This weeknight spicy chicken recipe is an easy recipe with full on flavours with a noticeable chilli hit.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Weeknight Spicy Chicken
I love chicken thighs, I think it’s probably the cut that I cook the most, finding chicken breasts too bland for my taste. So I’m always coming up with different ways to cook them.
This weeknight spicy chicken is a fairly easy recipe, taking an hour from start to finish. I’ve borrowed a little from all the many chicken dishes we find locally, like Kam Heong Chicken and Ayam Masak Kicap.
The Recipe
This is what we’ll be doing:
- Marinate the chicken while we get everything else ready.
- Lightly fry the chicken, in oil or an air fryer.
- Fry the aromatics, add the sauce and chicken and cook for 30 minutes more.
That’s it. Easy, right?
Weeknight Spicy Chicken Ingredients
The ingredients are all fairly straightforward. If you’ve been a longtime follower of mine or know Singaporean and Malaysian food, you’ll recognise the ingredients.
Let’s take a look at the ones that you may have trouble sourcing out if you’re not in Sg/My, and what to do if you can’t find them.
Cili Boh
Cili boh is a red chilli paste, made with dried red chillies, and is an essential ingredient in Singapore, Malaysia and many of their neighbours.
When you’re cooking a recipe that calls for chilli paste, this is what we’d use in Sg/My. It is easily made at home and will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, so get that done asap! All you need is some non smoky dried chillies.
Homemade cili boh recipe here.
Can’t be bothered to make your own cili boh? Use shop bought sambal oelek.
Curry leaves
These leaves are used extensively in South Indian and Sri Lankan cooking.
They lend an inimitable aroma that’s herbal and woody at the same time, and unfortunately, cannot be substituted. You may be able to find them if you have a South Asian store near you or online.
The dried ones are probably easier to source out, but honestly, don’t have much going for them.
So if you can’t get curry leaves, don’t worry about it, just finish our weeknight spicy chicken with some fresh coriander leaves (cilantro).
Kaffir Lime Leaves
The politically correct name for these leaves is makrut lime leaves. You do you.
I love using them to further enhance the South East Asian slant of our weeknight spicy chicken. Doesn’t get more aromatic then kaffir lime leaves, does it?
Can’t get them? Same as above. Just finish our chicken recipe with some fresh coriander leaves.
How to Serve Weeknight Spicy Chicken
This recipe is best served with some plain white rice. This way, you get to fully enjoy the complex flavour of the dish. Some cucumbers and tomatoes is all you need to complete the meal.
But naturally, it can also be served as part of a bigger meal, and will also go well with noodles.
And there you have it. If you have any questions, just drop me a comment.
Shall we get cooking?
If you like the recipe and article, don’t forget to leave me a comment and a rating! Thank you!
And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood
Lin xx
Weeknight Spicy Chicken
Ingredients
To Marinate the Chicken
- 4 large chicken thighs
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 Tbsp cili boh
- 30 g shredded coconut or breadcrumbs (optional)
Miscellaneous
- 125 ml vegetable oil
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 60 ml water
- 1 small handful cherry tomatoes
- 1 handful peas
Aromatics
- 2 large onions
- 5 cloves garlic
- 5 red chillies
- 2 sprigs curry leaves omit if unavailable
- 2 Kaffir lime leaves omit if unavailable and finish with coriander leaves (cilantro)
Sauce
- 1 Tbsp cili boh
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 Tbsp sweet soy sauce
Instructions
Prep Work
- Marinate the chicken with the turmeric, salt, cili boh and coconut (or breadcrumbs) if using, and set aside.4 large chicken thighs, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp turmeric, 2 Tbsp cili boh, 30 g shredded coconut or breadcrumbs
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.1 Tbsp cili boh, 2 Tbsp oyster sauce, 2 Tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 Tbsp sweet soy sauce
- Peel, halve, then slice the onion thinly.2 large onions
- Finely chop the garlic and slice the red chillies.5 cloves garlic, 5 red chillies
Let's get cooking
- Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan on medium heat and brown the chicken thighs for 5 minutes, flipping over halfway.Take them out and set aside.125 ml vegetable oil
- If you've used shredded coconut or breadcrumbs, strain the hot oil through a metal sieve to get rid of all the burnt bits.
- Wipe the wok dry and add about 3 Tbsp of the oil back to the wok on medium heat.
- Fry the onions for 2 minutes, add the chillies and garlic and fry for another minute.
- Add the curry leaves, kaffir lime leaves, sauce and water and mix well.Add the chicken and a little black pepper, stir, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes until the chicken thighs are cooked through.If it gets too dry, add a little more water.½ tsp black pepper, 60 ml water, 2 sprigs curry leaves, 2 Kaffir lime leaves
- Stir in the tomatoes and peas, and heat through for just a minute.Check seasoning and finish off with a squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately.1 small handful cherry tomatoes, 1 handful peas