Chile-Marinated Fried Chicken
In his outstanding Asian twist on Southern fried chicken, Paul Qui uses chile sauce in both the marinade and the sweet, sticky sauce that’s tossed with the chicken before serving. Slideshow: More Great Fried Chicken Recipes
How to Make It
In a bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the sweet chile sauce with 1/4 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of the fish sauce. Add the chicken; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of fish sauce with the palm sugar, cilantro, lemongrass and sambal oelek. Simmer over moderate heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine strainer into a bowl. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of sweet chile sauce; let cool.
Spread the cornstarch in a shallow bowl. Remove the chicken from the marinade, scraping the excess back into the bowl. Dredge the chicken in the cornstarch.
In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch of oil to 350°. Fry the chicken at 300°, turning once, until golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each piece registers 160°, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the fried chicken to the sauce and toss to coat. Arrange the chicken on a platter and serve right away.
