Thailand is a beautiful country. A country with vibrance, colourful activities, respectful people, cheap shopping and best of all, excellent excellent food! Much of Thai culture centres around food. Just walking down the street, any street, you can only be struck by the many food stalls and be truly amazed by the variety of food they offer.
Having been to Thailand a lot, here are a few general phrases that will come in handy to get through the day, like Sawatdee (means polite greeting like hello, good morning etc), Khap or Ka (is a polite syllable when greeted by a man or woman), Aroy (delicious food), Phet Mak (really spicy), Mai Phet (not spicy) … to name a few.
A Thai dish that has always held a special place in my heart is the aromatic Thai Pandan Chicken. This bite-sized marinated chicken meat is wrapped in pandan leaves (screwpine leaves), then deep-fried and served, which makes them packed with punchy flavours and aroma. I love the way Thai people use various herbs, spices and sauces to enhance the flavour of the dish, making them uniquely delicious. 
Pandan leaves is a common plant that grows in South East Asia and they are normally used for flavouring and colouring especially in Asian desserts. Alternatively, they can be easily purchased fresh from market or frozen from asian grocers.
This dish makes really good party finger-foods or part of a shared meal in a potluck gathering. Go ahead, try it. Recipe is adapted from Billy Law’s ‘Have You Eaten?’ cookbook.
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Aromatic Thai Pandan Chicken
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
Bursting with flavor and aroma, these little chicken parcels are a must-try. Once youve tasted them, you wont want to share!
Ingredients
- 1 lbs (454 g) chicken thigh fillets
- 20-25 pcs pandan leaves
- 20-25 pcs bamboo skewers or toothpicks
- Vegetable oil
- Sweet Chilli sauce
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 3 tbsp coconut cream
- 2 lemongrass stalks
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- pinch of salt and ground white pepper
Instructions
- Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken pieces and rub marinade in until well coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 1 hour to prevent burning.
- Remove chicken from the fridge 15 minutes before cooking. Trim the lower (white and hard) part of the pandan leaves and set aside.
- Fold one end of a pandan leaf to form a small cone. Using a chopstick, add 1-2 pieces of chicken to the cone. Bring the longer part of the leaf down to wrap the chicken securely. Insert the same part of the leaf from the bottom and out through the top; gently pull through and cut the excess, leaving 2 inches. Insert a skewer through the center. Repeat until all chicken is wrapped.
- Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat (approximately 350°F/177°C). Fry pandan chicken in batches, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, marinate the chicken for up to 24 hours.
- If pandan leaves are unavailable, substitute with lime leaves, but the flavor will be different.
- To prevent sticking, lightly oil the frying pan before cooking the chicken parcels.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Pan-Frying
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 150g
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 20
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 30
- Cholesterol: 100
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pandan chicken and how do pandan leaves affect the flavor?
Pandan chicken is a Thai appetizer where marinated chicken pieces are wrapped in pandan leaves before frying or baking. The leaves release a sweet, floral aroma during cooking that infuses directly into the meat.
Can I make Thai pandan chicken without pandan leaves?
Pandan leaves are central to this dish, so substituting them changes it significantly. If you cannot find fresh or frozen pandan leaves at an Asian grocery store, pandan extract brushed on the chicken adds some flavor, but you lose the wrapping technique.
Should pandan chicken be deep fried or baked?
Traditional Thai pandan chicken is deep fried, which gives the outside a crisp texture while the pandan leaf keeps the meat moist. Baking at high heat works as a lighter option, though the texture will be softer.
