Thai-Inspired Baked Chicken with Lemongrass & Coconut

• 8chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
• 2 x 250gpouches microwave jasmine rice
• 2stalks lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed, finely sliced
• 4cloves garlic, crushed
• 1thumb fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2red chillies, finely sliced
• 400 mlcoconut milk
• 3 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tbsppalm or soft brown sugar
• 1lime, zested and juiced
• 2pak choi, halved
• Fine salt and black pepper
• 15 gThai basil or coriander (optional)

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C. Pat the chicken thighs dry with kitchen paper, score the skin two or three times across each thigh and season generously with salt and black pepper. Lay them skin-up in a roasting tin.
2. 2Pound or blitz the lemongrass, garlic, ginger and half the sliced chilli to a rough, fragrant paste. Don't worry about it being smooth; you want texture clinging to the chicken.
3. 3Whisk the paste through the coconut milk with the fish sauce, sugar and lime zest. The coconut milk is your break-down liquid here; it carries the aromatics, stops the garlic catching, and reduces into the sauce as the chicken roasts. Pour over the chicken, turn to coat, then leave skin-side up so the tops sit proud of the liquid and crisp.
4. 4Marinate for 15 minutes while the oven comes up to temperature. The lime zest, fish sauce and coconut do the work of a longer marinade in a fraction of the time.
5. 5Roast for 35 minutes, basting the skin once at the halfway point.
6. 6Tuck the pak choi halves cut-side down into the sauce around the chicken. Back into the oven for 8–10 minutes, until the leaves have wilted, the stems are just tender and the thickest part of each thigh reaches 75°C for 30 seconds, away from the bone.
7. 7Squeeze the lime juice over the tray off the heat. Taste the sauce; it should land salty, sweet and sharp in roughly equal measure.
8. 8Heat the rice pouches according to the packet. Divide between four bowls with two thighs and half a pak choi each. Spoon over the coconut sauce and finish with the reserved chilli and optional Thai basil or coriander if using.

Per serving

kcal

667

protein

50.9g

fibre

1.8g

carbs

49g

fat

30g