Thai Banana Leaf Chicken

The original version of this recipe is called Pandan Chicken as it is chicken wrapped in pandan leaves and either baked or deep fried in peanut oil. Pandan leaves are very difficult to find, here in the French countryside, you can use banana leaves instead. These delicious chicken parcels are best enjoyed with sticky rice or white rice and a side salad such as Som Tam or lightly pickled cucumbers. It is also essential to provide one or more dips. You can use sweet chilli sauce and the simple dip recipe I have detailed below. If you have any banana leaf left, you can line each of your dinner plates with a square of leaf for stunning visual effects. The Thais sometimes use banana leaves as plates so it really does add a cultural touch!

3/4 Servings

Ingredients for Banana Leaf Chicken:

750gr chicken thigh meat or breast, cut into 3 cm pieces (yields roughly 22-25 pieces)

The 2 horizonal sides of 1 banana leaf cut into strips 3cm by 15/20cm depending on the size of the leaf

2.5 tbsp oyster sauce

2.5 tbsp light soy sauce

3 tbsp sesame oil

1.5 tbsp sugar

5 stalks of coriander, roughly chopped

4 garlic, peeled & roughly chopped

4cm piece of ginger, peeled & roughly chopped

4 heaped tsp lemon grass, finely chopped

1 tsp white pepper

Toothpicks

Instructions for Banana Leaf Chicken:

Place your chicken cubes in a bowl & the remainder of the ingredients in a chopper. Blend until you obtain a smooth paste. Pour the marinade over the chicken and allow to sit for 2-4 hours.

When you are ready to cook the chicken, heat your oven to 200c for fan assisted ovens & 220c for traditional ovens.

As show in the photos at the very end of this recipe, wrap each piece of chicken with banana leaves by place the chicken at one end of the leaf strip & rolling to the end. You should now have 2 sides of the chicken bundle exposed.

place the exposed side at the end of another leaf strip & roll to the end of the strip to create a parcel around the chicken. There may be small gaps between the two strips & that is ok. Repeat this process with the remaining chicken.

Line a baking tray with a baking sheet & add a generous layer of peanut oil. Place the chicken on the tray leaving a good 3 cm between each piece. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked, turning the chicken parcels over midway. The best way to determine if the chicken is cooked through is to open the biggest parcel & simply slice in half. This also gives you an excuse to have to taste that piece of chicken, since you can no longer serve it!

Ingredients for the Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp rice vinegar

Instructions for the Dipping Sauce:

Place all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a simmer on medium heat.

Gently simmer for 1-2 minutes or until the sugar has melted. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.