Recently Cooking Light putout their 'Best of 2012', the collection of top rated recipes from their magazine. I did my usual thing - flipped through it and put post it tabs on all of the things I wanted to make. Normally I put the book on a pile somewhere and forget about it but this year I was committed to try at least one of the dishes before I forgot about the rest.
While this recipe has a rather long list of ingredients it is likely that you will have 'em all on hand if you have every cooked Asian food before. After the original hunt for things you generally use such small quantities that they hang out in your pantry for years. :-) Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients and steps, it comes together rather quickly (have everything measured out and prepared PRIOR to starting to cook) and you'll have dinner on the table in no time.
Online this recipe received mixed reviews - some folks loved it and others hated. We fell into the former category but then again, I made some changes. I did not use skin on thighs - just regular boneless one and crisped them up as much as possible. No doubt the crispy skin would have been tasty but that was a bit of fat I decided to forgo.
The sauce was fiery all right but other than that ... bland. It may be because the cilantro was sandy so I gave it a good wash and there was too much water in there. Who knows? After the initial hit of heat it was boring. I added some fish sauce and lime juice and things perked up immediately.
I also used sesame oil instead of the canola oil for cooking the veggies.
Fiery Thai Noodle Bowl with Crispy Chicken Thighs
4 (4-ounce) skin-on, boneless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 ounces uncooked rice vermicelli
1 1/2 cups cilantro stems (about 1 bunch)
1/4 cup no-salt-added chicken stock (such as Swanson)
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves
2 fresh Thai chiles
1 1/4 cups chopped yellow squash (about 1 medium)
6 ounces baby bok choy, halved and sliced
1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
8 lime wedges
Preheat oven to 425°.
Heat a large stainless steel skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken, skin side down; cook 3 minutes or until skin begins to brown. Remove chicken from pan. Pour oil into a small bowl; reserve oil. Return chicken to pan, skin side down. Place pan in oven; bake chicken at 425° for 4 minutes. Turn chicken over, skin side up, and bake an additional 2 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan; place on a cutting board. Let chicken stand, skin side up, 10 minutes. Cut chicken into slices; keep warm.
Cook the noodles according to package directions, and drain. Sprinkle noodles with 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss well to combine.
Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, cilantro, and next 5 ingredients (through chiles) in a food processor, and process until well blended.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add reserved oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add squash, bok choy, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté for 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Stir in soy sauce. Divide noodle mixture evenly among 4 bowls. Top each serving with 1/2 cup squash mixture, 1 chicken thigh, and 2 lime wedges. Drizzle the sauce evenly over servings.
Comments