Lemongrass Chicken

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 tablespoon szechuan peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon annatto seeds
• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely minced garlic (about 8 cloves)
• 1/4 cup red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup ground bean paste
• 2 tablespoons rice wine
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock or 2 tablespoons water
• 1 pinch sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken (use breast or thigh meat, or a mix of both)
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup finely minced lemongrass
• 1 red jalapeno chiles or 1 green jalapeno chile, stemmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal into rings
• 2 tablespoons rice wine
• 1 tablespoon roasted chili paste
• 2 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish

Recipe

• 1 make the chile paste: combine the peppercorns and annatto seeds in a spice grinder (or use a mortar and pestle) and grind coarsely. set aside.
• 2 in a small saucepan, combine the shallots and oil over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes, until the shallots are light gold. add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes longer, until the garlic and shallot are lightly browned.
• 3 stir in the red pepper flakes and the peppercorn-annatto mixture, mixing well. add the wine, sugar, and soy sauce and continue cooking, stirring, for 1 minute longer. remove from the heat and let cool completely. this will make a lot more than you will need for making the lemongrass chicken. store the remainder in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• 4 lemongrass chicken: in a small bowl, whisk together fish sauce, stock, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. set aside.
• 5 heat a wok over high heat until hot; the metal will have a matte appearance and a drop or two of water flicked onto its surface should evaporate on contact. add 1 tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering but not smoking. add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned on both sides.
• 6 remove chicken from wok.
• 7 return wok to heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, just until softened. add the garlic, lemongrass, and jalapeño chile and cook for 30 seconds longer. add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring to dislodge any browned bits.
• 8 add the chicken back to the wok. add the fish sauce mixture, chile paste, and scallions to the pan and continue cooking for 1 minute more, until the scallions have softened slightly and the chicken is cooked through.
• 9 transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the peanuts. serve immediately.