Ingredients
- •8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- •2 tsp kosher salt
- •1 tsp ground turmeric
- •1 tsp ground coriander
- •2 pandan leaves, knotted (or 1 tsp pandan extract)
- •2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
- •For frying:
- •Neutral oil for deep frying
- •1 cup rice flour
- •½ cup cornstarch
- •1 tsp garlic powder
- •1 tsp salt
- •½ tsp white pepper
- •For nasi lemak spread:
- •Coconut rice (jasmine rice cooked with coconut milk and pandan)
- •Sambal oelek or homemade sambal
- •Fried anchovies (ikan bilis)
- •Roasted peanuts
- •Sliced cucumber
- •Hard-boiled egg, halved
Instructions
Season chicken thighs with salt, turmeric, and coriander.
Place in vacuum-seal bags with pandan leaves and lemongrass.
Seal and preheat sous vide bath to 162°F (72°C).
Submerge and cook for 6 h.
When done, remove chicken from bags and pat completely dry. Discard pandan and lemongrass.
Refrigerate uncovered for 30 min to dry the skin further.
Mix rice flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, salt, and white pepper in a shallow dish.
Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 375°F (191°C).
Dredge each thigh in the flour mixture, pressing to adhere.
Fry in batches for 3–4 min per side until deeply golden and shatteringly crispy.
Drain on a wire rack.
Serve alongside coconut rice with sambal, fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, sliced cucumber, and halved boiled egg.
Notes
- •Pandan leaves add the distinctive Southeast Asian fragrance — find them frozen at Asian markets
- •The sous vide step means the chicken is already cooked through — the frying is purely for crunch
- •Refrigerating the thighs before frying dries the skin for maximum crispiness
- •Nasi lemak is Malaysia's national dish; the coconut rice + sambal combination is essential