Description
Experience the deliciousness of Gai Tod Thai Fried Chicken, taking you on a food journey to the lively streets of Thailand. This isn't just any fried chicken – it's a classic dish of Thai cooking. It has a crispy, golden-brown coating that's seasoned with amazing flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup cilantro stems. or 5 roots
- 5 large garlic cloves.
- 1/2 teaspoon -1 teaspoon white pepper. More or less for spice preference
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon seasoning sauce
- 2 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Preparation: Wash and pat dry the pieces of chicken wings with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Set aside to let it dry out while preparing the paste for marinating.
- Making the paste. Crush the garlic, cilantro roots, and white pepper in a small mortar and pestle. Pound until you have a smooth paste. See the kitchen note section if you don't have a mortar and pestle.
- Marinating: In a large bowl, combine the freshly made paste, fish sauce, and seasoning sauce and mix well using a small spatula.
- Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken wings to the marinade. Rub the marinated all over the chicken pieces and especially the chicken skin as much as you can.
- Coating: Add the rice flour and water to the chicken and use your hands to gently toss the wings with the flour and the rest of the ingredients in the marinade until fully coated. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and Allow them to marinate for at least 30 minutes. Up to 5 hours is best.
- Frying: Heat oil in a large saucepan or a deep fryer over medium-high heat. Carefully slide the coated wings into the hot oil, and do not overcrowd the pan. Fry until they turn a gorgeous golden brown and achieve a satisfying crunch. Fry for 7-10 minutes, and carefully flip the wings once or twice to ensure all sides are evenly cooked. You will have to fry the wings in a couple of batches. Lower the temp to medium heat towards the last batch as the oil tends to get very hot at this point.
- Draining: Remove the fried wings from the oil using a slotted spoon or a tong and place them on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Keep frying until they are all done. Place the cool wings on a serving plate with a delicious Thai sauce, and you are set!
Notes
- Making the marinating paste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, try this technique. Add garlic, cilantro root/stems, and white pepper to a Ziploc bag. Place a thin kitchen towel over the bag and use a heavy kitchen tool to pound the ingredients in a bag until you have a smooth paste. Be careful not to tear open the bag.
- Use a spice grinder. A spice grinder can be too big for this job, but if you double up on the recipe, it's an excellent tool for making the paste.
- Or, double up on the marinating paste. Use half and save the other half for later use—just an idea.
- For best results, I like to have my chicken set out at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before frying. Be sure to lightly toss the wings and the flour mixture before frying too to remove clumps from the marinating sauce.
- Marination Time: Longer marination allows flavors to penetrate deeper into the meat. Up to 5 hours is best.
- Wire Rack: Using a wire rack after frying prevents the wings from becoming soggy.
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- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: appetizer, chicken recipes
- Method: deep frying
- Cuisine: Thai