Five-spice chicken

I written about how fragrant and delicious Charles Phan's lemongrass beef stew was, but that's not too surprising since I love me some lemongrass. So I was excited to come across another recipe from his cookbook.

This chicken recipe immediately attracted me because it's made with another one of my favorite Asian flavors: 5-spice powder. As you probably do not recall, my absolute favorite pork tenderloin is coated in a thick layer of 5-spice powder and other spices, which is seared and finished off in the oven to tender perfection. So trying this recipe was a no brainer.

I was happy to find that, as expected, 5-spice powder pairs really well with chicken. While not quite as strongly flavored as the pork tenderloin, the spice really comes through. And of course chicken thighs are the best cut of chicken, ever, so you can't go wrong with them--especially when they're grilled!

It's a simple dish that's full of hearty, deep umami flavors. Hope you'll enjoy as much as I did!

Buen Provecho,
Jacqueline

Grilled Five-Spice Chicken with Tamarind Sauce, from Food Gal (adapted from Charles Phan)
Serves 6 as a main course

Ingredients
1 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic
3/4 cup minced shallots
2 to 3 Thai chiles, stemmed and minced
1 1/2 cubes fermented red bean curd, mashed (about 1 TBSP) (I didn't use this as I don't have it)
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
6 (5-ounce) skin-on, boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs

For sauce
6 ounces seedless tamarind pulp
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons fish sauce

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, shallots, chiles, bean curd, and five-spice powder. Add chicken to the marinade and turn to coat evenly. Cover and let marinate at room temperature for up to 2 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before grilling. 
2. To make the sauce, in a small saucepan, combine tamarind pulp and 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease heat so the mixture is at a gentle simmer, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until tamarind pulp has softened completely and can easily be pressed against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula to force through as much pulp as possible. The liquid should have the consistency of ketchup. Discard the contents of the sieve. While the liquid is still warm, add sugar and fish sauce and stir until sugar has dissolved. Set aside. 
3. Prepare a medium fire in a charcoal grill (you should be able to hold your hand 1 inch above the grate for only 4 to 5 seconds). When the coals are ready, push two-thirds of the coals to one-half of the grill, creating a hot zone; spread the remaining one-third on the opposite side of the grill to create a cooler zone. 
4. Arrange the chicken pieces, skin side down, on the grate over the hottest part of the grill and cook them without moving them for 6 minutes, or until well browned on the first side. Using tongs or a spatula, flip the chicken and move to the cooler side of the grill; cook for about 4 minutes more, or until browned on the second side and no longer pink at the center when tested with a knife. Note: If using chicken thighs, especially bone-in ones, cooking time will be longer. 
5. Transfer chicken to a platter and serve immediately. Accompany with the tamarind sauce, inviting diners to spoon it over their own servings.