Classic Thai BBQ/Grilled Chicken Recipe (with Tangy Dipping Sauce)

This barbecue chicken recipe is truly bursting with flavor! Marinated in a garlicky sweet and sour sauce, the chicken pieces are then easily barbecued or oven-baked to perfection. Add my special homemade Thai sauce as either a dipping sauce or a glaze, and this dish will be the life of your dinner or lunch party! A Classic Thai BBQ chicken recipe you will want to keep in your files - for life!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

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
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce (OR 1 more Tbsp. regular soy sauce)
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 3 Tbsp. sherry (cooking sherry works well too)
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, crushed with pestle & mortar, OR coursely ground with coffee grinder or pepper mill
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• DIPPING SAUCE or GLAZE:
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar (OR other type of vinegar: white, white wine, or apple cider)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 fresh red chilies, minced OR 1/3 to 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili OR cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce

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 375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, or until chicken is nearly done (thicker pieces may need slightly longer, while small or thin pieces may cook faster).
8.Turn oven to the "broil" setting (on "high" if you have a choice), and move chicken to one of the upper racks of your oven. 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 (stay near the oven for this process, or chicken may burn).
9.Serve with the dipping sauce on the side, OR spoon a little sauce over each piece of chicken as a glaze before serving. This dish goes well with a salad or serve with rice. ENJOY!

Thai Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

This sweet and sour chicken recipe isn't difficult to make, and you'll love the results. It's fresher tasting than most restaurant sweet & sour dishes, and not as 'bready' (the restaurant's way of creating bulk). In Thailand, sweet & sour dishes are quite popular, and though they do come from the Chinese tradition and are very similar, you'll notice a few Thai additions that give the dish more depth of flavor. For those who prefer an easy sweet & sour recipe, I've included another method for cooking the chicken that's faster and easier. If you're a sweet and sour fan, put this recipe on your 'must make' list. ENJOY!
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: SERVES 4

Ingredients:
•2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
•1/2 cup flour
•1/4 tsp. baking powder
•1 tsp. garlic salt
•1/4 cup milk
•1 egg
•1 red bell pepper, sliced
•optional vegetables: 1/2 green bell pepper OR 1 stalk celery, sliced
•oil for frying
•garnish: handful fresh coriander/cilantro
•SWEET & SOUR SAUCE:
•2 14-oz. cans (348 ml) pineapple chunks packed in juice (= 1+1/2 cups juice and 1+1/2 cups fruit)
•1/2 cup white vinegar OR red wine vinegar
•3/4 cup white sugar
•2 Tbsp. fish sauce
•3 cloves minced garlic
•1 fresh red chili, minced, OR 1/2 tsp. cayenne or dried crushed chili (reduce for children)
•1 Tbsp. lemon juice
•1/3 cup water
•1 Tbsp. ketchup
•1+1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
•optional: 2 drops red food coloring

Preparation:
1.Make the sweet & sour sauce first. Drain the juice from both cans of pineapple, squeezing out all the juice from the fruit. Place pineapple juice plus the chunks from 1 of the cans in a wok or large pot (reserve remaining pineapple for eating, or use in other dishes). Add the vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, garlic, chili and lemon juice. Boil for 10 minutes, or until sauce reduces by one quarter.
2.Simmering the sauce over medium heat, add the red pepper (plus other vegetables if using) and continue cooking 5 minutes.
3.Stir cornstarch into the water with a fork until dissolved and add to the sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, or until sauce has thickened slightly.
4.Taste-test the sauce, looking for a balance of sweet and sour, plus a hit of spice and just a hint of salt. If you find it too sour, add more sugar; if too sweet or too salty, add more lemon juice. Set sauce aside.
5.In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and garlic salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk the egg with the milk.
6.Dip the chicken pieces in the milk/egg mixture, then roll in the flour mixture and set on a clean plate (I find it helps to use your fingers for dipping, then chopsticks for rolling in the flour).
7.Pour oil to 1 inch deep in a wok or small frying pan (for a quicker, easier method, see below). Heat over high heat 30 seconds to 1 minute. Dip one of the chicken pieces in - if it sizzles and starts to cook, the oil is hot enough. Reduce heat as you fry in order to prevent splattering.
8.Fry chicken pieces until light golden brown on both sides. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel.
9.When chicken is cooked, put the dish together. Bring the sweet and sour sauce to a slow simmer over medium-low heat and add the fried chicken pieces, gently stirring them into the sauce. When everything is heated through, plate up the dish and sprinkle with fresh coriander. Serve with rice and ENJOY!
Quick & Easy Version: Make the sauce as instructed. Instead of deep-frying the chicken, roll chicken pieces in flour + garlic salt and pan-fry in 4 Tbsp. oil. Fry 3-4 minutes per side, or until light golden brown and cooked through. Continue with the last step to put the dish together.