The lean, white meat of young, tender “poussin” is the perfect partner for the delicately spicy, fragrant flavors of this Thai marinade. I would cook the pieces on an outdoor grill if I had one, but I don’t, so I roast them in the oven for about 35 to 45 minutes, with a final 5 minutes under a hot broiler to get the skin crispy brown.
The dipping sauce is bright and assertive and really jazzes things up. Serve with a big pile of leafy greens.
A CHICKEN BY ANY OTHER NAME
The French language has a whole battery of terms to refer to chickens according to their age. A poussin is actually a chick and a coquelet a young chicken, but “poussin” has become the butcher’s term in English for a young chicken and thus it shall remain. A “poussin” or “coquelet” is generally 4 weeks old and weighs 16 to 24 ounces, around 900 g. They are very tender, with mild-flavored white meat and popular throughout Europe. These young birds taste better if they have had a little exercise, so try and buy those bearing a farm-raised label. If you can’t find either one, Cornish Game Hens – a small bred of chicken found everywhere in the US, will work just fine for this recipe or use, bone in, skin on chicken thighs.
Thai Lemongrass and Red Chili Poussin (Coquelet)
Ingredients
- 4 Poussin (or Coquelet or Cornish game hens) Backbone removed and cut in half (So you have two pieces with a breast and a leg each) – or you could simply use chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)
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- For the marinade:
- 1 large piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 lemongrass stalks, hard outter leaves removed, tender stem roughly chopped
- Large handful of roughly chopped coriander leaves and stalks
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
- 1 cup soy sauce
- Dipping Sauce:
- 1 large, mild red chili, finely diced (if you want heat, use small birds eye chilis to taste)
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp light honey
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
- Juice 1 lime
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1 small shallot finely chopped
- Small handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped, some for sauce and some to garnish
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Instructions
- Make the marinade: Put the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, coriander, sugar, oil and ¼ of the soy sauce in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Stir in the remaining soy sauce and give a final whizz. Transfer to a large bowl and add the poussin. Use your fingers to gently massage the marinade into pieces, getting it into all the folds and under the skin. Cover the bowl and put in the refrigerator to marinate for several hours or overnight.
- Heat the oven to 180° C/350° F. Remove the poussins from the marinade, set aside. Strain the marinade into a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil and cook until it has reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 10 minutes.
- Place the poussin in a roasting pan, skin side up, and brush with some of the reduced glaze. Cook 30 to 45 minutes, brushing the peices with the glaze again about halfway through the cooking time. If you want darker, crispier skin – grill them under the broiler for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- While the poussins are cooking whisk all the ingredients for the dipping sauce together in a small bowl. (Adjust flavors to taste)
- Remove the poussins from the oven and let rest 5 minutes. Just before serving, spoon over some of the sauce and scatter with chopped cilantro.
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https://www.charlottepuckette.com/recipes/main-dish-meatpoultry/thai-lemongrass-and-red-chili-poussin-coquelet/
