Thai-Marinated Roast Chicken (19/24)

When you think of Christmas, you probably don't think of Thai food. And neither do I. But unfortunately, or fortunately, for all of us, chicken number nineteen, roasted about one week before Thanksgiving, was inspired by Thai flavors.

Now, unlike most of the chicken recipes I had done before number nineteen, I couldn't find a definitive, well-received Thai roast chicken recipe out there. Even the few Thai-influenced chicken recipes that didn't even involve roasting the chicken seemed just a tad bit lackluster. Maybe lackluster isn't the right word. I think I just knew I wanted to do a Thai-inspired roast chicken and I wanted something that would be spicy, sweet, savory, and zingy all at the same time. A flavor bomb, basically. So naturally I decided to use this opportunity to tap into that wellspring of creativity in my head and put together a recipe myself.

After realizing that my wellspring isn't the most frequented part of my brain, I turned to some veterans in the food blog world. Serious props and appreciation go to Almost Bourdain, Smitten Kitchen, and Leite's Culinaria for this hodgepodge of a recipe, the last of which was the source for Mindy Fox's awesome Peruvian roast chicken from the summer.

Ingredients for one flavor bomb-tastic Thai-Marinated Roast Chicken

6 garlic cloves

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 T hoisin sauce

1.5 t ground coriander

1.5 t kosher salt

4 lemongrass stems

2 red chilies

1 t ginger

2 T Maggi sauce

1 4lb chicken

Freshly ground white pepper

1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry inside and out.

2. Coarsely chop 5 garlic cloves.

3. Crush 1/2 t of kosher salt and the chopped garlic with a mortar and pestle until it becomes a loose paste.

4. Loosen the skin of the chicken from the breast meat and gently work the garlic paste under the skin.

5. Place 1 garlic clove, 1/4 cup water, and the rest of the ingredients into a blender or food processor to make the marinade.

6. Place the chicken and the marinade into a resealable bag and rub the marinade all over.

7. Put the bag, with the chicken's backside down, into the refrigerator to marinade for at least 6 hours, flipping the chicken once at the halfway mark.

8. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

9. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and reserve the marinade juices for basting.

10. Season the chicken with freshly ground white pepper.

11. Tie the chicken legs with kitchen string or twine.

12. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes at 425 degrees.

13. Baste the chicken with the marinade and reduce the oven to 375 degrees.

14. Baste the chicken every 20 minutes with the marinade and pan juices for 1 hour.

15. Roast the chicken for 15 more minutes, for a total roasting time of 1.5 hours.

16. Remove the chicken from the oven and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.

And out pops a delicious, rich, and flavorful roast chicken. The homage to Thai flavors was unmistakable.

Though the skin wasn't crispy, the meat was juicy. The few dry portions of breast meat were easily scarf-able after a dip in the flavor pool of marinade and pan drippings, and the dark meat was to die for. The chilies add a light kick of spice, the lemongrass, ginger, and cilantro add some zing and zest, the coriander and white pepper add some depth, the Maggi sauce adds some of that good ole umami, and the hoisin and fish sauce add that distinctive Thai sweetness.

All with a side of your go-to Thai restaurant's pad thai and some rice? Awesome. And as far as leftovers go, even if there isn't any chicken meat left, the marinade and pan drippings go great over a bowl of rice. Stretching your leftovers, at its best.

While I won't deny that fact that this chicken lacks any form of subtlety, the flavors will ensure that your meal will be anything but boring.

Chicken number twenty, coming up.