Golden fried Thai Pandan Chicken wraps the savory goodness of marinated chicken in fragrant pandan leaves, deep-frying them to perfection. An elegant appetizer, it delights with its wonderful aroma and flavorful taste.
Learn more about pandan and how to make fresh pandan juice here.
Want more pandan recipes? Check out these pandan rice recipe, pandan custard, pandan sticky rice, pandan coconut jelly, and pandan brown sugar syrup.
Jump to:
- What is Thai Pandan Leaf Chicken
- What is Pandan
- Ingredients for Thai Pandan Chicken
- Thai Pandan Chicken Recipe Instructions
- How to Wrap Pandan Chicken
- How to Serve Pandan-Wrapped Chicken
- Garnishing Options
- Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Pandan Chicken
- Helpful Kitchen Tools for This Recipe
- Variations & Substitutes
- Storage
- Other Thai Recipes to Try Now
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Best Pandan Chicken (Gai Bai Tuey)
- Related Recipes
What is Thai Pandan Leaf Chicken
Pandan chicken (Gai Haw Bai Toey) is a Thai dish with chicken pieces marinated with soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, and other Thai seasonings.
The marinated chicken is then wrapped in pandan leaves and deep fried until golden brown, resulting in a crispy exterior and juicy, flavorful interior.
You'll most likely not find this dish in most Thai restaurants, so it's great for special occasions when you want to impress your guests.
What is Pandan
Pandan, also known as screwpine leaves, is a tropical plant commonly used in Thai food and Asian desserts. It is prized for its fragrant smell, which adds a unique aroma to dishes and sweets, enhancing their flavor profiles.
In Thai cuisine, pandan is often used to infuse rice, curries, and desserts with its distinctive fragrance, making it a beloved ingredient in many traditional recipes.
Similarly, in Asian desserts, pandan is frequently used to impart its delightful scent and flavor, creating delicious treats enjoyed by many.
Read more about pandan and its uses here.
Ingredients for Thai Pandan Chicken
- Pandan leaves. These impart a fragrant aroma and subtle spice to the chicken. Find fresh or frozen leaves at Asian grocery stores.
- Chicken thigh. Boneless chicken thighs are used for their tender texture and rich flavor. The boneless chicken breast will work, too, if you want a leaner chicken cut.
- Oyster sauce. Adds depth and savory flavor to the marinade.
- Light soy sauce. Provides saltiness and umami to the dish.
- Fish sauce. Adds complexity and depth of flavor. Read more about sauces in Thai cooking here.
- Sugar. Use brown, white, or palm sugar to balance the savory and salty flavors.
- White pepper. It adds a subtle heat and enhances the overall flavor. Learn more about Thai spices here. More about Thai spices here.
- Garlic. A few garlic cloves will be used to make a paste for the chicken marinade. Provides an aromatic flavor to the marinade.
- Cilantro stems or coriander root. Add freshness and herbal notes to the marinade. More about fresh Thai herbs here.
- Toothpicks. Used to secure the pandan leaf packets.
- Cooking oil. Use neutral oil like avocado, vegetable, or canola oil for deep frying the chicken. Olive or sesame oil is not recommended.
Pandan Chicken Dipping Sauce
A simple dipping sauce made with dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and sesame seeds complements the pandan chicken perfectly, adding depth and tanginess to each bite.
- Dark soy sauce. This is a specific type of soy sauce found in the Asian markets. As the name implies, it adds a deep, smokey taste and a very dark color to the dipping sauce.
- Soy sauce. Use the same light soy sauce used for marinating the chicken.
- Sugar. White, brown, or palm will work.
- Vinegar. Add a touch of tang for the dipping sauce.
- Sesame seeds. For sprinkling, garnish the sauce.
Thai Pandan Chicken Recipe Instructions
1. Make the paste for the marinade by pounding garlic cloves and cilantro roots until you have a fine paste.
2. Make the chicken marinade. Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces for easy wrapping. Then marinate the chicken thighs with oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper.
Allow it to marinade for at least 30 minutes. Longer if possible. Up to 5 hours.
3. Prepare to wrap the chicken. Wash the fresh and pandan leaves with cold water, then dry them with paper towels.
4. Wrap each piece of chicken with a pandan leaf using either the traditional or easy method.
Please see the detailed instructions below for a step by step photo instructions.
5. Deep-fry the wrapped chicken until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot with the dipping sauce on the side.
How to Wrap Pandan Chicken
There are 2 different ways you can wrap the pandan leaves. I will show you the traditional and the easy method.
Traditional Method of Wrapping Pandan Chicken
this traditional way of wrapping panda chicken takes more time, but you'll end up with a unique and beautiful presentation of your food.
1. Prepare your pandan leaves. Fresh leaves are ideal, but they are difficult to find. Use the thawed frozen leaves. Gently open the folded, thawed leaves as wide and flat as possible.
2. fold the bottom half of the pandan length towards each other to create a leaf packet that looks like a ribbon.
3. Place a piece of marinated chicken in the middle of the ribbon.
4. Fold the top of the longer pandan length down and through the opening at the bottom of the chicken. Pull it firmly together, but be careful not to tear the leaves, especially if using frozen leaves.
5. Make sure everything sits snuggly together. It's ok to have part of the chicken exposed. When frying, the chicken will have a more golden hue on those parts, making them look even more appetizing.
6. Trim the top longest part of the leaf and repeat until done.
Easy Wrapping Method
This method will give you more of a pandan aroma as the leaves will cover most of the chicken meat when wrapping.
1. Prepare your leaves the same way as the traditional method above.
2. Place the pandan leaf flat on a smooth surface. Place a piece of chicken towards the bottom of the leaf.
3. Wrap and roll each chicken thigh until most of it is covered, and secure it with a toothpick. It's okay if part of the chicken is exposed. You'll get a crispy fried part out of them. Very delicious!
4. That's it! Repeat until you are done. Place the wrapped pieces on a large platter for frying later.
How to Serve Pandan-Wrapped Chicken
These delicacies can be served as a classy appetizer, a side dish, or a main dish served over jasmine rice or pandan coconut rice. The amazing aroma of the leaves, combined with the wonderful taste of the cooked chicken, will have your guests fighting for every last piece.
These sauces also pair well as dipping sauce for Thai pandan chicken. Nam Jim Gai, tamarind sacue, Pad Thai sauce.
Garnishing Options
Sprinkle sesame seeds over the cooked pandan chicken for added texture and visual appeal.
Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Pandan Chicken
- If able, try to wrap two chicken pieces with one pandan leaf. This is especially doable if you have fresh pandan leaves.
- Be gentle with frozen pandan leaves, which can be brittle and break easily.
- Gently rinse the frozen leaves with cold water to clean them before wrapping. Never use hot water on frozen leaves.
- Remove excess oil by draining the cooked chicken on paper towels before serving.
- Add a few drops of pandan essence to the marinade for a fragrant aroma.
Helpful Kitchen Tools for This Recipe
- Deep fryer or large skillet for frying.
- Toothpicks for securing the pandan leaf packets.
Variations & Substitutes
For a vegetarian option, experiment with different marinades or fillings for the pandan leaf packets, such as shrimp or tofu.
Storage
Store any leftover pandan chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer for best results.
Other Thai Recipes to Try Now
- Fresh spring rolls
- How to make sticky rice in a bamboo steamer
- How to make coconut milk
- How to crack coconuts
- How to make Thai dry chili flakes
Frequently Asked Questions
No, shallow frying will not thoroughly cook the chicken wrapped inside the pandan leaves.
You can. However, famous Thai pandan chicken doesn't usually have a spicy flavor. The ground white pepper provides a subtle spice to the chicken, but typically, it's quite a mild dish.
No, the pandan leaf is used primarily for flavoring and aroma and is typically not eaten.
While pandan chicken is delicious, it is typically deep-fried, so it may not be considered healthy. However, you can make healthier versions by air frying or baking the chicken instead of deep-frying.
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The Best Pandan Chicken (Gai Bai Tuey)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Lactose
Description
Crispy Thai Pandan Chicken wraps the savory goodness of marinated chicken in fragrant pandan leaves, deep-frying them to perfection. An elegant appetizer, it delights with its wonderful aroma and flavorful taste.
Ingredients
- 8-10 pandan leaves
- 1 pound chicken thigh. Cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce.
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce.
- 1 tablespoon sugar. Use brown, white, or palm sugar.
- ½ teaspoon white pepper.
- 4 cloves garlic.
- ¼ cup cilantro stems or 2 coriander root.
- 20-30 toothpicks. Used to secure the pandan leaf packets.
- Cooking oil for deep frying. Use neutral oil like avocado, vegetable, or canola oil for deep frying the chicken. Olive or sesame oil is not recommended.
Pandan Chicken Dipping Sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce. This is a specific type of soy sauce found in the Asian markets. As the name implies, it adds a deep, smokey taste and a very dark color to the dipping sauce.
- 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce. Use the same light soy sauce used for marinating the chicken.
- 1 tablespoon sugar. White, brown, or palm will work.
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar. Add a touch of tang for the dipping sauce.1-2 tablespoon sesame seeds. For sprinkling, garnish the sauce.
Mix the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl until sugar dissolves.
Instructions
Please see the detailed instructions in the blog post for step-by-step photo instructions on wrapping the chicken.
1. Make the paste for the marinade by pounding garlic cloves and cilantro roots until you have a fine paste.
2. Make the chicken marinade. Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces for easy wrapping. Then, marinate the chicken thighs with oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper. Allow it to marinade for at least 30 minutes. Longer if possible. Up to 5 hours.
3. Prepare to wrap the chicken. Wash the fresh and pandan leaves with cold water, then dry them with paper towels.
4. Wrap each piece of chicken with a pandan leaf using either the traditional or easy method.
5. Deep-fry the wrapped chicken until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot with the dipping sauce on the side.
Notes
- If able, try to wrap two chicken pieces with one pandan leaf. This is especially doable if you have fresh pandan leaves.
- Be gentle with frozen pandan leaves, which can be brittle and break easily.
- Gently rinse the frozen leaves with cold water to clean them before wrapping. Never use hot water on frozen leaves.
- Remove excess oil by draining the cooked chicken on paper towels before serving.
- Add a few drops of pandan essence to the marinade for a fragrant aroma.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: thai appetizers
- Method: deep frying
- Cuisine: thai
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