Title: Peanut-Crusted Chicken W/thai Hot/sweet Sauce
Categories: Entree Chicken Thai Rice
Yield: 4 Servings
| 1 | c | Dry roasted peanuts; ground fine |
| 1/3 | c | Yellow cornmeal |
| 4 1/2 | tb | Garlic; minced |
| 1 | tb | Fresh ginger; minced |
| 2 | | Stalks fresh lemongrass |
| 1/2 | ts | Black pepper |
| 12 | tb | Coarse salt |
| 1 1/3 | c | Rice flour |
| 2 | c | Buttermilk |
| 3 1/2 | lb | Chicken; quartered |
| 1/2 | c | Distilled white vinegar |
| 1 | c | Sugar |
| 2 | | 4" dried hot red chilies |
| 1 1/2 | tb | Nam pla (Thai fish sauce) |
| 1/2 | c | Water |
Discard outer leaves of the lemongrass. Slice thin the bottom 4" and mash
to a paste in a mortar with pestle. In a shallow bowl, stir together the
peanuts, cornmeal, 2 Tbsp. of the garlic, gingerroot, lemongrass, black
pepper, salt and 1/3 cup of the flour. Have ready, in 2 separate shallow
bowls, the remaining 1 cup of flour and the buttermilk. Dredge the chicken
pieces well in the flour, shaking off the excess, dip them in the
buttermilk, letting the excess drip off, and roll them in the peanut
mixture, transferring them as they are coated to an oiled shallow baking
dish.
Bake the chicken, covered tightly with foil, in the middle of a preheated
350F oven for 45 minutes, remove the foil carefully and bake the chicken
for 20 - 25 minutes more, or until golden (the chicken will crisp as it
cools). In a small saucpan combine the vinegar, sugar, remaining 2 1/2
Tbsp. garlic, crushed red chilies, nam pla and the water, bring the mixture
to a boil, and simmer it until it is reduced by half. Serve the chicken
with the sauce. (Gourmet 12/91)