Gok Wan’s sweet & sticky soy chicken
Gok’s kicking off the weekend with his sticky soy and honey chicken. Taking inspiration from his Dad’s classic recipe, Gok serves his spicy chicken thighs with coconut rice for a simple but sweet Friday night feast.
Sweet and sticky soy chicken with coconut rice
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
For the Sweet and Sticky Soy Chicken:3 tbsp groundnut oil3 chicken breast fillets, thickly diced2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced1x 2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced½ a red chilli, chopped7 spring onions - 2 finely sliced into rounds, 1 sliced into long diagonal pieces, 4 cut into 7cm pieces 3 tbsp water1 tbsp honey5 tbsp light soy sauce1 tsp Shaoxing wine vinegar
To serve:½ a fresh red chilli, finely slicedToasted sesame seeds
For the Coconut Rice:400ml full fat coconut milk200ml water300ml (about 250g) jasmine rice, well rinsedCrispy fried shallots, to serve
Method
1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large wok over a high heat. When hot, add the chicken pieces and brown them all over, this will take about 5-6 minutes. Once browned, remove and set aside.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil. Once warmed through, add the garlic, ginger, chilli, the 2 finely sliced spring onions, and the long spring onion pieces . Fry for 2–3 minutes, until just softened.
3. Put the chicken back into the wok and toss to incorporate with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Pour in the water, honey, soy sauce and rice wine. Increase the heat and bring to the boil. Continue to cook over a medium to high heat for another 3 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze and the chicken is cooked through and has become gloriously dark and glossy. Remove the chicken from the pan and allow it to rest for 3 minutes.
5. Place the chicken on a serving plate and garnish with the remaining spring onion and red chilli.
6. To make the rice, pour the coconut milk and water into a large pan and bring to the boil. Stir the rice and a large pinch of salt into the liquid and cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid
7. Reduce the temperature right down and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.