Thai Tom Yum Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds skin-on chicken drumsticks
• 1 to 2 shallots, thinly sliced, or 1/4 cup minced purple onion
• 1/4 cup minced lemongrass, fresh or frozen
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 (2-inch) piece fresh galangal, or ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 to 2 thinly sliced fresh red chiles, or 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed chile, more to taste
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon shrimp paste, or 1 additional tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, including stems
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons coconut milk, or dairy cream

Steps to Make It

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Set chicken pieces in a flat baking dish, such as you would use for lasagna. Be sure to leave the skin on—most of the excess fat will run off into the pan, while what is left will help flavor the dish.
3. Place remaining ingredients together in a mini food chopper or food processor.
4. Blitz well to create a fragrant Thai tom yum sauce. Note that you can also use a pestle and mortar to create a paste, then stir in the liquid ingredients at the end. Or simply mince all ingredients finely and stir together.
5. Taste-test the sauce for salt and spice, adding more fish sauce if you’d like it saltier or more chile if you’d like your chicken spicier.
6. Pour sauce over chicken, turning the pieces into the sauce.
7. Set in refrigerator to marinate 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours); meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F.
8. Bake (uncovered) for 1 hour. Part way through baking, remove from oven and turn the chicken pieces in the sauce, or scoop up some of the sauce and drizzle over the chicken. If your baking dish is becoming dry, add a little water (hot water if using a glass baking dish).
9. Return to oven until chicken is golden-brown and glistening.
10. Serve with rice.