Vietnamese-Style Grilled Five Spice Chicken Thigh Salad
Recipe by Chef Neven Maguire.
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Category:
Servings: 4 yield(s)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
  • 3 garlic cloves (sliced)
  • 1 large shallot (roughly chopped)
  • 1 tbsp fresh root ginger (minced)
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 4 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp Thai fish sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
  • 8 boneless chicken thighs
    • Salad:
  • 1 firm ripe mango (stone removed and cut)
  • 4 spring onions (thinly sliced)
  • 50 g roasted cashew nuts (chopped)
  • good handful fresh coriander leaves
    • Dressing:
  • 4 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed Oil
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp ginger root (finely minced)
  • 1 garlic clove (crushed)
  • salt and black pepper
Instructions
  1. To make the marinade, place the garlic in a mini food processor or blender with the shallot, ginger and sugar, then blend to form a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and whisk in the soy sauce, Thai fish sauce, five-spice powder and several grinds of pepper.
  2. Arrange the chicken thighs in a shallow dish and pour over the marinade, turning until well coated. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours is best, turning the chicken thighs several times in the marinade. Bring back to room temperature before cooking and wipe off any excess marinade with kitchen roll.
  3. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oil to the pan, then place the chicken thighs in it skin-side down. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the skin is nice and crispy.
  4. When you can see that the chicken thighs are nicely browned and that the flesh is almost but not quite cooked through. Turn them over and cook for another 5-6 minutes until completely cooked through and tender. Remove from the heat and leave to rest in a warm place for 5 minutes.
  5. Place in a large bowl with the lettuce, mango, spring onions, cashew nuts and coriander.
  6. To make the dressing, place the rapeseed oil in a small bowl with the vinegar. Whisk until blended, then stir in the soy, ginger, garlic and oil. Season to taste.
  7. Use the dressing to lightly dress the salad, tossing gently until evenly combined. Arrange on plates and serve the remaining dressing in a small jug so that your guests can help themselves.