Tamarind and chili sauce are both popular ingredients in their native cuisines. In Asia, they’re often paired with chicken. This is a unique take on an old favorite that combines these two great flavors into an irresistible dish you won’t soon forget.
You’ll love how the tamarind paste thickens the sauce and adds a subtle zing to each bite, while the chili sauce adds just enough heat for a pleasant burn every time you take another sip. It’s also very easy to make this recipe your own by swapping out one of the optional ingredients for something more to your liking.
Tamarind pulp is very versatile and can be added to a variety of dishes. In this recipe, it’s combined with spicy chili sauce and baked on chicken thighs for an addictive flavor combination. These chicken thighs are juicy, tender, and flavorful—everything chicken should be!
Chili Tamarind Chicken
Equipment
- Steamer Basket
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1/2 tablespoon chick boullion
- 1/2 cup milk
- breadcrumb
- flour
- egg
- cooking oil
- garlic
- 1 tablespoon tamarind puree
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 pieces chicken thigh or 4 oz chicken meat of your choice
- 2 tablespoons korean chili sauce or Gochujang or tomato paste
Instructions
- Clean the chicken thoroughly and soak it with milk in a ceramic bowl for 30 mins.
- Drain the milk. In a big pot, boil the water and steam the chicken with the steamer basket. You can leave the chicken in the ceramic bowl to collect the juice that comes out of the chicken for later.
- Coat the meat in the order of flour, egg, and breadcrumb.
- You can either fry the chicken in high smoke point oil or bake it at 375°F for about 12 minutes
- In a skillet or a pan, saute the garlic
- Add tamarind, Gochujang, chicken bouillon, sugar, sesame oil, and the chicken juice collected from the steaming. Add 2 tablespoons of water to thin out the sauce. You can substitute the Gochujang with tomato paste and chili flakes for an extra kick
- Add the chicken and stir for about 5 minutes until the chicken turns brown and the sauce gets thickened
- Sprinkle some sesame seed as optional and voila!
