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Originally published in Jan 28, 2009, updated with new photos.
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I love fried chicken and some of the most flavorful fried chicken in the world are from Southeast Asia, for example, this crispy, moist, juicy and extremely delicious Thai fried chicken.
I learned this Thai fried chicken recipe from Chez Pim, a talented food blogger turned Michelin-star restaurateur. The recipe is easy, with very simple ingredients, and fail-proof.
These fried chicken rival the best ones from street vendors in Bangkok. They are best served with Thai sweet chili sauce which you can buy from Asian stores. Enjoy!
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 339 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Thai Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (1kg) chicken, drumsticks, thighs, breasts, or cut-up chicken pieces
- 6 cloves garlic (peeled and pounded)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro roots or use the cilantro stems (without leaves)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (large-grained or kosher salt)
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
- oil for deep-frying
Flour mixture:
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons corn starch
- 4 tablespoons rice flour
Instructions
- Clean the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
- Use a mini food processor or a mortar and pestle to blend the garlic, cilantro roots and salt until they become a fine paste.
- Add the paste, fish sauce, oyster sauce, ground black peppper to the chicken and mix well. Transfer the chicken into a big Ziploc bag and marinate for four (4) to six (6) hours in the fridge, or best overnight.
- When ready, heat up a pot of cooking oil or use a deep fryer. While waiting for the oil to heat up, mix the three types of flour together in a new Ziploc bag. Add the chicken and coat evenly with the flour mixture. Shake the excess flour off.
- Drop the chicken gently into the oil and deep fry the chicken until crispy and golden brown (the inside should cook thoroughly but remains juicy). Transfer the fried chicken out on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
- Serve the fried chicken immediately with Thai sweet chili sauce.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Hi, tfs this recipe. Can I use dried cilantro? Thanx for your response
You can try but dried cilantro don’t have much taste or aroma.
Seriously, I got hungry while just looking at the photos. Correct, the best fried chickens are in Southeast Asia. I can’t wait to go back to Southeast Asia especially in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam for my cooking classes in these respective countries.
Wow!, I have eaten Thai fried chicken so many times, Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Thanks!! Thai fried chicken is great.
Dear mrs rasa there are some things missing from your recipe how long do you cook the chicken and at what temperature these things are crucial when cooking chicken btw way you are a lovely young woman
Deep fry at 350F for about 8 minutes or until cooked through.
Dear mrs rasa some things are missing from your recipe how long do you cook the chicken legs and at what temperature these things are important when frying chicken I have fried a lot of it and I know please help btw you are beautiful.
Hi, I am planning to make and bring the chicken wings to a beach party. Do they stay crispy for at least 2 to 3 hours? Thanks
Yes, I think so. :)
I’d like to make this, but there is no mention of the temperature of the oil or how long to cook the chicken. I’m afraid to overcook or undercook the chicken. Can you address this please?
wow ! This is nice fried chicken recipe. looking attractive for eating ………!!!. I think it’s too delicious.
Take a look at She Simmers blog for a really great version of thai fried chicken – street food style. I have made it now for a number of years…looking forward to adding your Korean version to my repertoire as well
I have always used Chez Pim’s recipe and it tastes very good. I will check out She Simmers.
Can you bake the chicken?
You can try, but I am not sure how they will turn out without trying myself.