September is National Chicken Month and what better way to celebrate it than cooking a delicious recipe from Irish chef Donal Skehan!

This dish is wonderfully fragrant and according to Donal is very easy to prepare. He uses chicken thighs as they have more flavor, but you can easily use chicken breasts instead. While the paste made for the sauce can also be used with beef or pork.

Chili and lemongrass chicken recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla)
  • 10 1/2 oz chicken thigh meat, cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • Small handful of mint, basil and coriander leaves, to garnish

Method

  1. In a bowl, combine the lemongrass, chili, garlic, and fish sauce. 

  2. Place the chicken meat into another bowl and add half the lemongrass mix, reserving the rest.

  3. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 20 minutes.


  4. Heat the oil in a wok or a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. 

  5. Add the reserved lemongrass mixture, then add the curry powder and stir-fry for about 1 minute until fragrant. Then add the marinated chicken and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes until the pieces have a nice color on all sides.

  6. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and stir in the sugar. Simmer for a few minutes until the stock has reduced and you are left with a thick sauce.
Serve with steamed rice and garnish with the herbs.

Check out the video below for a step-by-step guide from Donal on how to make this delicious Thai dish:

Donal Skehan is a home cook, food writer, and television presenter who has written eleven cookbooks. He has previously presented the TV show Kitchen Hero on RTÉ One in Ireland, Grandma's Boy on FOX International, and a judge on BBC's Junior MasterChef.

Check out Donal's Facebook, Twitter, and website, and make sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel for more culinary tips, recipes, and food travels.

*Originally published in 2016. Updated in 2021.

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