Stewed Spicy Chicken With Lemongrass And Lime

By Mark Bittman

Published October 6, 1998

  • Craig Lee for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(233)
Comments
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This wildly flavorful chicken dish is inspired by the bright flavors found in Thai cooking – garlic, galangal (or ginger), chiles, turmeric, cilantro and lemongrass. While its flavor profile is complex, it is blessedly easy to make. Just sauté the savories, herbs and spices and add the chicken to the pan. Allow it to cook, covered, for about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the lid, let the chicken brown a bit, and that's it. Serve over rice so you don't miss out on a single drop of the exquisite sauce.

Featured in: The Minimalist; The Essence Of Thai Cooking

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

  • ½ cup minced shallot

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

  • 1 tablespoon minced galangal or ginger

  • 1 teaspoon minced hot chili, or crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon ground dried cilantro

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 2 stalks lemongrass

  • 1 3-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon minced lime leaves or zest

  • 2 tablespoons nam pla

  • ¼ cup minced cilantro leaves

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

10 grams carbs; 255 milligrams cholesterol; 836 calories; 26 grams monosaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 59 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 995 milligrams sodium; 65 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the oil in a large, deep skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger and chilies and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and the mixture pasty. Add the turmeric, cilantro and sugar and cook, stirring, for another minute. Trim the lemongrass stalks of their toughest outer layers, then bruise them with the back of a knife; cut them into sections and add them to the mixture along with 1 cup water.

  2. Step 2

    Add the chicken and turn it once or twice in the sauce, then nestle it in the sauce; season with a little salt and pepper. Turn the heat to low and cover the skillet. Cook, turning once or twice, until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Uncover the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high; turn the chicken skin-side down. Let most (but not all) of the liquid evaporate and brown the chicken just a little on the bottom. Stir in the lime leaves and nam pla; taste and adjust seasoning as necessary, then garnish and serve with white rice.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
233 user ratings
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Comments

Valerie

Nam pla is fish sauce. Why not just say so in the recipe so we don't have to look it up?

HL

Because now you know what nam pla is!

Mark

Can be made in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours.

KC

Fragrant, versatile, and delicious meal! I also used fresh cilantro and added the juice of a lime at the end alongside its zest. I wouldn’t skip the fish sauce as it adds the funkiness and complexity that makes it so addictive - and similarly to the fellow chefs in this comment section, I doubled the sauce ingredients to ensure we’d have enough.

Deborah

This recipe was from the mid 1980's NYTimes . I have the original frayed clipped copy in my recipe box. It is so good with shrimp, pork tenderloin, or chicken thighs. I am older now and find the hot chilies hard to digest (not the case when this recipe was first published). We enjoy it now with aleppo peper flakes. Same flavor, less heat.

Dizzy5

The photo shows, "no sauce, at all", in the cook-pan — or did I miss something?

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