{"id":4367,"date":"2016-07-08T12:59:38","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T04:59:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tasteasianfood.com\/?p=4367"},"modified":"2022-08-29T19:04:17","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T11:04:17","slug":"pandan-leaf-chicken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tasteasianfood.com\/mystaging\/pandan-leaf-chicken\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandan Leaf Chicken – Easy Thai Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pandan leaf chicken is one of the best\u00a0specialty chicken dishes in\u00a0Thai restaurants. <\/a> The chicken is moist, tender, infused\u00a0with a refreshing pandan aroma, and encased in leaf packets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Thai people wrap the marinated boneless chicken meat inside a large piece of pandan leaf and deep-fry it.  The amazing aroma of the leaves is infused into the chicken meat, giving the ordinary chicken a distinct flavor and unique presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pandan leaves are also called screwpine leaves. It is long and slim, with the length reaching 50 cm. It is widely available for cooking in all South East Asia countries. The local people use pandan leaves to flavor the rice, make drinks, and prepare desserts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unique flavor of pandan leaves<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fresh pandan leaves are not widely available in Western countries. Unfortunately, you need to wrap the chicken in pandan leaf. \u00a0Therefore it cannot be substituted with pandan extract. If you can get pandan\u00a0leaves in Asian grocery stores, try this recipe that is so different from any chicken dish. After all, it is a relatively easy recipe to follow. The flavor is neither too spicy nor exotic, which is ideal for someone who wants to enjoy Thai food but is put off by the other hot and spicy Thai foods.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thai pandan leaf chicken is served with a sweet and salty sesame dipping sauce which complements the subtle flavor of the chicken. The Thai people serve it as the main dish or appetizer ideal for party hors-d’oeuvre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my <\/em>privacy policy<\/em><\/a> for more info. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pandan<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Deep-fried chicken in the pandan leaf packet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is challenging wrapping the chicken the first time, but it is a breeze after some practice. There are two ways to encase the chicken. You can fold the leaves to form a pocket to hold the chicken or roll the chicken inside the leaf and secure it with a toothpick. The best way to understand how to do it is by watching the embedded video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many versions of Thai pandan chicken recipes. Some recipes include Thai spices like lemongrass, turmeric, coconut, and shallot. Thai people also add\u00a0curry powder and dry chili for an\u00a0extra hot and spicy flavor. My recipe is more of the Malaysian style<\/a>, which does not use chili.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have improvised the pandan leaf chicken recipe by adding pandan extract as part of the marinade. The Thai people usually steam the chicken before deep frying. This process helps to keep the chicken moist after frying and infuse the pandan aroma into the chicken. \u00a0I blend some chopped pandan leaves with a small amount of water to form a concentrated paste to extract the juice. The juice is used as part of the marinade to increase the intensity of the pandan flavor. This improvisation yields pandan chicken that is moist, tender, and packed with pandan flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 Tips to cook a perfect pandan leaf chicken<\/h2>\n\n\n\n