Thai Pandan Chicken

Chef's Notes

Pandan Leaves: Frozen or fresh is fine. If you can’t track them down, you can use banana leaf to wrap the chicken and place in 1/2 tsp of pandan flavouring to the chicken marinade instead. You can wrap the pandan a simpler way, by just folding it around the chicken piece a couple of times and popping a tooth pick straight through the middle to hold it all together. Don’t eat the pandan leaves, discard these once you’ve eaten the chicken. When using frozen leaves, thaw them at room temperature then rinse them under cold water and dry well before using.
Coriander Root: You can also a mix of coriander stems and leaves as a substitute, or 1/2 tbsp of coriander powder.
Fish Sauce: Substitute with soy sauce if you can’t get hold of it.
Use your oven instead: If you want to avoid deep frying, lay the pandan chicken pieces out on a pan and cook for around 45 minutes at 180°C / 360°F or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through the middle.
Make sure the oil is nice an hot before popping in the chicken. Use a wooden skewer or chopstick – if it bubbles around the base, it’s ready!
Try not to crowd the pan when frying. Cook the chicken in batches if you have to. This keeps the heat more even as it cooks the chicken.
To Save Time –
Easier Pandan Parcels – You can wrap the pandan a simpler way, by just folding it around the chicken piece a couple of times and popping a tooth pick straight through the middle to hold it all together.
Protein – Substitute the chicken with pork, or do a combination of both if you want to impress when entertaining.
Dipping Sauces – Swap the dipping sauce for sweet chilli sauce for a quick and easy alternative.
Air Fry Instead of Deep Frying – You can cook pandan chicken in the air fryer using a similar method to popcorn chicken! Preheat the air fryer 180°C / 360˚F. Brush the pandan chicken with oil, the place in the air fryer basket (avoid overcrowding, make sure there’s plenty of space between each piece). Cook for around 6 minutes per side, until fully cooked.
arinate the chicken the day before for extra flavour, or if you’re really strapped, pop it in the fridge for only 30 minutes instead.
Easier Pandan Parcels – You can wrap the pandan a simpler way, by just folding it around the chicken piece a couple of times and popping a tooth pick straight through the middle to hold it all together.
Protein – Substitute the chicken with pork, or do a combination of both if you want to impress when entertaining.
Dipping Sauces – Swap the dipping sauce for sweet chilli sauce for a quick and easy alternative.
Air Fry Instead of Deep Frying – You can cook pandan chicken in the air fryer using a similar method to popcorn chicken! Preheat the air fryer 180°C / 360˚F. Brush the pandan chicken with oil, the place in the air fryer basket (avoid overcrowding, make sure there’s plenty of space between each piece). Cook for around 6 minutes per side, until fully cooked.