THE STORY

 

I've frequently mentioned the flexibility of chicken thighs. Tonight, we give it a Southeast Asian spin: Spicy sliced chicken thighs are sautéed with vegetables, placed over mung bean vermicelli, and topped with crispy chicken skin. I used a bit of curry and sambal to give it some heat, which pair quite well with the sweetness of the veggies and saltiness of the crispy skin. For me, the key to Asian cooking is layering flavors. That means cooking ingredients in a specific order and seasoning every step of the way. 

Ingredients

 

• 4 Chicken Thighs (with skin)

• 1/2 cabbage

• 1 large onion

• 1 large carrot

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tsp. sambal

• 1 tsp. curry

• Salt & Pepper

• 2 tbsp. buuter

• 1 pack mung bean vermicelli

DIRECTIONS

 

Julienne carrots, cut cabbage in large strips. Do the same for onions. mince garlic. Slice the chicken into small strips.

 

Place a large skillet over high heat.  Remove chicken skin from thighs, season with salt and pepper, then place in pan. When crisp, remove and set aside.

 

If chicken skin rendered enough oil, use it to sauté vegetables. Start with mince garlic followed by sweating the onions until translucent, then carrots until tender, cabbage last. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

 

Push vegetables to the edge of the skillet to make a well. Place two tablespoons butter. Add the chicken, When color turns more opaague toss together wiith the vegetables. Add curry and sambal. Keep tossing until chicken is fully cooked. Check your seasoning. Set aside.

 

In a medium pot, boil water. When boiling, add mung bean vermicelli. Turn off heat. Wait until vermicelli is translucent and limp. Place in a platter or bowl. Add chicken and vegetables and toss together until noodles have taken on some color from the curry, sambal and residual broth.

 

SPICED CHICKEN & MUNG BEAN  VERMICELLI

In Case You Want to Know

 

Mung bean noodles are also called glass noodles, cellophane, thread or moong bean noodles. Made of mung beans, these noodles have a gelatinous thread-like structure and are usually folded into bundles for retail distribution. Uncooked mung bean noodles are translucent, but they become more opaque the longer they are cooked. Their cooked structure and consistency is retained, unlike wheat and rice noodles.  More