Thai Grilled Chicken Recipe (with Tangy Dipping Sauce)

Ingredients:

• SERVES 2 (Double the recipe for 4 or more people)
• 1/2 fresh chicken, chopped into small parts, OR 4-8 fresh chicken thighs

MARINADE

• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce (or 1 more Tbsp. tamari)
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 3 Tbsp. sherry (cooking sherry works well too)
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, lightly crushed with pestle & mortar, OR lightly ground with coffee grinder
• 10 cloves garlic, minced

DIPPING SAUCE or GLAZE:

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar OR white wine vinegar (or substitute 1/3 cup white vinegar)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 fresh red chillies, minced OR 1-2 tsp. Thai red chilli sauce
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
• GARNISH: (optional)
• a few sprigs of fresh coriander or flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add chicken parts or thighs, turning several times to ensure the chicken is covered with marinade.
3. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate while you heat up the grill and prepare the dipping sauce. OR allow chicken to marinate overnight, or up to 24 hours.
4. To make the dipping sauce/glaze, place all the dipping sauce/glaze ingredients in a sauce pan. Stir and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low. Allow sauce to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it cooks and become tangy - a mixture of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.
6. Tip: this sauce can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold, so you can easily make it ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator until needed.
7. Brush your grill with a little vegetable oil, then grill the chicken, turning occasionally. Brush the chicken with the leftover marinade for the first 10 minutes or so, then discard marinade.

• • To Cook Chicken in Your Oven: Place chicken pieces on a grill pan or on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake at 375F/190C for approximately 45 minutes, or until chicken is nearly done (thicker pieces may need slightly longer, while small or thin pieces may cook faster).

1. Now turn your oven to the "broil" setting (on "high" if you have a choice), and move chicken to one of the upper racks of your oven.
2. Baste both sides of chicken with the leftover marinade, or with a little of the dipping sauce, then broil 3-5 minutes per side, or until fully cooked.
3. Serve with the dipping sauce on the side, OR spoon a little sauce over each piece of chicken as a glaze before serving.