Nothing beats the smell and taste of roasted chicken, and combined with these Asian flavours, we just couldn’t get enough! Served with plain white rice and sautéed baby bok choy: a perfect Friday dinner. Can’t wait to make something with the leftovers this weekend!
This was the first time I spatchcocked a chicken, and I must say I really like the technique. By removing the spine (don’t forget to freeze for future chicken stock!) and flattening the chicken the meat cooks quicker and more evenly, so it stays extra juicy. I marinated it for an hour in a mix of koriander roots, light soy sauce, ketjap manis, fish sauce, palm sugar, garlic and lemon grass. Then I roasted it on a roasting rack, adding water to the baking tray so it would stay juicy and steam all the way through.
Chicken recipe inspired by @marionskitchen and the bok choy inspired by @thespruceeats
Vietnamese Roasted Chicken served with Sautéed Baby Bok Choy
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Loading...Ingredients
- Chicken & Sides
- 1 x 1.2kg chicken
- sliced cucumber to serve
- steamed rice to serve
- ***Marinade:
- 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and pale part finely sliced
- 2 coriander roots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp dark sweet soy sauce or kecap manis
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- Nuoc Cham:
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Bok Choy
- 1 pound baby bok choy
- 3/4 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons ginger (minced fresh)
- 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- Garnish: sliced scallions
Instructions
Chicken
Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F.
Prepare the chicken: place it breast side down on a chopping board. Use scissors to cut down either side of the backbone and remove it. Flip the chicken over and press down on the breastplate so that breast bones crack and the chicken sits quite flat.
For the marinade, use a mortar and pestle (or a food processor) to pound the lemongrass, coriander roots and garlic to a fine paste.
Stir through the soy sauce, fish sauce, dark sweet soy sauce and brown sugar.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the marinade. Allow to marinate for a minimum of 10 minutes or up to an hour.
For the nuoc cham (dipping sauce), whisk together the ingredients and set aside until ready to serve.
Prepare a baking tray by lining it with foil and placing a baking rack on top. Place the chicken on the rack breast side up.
Pour over the marinade. Pour 2 cups of water into the base of the baking tray.
Roast for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (you can test by slicing into the leg joint and if the juices run clear, the chicken is cooked).
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with cucumber, nuoc cham and steamed rice.
Bok Choy
Halve the bok choy lengthwise and rinse it well under cold running water, making sure to gently separate the leaves to get any dirt out.
In a large saucepan combine the broth, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Add the bok choy, cover, and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until the bok choy is tender but not mushy.
Remove the bok choy using tongs to a shallow serving bowl and return the pot with the braising liquid to medium-high heat.
Simmer until the liquid is reduced to 1/3 to 1/2 cup, then add the sesame oil and pour the sauce over the bok choy in the platter.
Garnish with scallions and any other toppings you desire.
