ISO: ISO Gail NJ & Curious1. Gail, I made the Thai Coconut Chicken you provided for me

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florisandy

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to use up the lemongrass that Curious1 gave me. I had told FloriDad that I would barbecue anything he wanted for Father’s Day and so he replied that he wanted the Thai Kai Yaang spatchcocked chicken that I grilled last week. I tricked him by making the recipe you gave me and he loved it!

Curious, I used the “Leaping Frog” method that you posted and it worked very well. After removing the birdie to a plate to check for doneness with a thermometer, birdie’s leggy became somewhat unattached. The birdie made a statement by becoming Kickboxer Chicken as shown in the photo below – or is it Kicking Bird from Dances with Wolves?

I marinated a 4.88 lb. chicken for almost 24 hours and used three dried Thai Bird’s Eye chilies (serranos are a good substitute). I put a package of regular basil in my shopping cart and much to my horror, I could not find it when I got home! It wasn’t on my receipt so somehow, it got lost and I was really mad that I didn’t have it right before prepping the marinade. Freeze-dried basil that I had on hand saved the day!

It quacks me up about prep times… the recipe states 20 minutes. Well let me tell you, it took close to three hours including cutting up the chicken (just five minutes) and cleanup excluding mini breaks. I don’t ever trust prep times anymore.

The chicken was unbelievably tender with a nice subtle flavor of the coconut milk marinade. I absolutely loved it and thought that the breast meat could not have been more tender and juicy and probably the best I’ve ever had! Those thick and creamy marinades such as yogurt based Tandoori or Chicken Tikka Masala marinated overnight really perform well. This coconut chicken was no exception.

I served the chicken with Basic Thai Fried Rice (see Image Link). I added a little over 1/4 lb. of 26-30 ct. wild Gulf pink shrimp and it was so good with lots of leftovers and FloriDad-friendly Belgian carrots sautéed in garlic, butter, and parsley.

For dessert, Moroccan Rice Pudding (because Dad loves it) topped with bloated golden raisins in lieu of slivered almonds.

What a fine meal and I’m looking forward to the leftovers!

Thank you GailNJ and Curious1!

Beer can chicken is next!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Sandy_in_Philly/IMG_0261.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Sandy_in_Philly/IMG_0262.jpg

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marinadesrec6c-2009may06,0,1328186.story

http://www.thaikitchen.com/ricenoodles.html

 
I

I screwed up the hatchet job! I failed to “- - - Now the bird is essentially in two pieces that are hinged at the shoulders. Turning over the chicken so that it is skin side up, open it so that it’s splayed out on the work surface.” No wonder I couldn’t break the breastbone (I didn’t flip it over)! Notice that the two “halves” are reversed in Gourmet’s photo (backbone and breast are facing up). Compare with mine; the chicken is right side up and laying on it’s back. It was late at night and I didn’t absorb that instruction after three hours of prepping. In addition, I should have splayed it on the grill.

The good news. Dad tells me tonight (and I kid you not) that it was the best chicken he has ever had! I must say that the breast meat was moister than any other I’ve eaten and better than a good rotisserie. I’ve been intrigued about this all afternoon but I’m sure the coconut milk marinade helped a lot. The whole bird was intact including the backbone and it seems to me that it accounts for lots of flavor. The legs were flat and the breast cage was clam shelled. I’m wondering if the clam shelled breast produced enough steam to do a great job. In order to quell my curiousity about the best method of barbecuing a chicken, I’ll have to use the same sized bird and marinade. I should just use coconut milk to experiment.

Could this experiment that went awry end up to be the best method??

Oh dear, I might be embarking on a major food science project! I’d love to hear any thoughts out there.

 
Happy to hear it was a good recipe. Am buying a new grill and will try to replicate your success.

 
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