Thai Coconut Marinated Chicken

1. Marinade - best made with fresh ginger, garlic, chilli and lemongrass but it is still terrific using store bought jarred garlic etc. Lemongrass is sold in tubes in the fresh produce section of Australian supermarkets and it is actually very good. I would use 1 1/2 teaspoons if using paste.

2. Chilli - use any fresh chilli you want. Rule of thumb - the smaller the chilli, the spicier it is! I used large red chillis in this (cayenne peppers) which are not that hot. Thai Chillies are super spicy, as are Birds Eye Chillies.

3. Lemongrass - If using fresh lemongrass, peel the green reedy outer layer off to reveal the white part. Then finely chop the white part only.

You can also use lemongrass paste. Use 2teaspoons.

4. Chicken - This recipe works best with chicken cuts with fat. Boneless thigh is my favourite. It is fantastic with drumsticks and other bone in cuts, but it is better to roast rather than cook on BBQ (marinade has tendency to burn and these take longer to cook).

Roast drumsticks and wings for 45 min @ 180C/350F, bone in thighs for 50 min - it caramelises nicely.

CHICKEN BREAST - best to cut in half horizontally before marinating. Then they will only take 3 minutes on each side to cook so they'll be nice and juicy. Coconut milk is fantastic for adding richness into breast! I don't recommend roasting breast - you won't get the caramelisation on the surface (key for flavour)

5. Serving suggestions - see in post for sides.

6. STANDBY / FREEZING: Once you put the chicken in the marinade, pop it in the freezer. I find that the time it takes for the chicken to freeze then defrost = good marinating time, plus you can also leave it for a further 24 hours after defrosting. Ensure it is defrosted before cooking.

7. Nutrition assumes 5 servings, 1 kg/2lb chicken, accounts for 1/4 cup coconut milk in the marinade (rest is discarded) and that all the sauce is consumed.