Pandan fried chicken is a favourite to many. The secret to the alluring aroma of the dish is none other than pandan leaves, also known as screw pine leaves which are used to wrap them. Pandan leaves are usually used to add aroma to a dish or as a natural colouring agent to cakes and many Southeast Asian desserts.
In this dish, it is used for its fragrance. You can immediately smell the intensity of the fragrance while frying the chicken. The meat soaks up the nutty sweet pandan smell as it blends in with the spices used in the marinade.
How to wrap the chicken pieces?
If you are wondering how to wrap the chicken pieces, check out the video recipe above. You can either tie the chicken pieces with pandan leaves or secure it with the help of toothpicks. That way, less pandan leaves are used.
Baked or grilled pandan chicken
Pandan chicken can be baked in the oven or grilled instead of being fried. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Bake the chicken pieces wrapped in pandan leaves for about 40 minutes. Remember to leave some space between the chicken pieces before baking.
How long should the chicken pieces be marinated?
At least 30 minutes. Of course, it would taste better if they are left to marinate overnight as the taste would be more intense then.
Freeze pandan chicken for later use
Pandan chicken is a freezer friendly recipe. Marinate the chicken pieces before wrapping them with pandan leaves. They can be stored in the freezer for later use.
Dipping sauce for pandan chicken
You can, of course, enjoy this dish without any accompaniment. The chicken meat is already extremely flavourful due to the marinade. However, if you dip it into some sweet Thai chilli sauce, the taste of this dish goes a notch higher. Tangy, sourish, spicy and sweet along with the aromatic fragrance of the pandan leaves, it will definitely gain a place in your heart.
Try out this recipe. Great for parties served as finger food or simply enjoy it with hot white rice. Remember to also check out the recipe for the dip, sweet chilli sauce.
