Ping Gai Chicken

This dish was another I stumbled across when reading milk and honey over breakfast last week. Since I'm always on the look out for quick and easy dinners for busy weeknights and since Wil loves bbq chicken this was a must try from the moment I saw it.  I made the marinade last night and left the chicken to soak up all the flavour.  Wil then threw it in the oven (too crazy windy to be out bbq-ing here tonight) while I was at yoga, and then I quickly pulled together the dipping sauce once I got home. Wil loved this one, though he said he preferred the chicken on it's own without the sauce.  I dipped my steam broccoli in the dipping sauce and it was awesome. There was sauce leftover which I will definitely keep for dipping over the next day or so, and I'll be sure to cook this recipe again and again!

by Queen Mother Cafe from BigOven.com via milk and honey cafe blog
Yields 6 portions

ingredients
4 lb Chicken Thighs, skin-on and deboned*

marinade
1 bunch Fresh Cilantro
6 cloves Garlic
1 tbsp Black peppercorns
3 tbsp Oyster sauce
2 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tablespoons Vegetable oil

dipping sauce
1 cup Water
1/2 cups Sugar
3 sprigs Fresh Cilantro
2 cloves Garlic
2 tbsp White Vinegar
1 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tbsp Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce
1 tbsp Thai Fish Sauce

directions
Marinade: Put the washed bunch of cilantro, including stems and roots, into food processor with garlic and peppercorns. Process until finely chopped. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce and oil; process until combined. Or you can blend it all together in a blender.

Place chicken in shallow glass baking dish. Brush all over with marinade. Cover with plastic wrap. Marinate at least 1 hour or overnight in refrigerator.

Dipping sauce: Combine water and sugar in saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until dissolved. Continue cooking 10 minutes or until reduced and syrupy. Cool completely. Add to food processor with cilantro, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, garlic chili pepper sauce and fish sauce. Process until smooth. Again, you can do this in a blender.

Preheat BBQ to medium high. (If broiling, preheat broiler and cook on wire rack set in baking pan or on cookie sheet.)

Place chicken pieces, skin side down, on greased grill. (Place skin side up if broiling.) Close BBQ lid. Cook about 8 minutes or until skin is crispy and chicken is almost cooked through.

Turn chicken. Close lid; cook chicken 6 minutes more or until cooked through. SIDE NOTE: The chicken is going to get quite black because the herb-y marinade. It might look slightly burnt, but in fact, that's how it is supposed to look. Don't be too worried if it gets dark.

Chop into 1-inch pieces. Serve with dipping sauce.
*We used drumsticks as usual so there was no need to chop, we just broke off pieces and dipped as we went.