Stovetop Roast Chicken With Spicy Thai Saucecooks Illustrated Recipes

THAI-STYLE CHICKEN WITH BASIL (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• Process 1 cup basil leaves, garlic and chiles in food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 10 1-second pulses, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed (turn off processor first!).
• Transfer 1 tablespoon basil mixture to small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet. Do not wash food processor bowl.
• Pulse chicken and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in food processor until meat is chopped into approximate 1/4-inch pieces, six to eight 1-second pulses. [ NOTE: I used a blender and it started to make the chicken mushy, which was *not* what you want here. I stopped immediately and ended up hacking away at the remains with a cleaver. :o) ] Transfer to medium bowl and refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. Heat over medium-low heat (mixture should start to sizzle after about 1 1/2 minutes; if it doesn't, adjust heat accordingly), stirring constantly, until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5-8 minutes.
• Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken with potato masher or rubber spatula, until only traces of pink remain, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 minute.
• Stir in remaining cup basil leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until basil is wilted, 30 to 60 seconds. Serve immediately, passing extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes and vinegar separately.

STOVETOP ROAST CHICKEN WITH SPICY THAI SAUCE(COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add chicken pieces skin side down and cook without moving until golden brown, 5-8 minutes.
• Using tongs, flip chicken pieces skin side up. Reduce heat to medium low, add broth to skillet, cover, and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°, 10-16 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
• Pour off liquid into 2-cup measuring cup and reserve. Wipe skillet with paper towels. Add remaining teaspoon oil and heat over medium high heat until it is shimmering. Return chicken skin side down to skillet and cook undisturbed until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and internal temp is 160°, 4-7 minutes. Transfer to heated plates and tent loosely with foil. Skim fat from reserved cooking liquid and add enough additional broth to yield 3/4 cup.
• To the skillet add 1/2 the lime juice, sugar, garlic, fish sauce and curry paste. Cook over medium high heat, scraping bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon until the spoon leaves a wide trail in the sauce, about 2 minutes.
• Add reserved cooking liquid; return to simmer and cook until reduced to 1/3 cup, 2-3 minutes. Stir in any juices from the resting chicken; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in cilantro and remaining lime juice. Pour sauce around chicken and serve immediately.