At times, I operate my kitchen like a Zi Char stall or Thai stall. Not all the kids like to eat the same thing, but the ingredients I have are the same. So, while my youngest like the Thai Basil Chicken, my second son will criticize the basil smell no end if I serve him that.
The solution? I fry them different things. So instead of adding basil leaves and chilies, I put in more garlic and add lots of cracked black pepper. The rest of the steps are the same. And then, viola! He finishes the food without any fuss, and even bothers to clear his plate with a smile.
I am beginning to think the Zi Char stalls and roadside stalls all started with some fussy eaters in the family. Hm…
Thai Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 300 g Chicken thigh diced to 2 cm pieces
- 10 clove Garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp Black pepper cracked
- 1 Tbsp Fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar to taste
- 2 Tbsp Cooking oil
Instructions
- Heat a wok/pot with the oil to medium heat.
- Fry the garlic until golden brown.
- Add the chicken and black cracked pepper and stir till cooked.
- Top with coriander leaves and sliced chilies if desired.
- Serve with hot steamed rice or fried rice.
I always love a quick and delicious recipe but… how do you limit your kitchen time to an hour a meal when you need to dice the chicken thigh (plus do you cut out the fat in the boneless skinless chicken thigh meticulously?), switch up the ingredients for two kids, and… how is this one dish enough for a whole family…? I’m genuinely curious. I love chicken thighs but I don’t know how to make it a regular meal ingredients and still cook fast – well unless I don’t dice them, in which case I have to pick out the fat when I eat – not the greatest eating experience… Thank you.
Hi Becky, I use deboned, deskinned chicken thigh that is normally with little fat left on the meat. I do not need to trim the fats as a little fat is okay and enhances the taste. One dish, with a fried egg and a rice is enough for the family. You put the rice to cook (I don’t use a rice cooker), and then set out to cook the chicken thigh. When the chicken is finished, you fry an egg and/or a vegetables and everything is ready in 1 hour. The chicken, when cut to 2cm by 2cm and at room temperature, does not take more than 10 minutes to cook.
Hi! Thanks for getting back to me. So I take it you normally cook for 2 growing kids and 2 adults right? And one chicken dish, one veggie dish and some rice are enough for the whole family? Do you cook large portions then? For example in this recipe, can you tell me 300g of chicken thigh is about how many boneless skinless chicken thighs? Thank you.
Hi Becky,
I normally use 1 chicken leg for each person. My kids are pretty big already, the youngest being 12 years old now. So he eats like an adult. If you use only the thigh part, then 2 pieces should suffice for each person.
Again, this dish is pretty delicious, so my children tend to eat a bit more, so I cook a bit more. It always finishes.
I also do just a meat dish, a veggie dish and rice for the family. I do add a fried egg, too, if I serve the Thai Garlic Chicken. I just did that today. If you like a soup, you can add that in winter.
I timed myself today, I took about 40 minutes to cook everything. It went like this:
Put the rice to cook. (I don’t wash the rice)
Heat up the pan with oil.
Crack the eggs into the pan.
Mince the garlic in the meantime. I use peeled garlic.
When egg is cooked, remove and lower heat, add garlic, and give a stir.
While garlic is cooking, dice the boneless chicken. I took only 2 minutes.
By the time I am done with cutting the chicken, the garlic is soft.
Put the chicken in and fry for 3 minutes.
Meanwhile wash and cut the veggies, I used bak choy today.
Add the condiments to the chicken. Give a stir and done, scoop up.
I didn’t wash the pan, add the veggies and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add some butter and oyster sauce, give another stir.
Everything is cooked!
40 minutes. And then I baked a cake for tomorrow.