sesame oil is not recommended.
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce. This is a specific type of soy sauce found in the Asian markets. As the name implies, it adds a deep, smokey taste and a very dark color to the dipping sauce.
- 1+1/2 tbsp soy sauce. Use the same light soy sauce used for marinating the chicken.
- 1 tbsp sugar. White, brown, or palm will work.
- 1 tsp rice vinegar. Add a touch of tang for the dipping sauce.1-2 tablespoon sesame seeds. For sprinkling, garnish the sauce.
Instructions
- 1
Please see the detailed instructions in the blog post for step-by-step photo instructions on wrapping the chicken.
- 2
Make the paste for the marinade by pounding garlic cloves and cilantro roots until you have a fine paste.
- 3
Make the chicken marinade. Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces for easy wrapping. Then, marinate the chicken thighs with oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper. Allow it to marinade for at least 30 minutes. Longer if possible. Up to 5 hours.
- 4
Prepare to wrap the chicken. Wash the fresh and pandan leaves with cold water, then dry them with paper towels.
- 5
Wrap each piece of chicken with a pandan leaf using either the traditional or easy method.
- 6
p id="instruction-step-6">5. Deep-fry the wrapped chicken until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot with the dipping sauce on the side.