Married Cooking: Fried Chicken Pandan

Fried chicken pandan and some fried onions on the side

In a random burst of impulsiveness while buying our groceries from COOP grocer, I decided to order in some pandan leaves, thinking it might just be a few manageable leaves. I ended up with several large leaves of pandan, which is great but at the same time, I ran out of ideas on what to do with them aside from adding it while making rice. Hence, finding Chef Tatung from Simpol’s 2019 Fried Chicken Pandan recipe.

The ingredients for the recipe are:

• 700 grams chicken thigh or leg fillets 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated 
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons calamansi juice 
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch 
• Pandan Leaves (of course)
• Cooking oil (bought some cheaper oil for deep frying this time)

Some toothpicks are also needed during the preparation part. 

For this one, here are the differences in how I’ve made it:

1. I forgot to use black pepper on this one. 
2. I used boneless chicken breast fillets, and chopped them into three parts. In hindsight though, I should have just chopped it into two.
3. Used the alternative to oyster sauce he suggested, which is soy sauce and brown sugar mixed together on a separate container first before adding it into the marinade.
4. Only had lemons on hand instead of calamansi.
5. I also forgot to take off the toothpicks.

How I made the Pandan Fried Chicken.

1. Marinade
   1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, soy sauce and brown sugar mixture, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch.
   2. Let it marinade for at least 15 minutes or even overnight.
2. Preparation
   1. Roll the marinated chicken with a pandan leaf
   2. Turn the leaf to the other side
   3. Secure the chicken and pandan with a toothpick. It should look like a pocket.
3. Fry
   1. Pour the cooking oil into the pan and set it to medium heat.
   2. Once the oil is hot enough, place the chicken pandan into the pan. It should vigorously bubble once the chicken is in the oil.
   3. When the bubbling has subsided somewhat, flip the chicken pandan to the opposite side.
   4. Once the bubbling has subsided and the chicken’s exterior is somewhat golden brown, take it off the pan and place on a kitchen towel to drip off the excess oil.
   5. After a few minutes, place these on a plate, take off the toothpicks, and serve.

In my experience, it goes well with some freshly cooked rice and some great company. The Fried Chicken Pandan was succulent and juicy while crisp on the outside, with a hint of sweetness from the pandan leaf.

Please let us know what you think of this recipe in the comments below.