Wood smoked barbecued chicken & vegetable green curry

When cooking chicken over a fierce heat such as a barbecue, it’s always best to marinate or brine it first. Now, you can honestly spend a lifetime researching the brining process and some people do, however we don’t have time for that! Suffice to say that by leaving raw meat in contact with salt and/or sugar and moisture before cooking you allow it to take on flavour. This recipe uses the green curry paste to marinate the chicken, meaning it’s packed full of goodness by the time it hits the barbecue.

This recipe was also published by The Independent

 This recipe was also published by Hilton Magazine

This recipe was also published in Verge Magazine

Serves 2

GF

20g coconut oil (vegetable oil can also be used instead)

100g green curry Payst

3g kaffir lime leaves, torn a little to release their flavour

10ml fish sauce (if using Payst no seasoning is necessary as it is pre-seasoned)

10–15g palm sugar (if using Payst no seasoning is necessary as it is pre-seasoned)

200ml chicken stock

1 tin coconut cream

4 free-range chicken thighs on the bone (400-600g total weight)

100g new potatoes, sliced in half

80g baby sweetcorn, sliced at an angle

80g green beans, sliced in half lengthways

10g krachai wild ginger, peeled and julienned (if you can’t find this, use the larger, more common ginger)

10g Thai sweet basil

a piece of wood for smoking on the BBQ (my favourite is hickory)

Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over a high heat, thenadd the green curry paste and kaffir lime leaves and stir regularly until the paste begins to split like scrambled eggs – this will take a few minutes. You will notice that the smell of the ingredients changes from raw to fragrant. At this point,add 10ml fish sauce and allow it to cook into the paste for 1minute (don’t add too much as it is strong and you can always add, but never take away). Next, add the sugar and cook for a minute or so until melted and beginning to caramelise – this is noticeable as the paste begins to darken.

Now it’s time to loosen the curry with liquids. Add half the chicken stock and 100ml of the coconut cream to the pan, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. When cool, use a little of the curry to marinate the chicken thighs; use enough to coat them, then refrigerate the chicken to allow the flavours to infuse for a minimum of 2 hours, but ideally overnight.

Light the barbecue and wait for the coals to glow red. Place the piece of wood onto the coals and allow to set alight and begin to smoke. At this point, add the chicken thighs skin-side up and cook for 3–4 minutes on one side, lowering the BBQ lid so that the meat is engulfed by the smoke. Turn the chicken pieces over and repeat the process until the skin is crispy and golden brown and the chicken is piping hot.

Next, return the remaining green curry to the pan and bring back to a simmer. Add any excess from the marinated chicken, then add the remaining stock. Add the potatoes and cook for about 8 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the sweetcorn and green beans and cook for a further 5 minutes until all the vegetables are softened but still retain a little bite. Add the hot chicken thighs, the remaining coconut cream and the krachai and basil. Check you are happy with the seasoning, add a little more fish sauce, sugar or coconut milk if needed and serve immediately. This dish is best served with steamed jasmine rice.