Here’s a great recipe from Oakland’s own Chef Tu David Phu to bring excitement back to your weekly chicken dinners or holiday turkey!
The Story:
“Miền Tây is Vietnam’s most southern region, mostly containing small populous provinces in the Mekong Delta. Mekong Delta is a river that runs through Western China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and last Vietnam before ending its river’s journey in the south China Sea. Historically, M iền Tây was the pinnacle of the east of the Silk Road. Naturally, the abundance of foreign and exotic ingredients is reflected in the cuisine. And is reflected in this dish.
Why I love to make this at home? Honestly, chicken is pretty boring. This is a low cost and easy recipe to make for big dinner parties and/or families. I use this same marinade for Turkey AND IT’S AMAZING!”
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs or less Fresh Whole Chicken
- 2 tablespoon Minced Lemongrass
- ½ teaspoon Minced Ginger
- ½ teaspoon Minced Garlic
- ½ cup Oyster Sauce ½ cup
- 3 tablespoon Organic Sugar
Equipment:
- Preheat Oven to 425 F. on Bake/ 400 on Conv.
- Probe Thermometer and Oven Thermometer
- Half Sheet Pan
- Roasting Rack
- Parchment or Foil
- Gallon Size Ziploc bag
Instructions:
- Preheat Oven to 425 F. on Bake/ 400 on Conv.
- Bathe Chicken Carcass with water and table salt. Helps remove undesirable chicken fluids.
- Then rinse with fresh water until water is clear [2- 3 times]
- Spatchcock the Chicken. It basically means to take out the spine. [You can see a tutorial video on how to Spatchcock Chicken here]
- Place chicken on roasting in refrigerator rack to dry at least 30 min, the longer the better, Max 6 hours]
- Any left over water will dilute your chicken flavor
- Make the marinade: mix shallot, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, sugar into a gallon size ziploc bag
- Marinate the chicken: place chicken into a ziploc bag. Massage chicken in the bag to distribute marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat Oven to 425 F. Use an oven thermometer for precision. Most home ovens temps are off.
- Temp your chicken by letting it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes. This will help the chicken cook more evenly
- Place chicken breast side up (open-cavity side down) on a half sheet pan lined with [foil or parchment].
- Place chicken on the bottom rack of a preheated oven set to 425 F. on Bake [o r 400 F Convection]
- Check chicken after 20 minutes. [Total cook time 40-50 minutes]
- Rotate Chicken Tray is caramelization on chicken in uneven
- Turn the oven down to 375 F. on Bake [or 350 F Convection]
- Cook Chicken for another 20 minutes. [Total cook time 40-50 minutes]
- Use a calibrated thermometer to probe the thickest flesh of chicken.
- Continue to cook until the internal temp reaches 160 F.
