Serves: 4 - Time:
I defy even the most ardent Marmite haters not to find this chicken dish irresistible. The key is to get the right consistency for the umami-rich glaze. Not reduced enough and the glaze will be watery, but too reduced will make it difficult to coat the chicken pieces. You may think that there won’t be enough glaze once the sauce has reduced but, as it packs a savoury punch, a little goes a long way. I prefer to use boneless chicken thighs as breast can dry out so easily. Serve with stir-fried vegetables and rice or noodles.
Ingredients
- For the glaze
- 1 tablespoon Marmite
- 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
- 4 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons runny honey
- To finish the dish
- 700g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm pieces
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
- 5 tablespoons cornflour
- Oil for deep-frying
Method
- Put all the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan and add 100ml water. Bring to the boil, stirring to mix in the stickier elements. Boil fairly vigorously for about 10-12 minutes until the liquid has reduced by 2/3 and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set aside.
- Put the chicken in a mixing bowl and stir in the garlic and soy sauce. Leave to marinate for about 30 minutes then stir in the egg whites. Put the cornflour in a wide, shallow dish and add the chicken. Try to coat the chicken evenly with the flour.
- Heat enough oil in a deep pan or wok to a depth of about 4-5cm. If you have a thermometer the temperature should be 170˚c. Fry the chicken pieces in small batches for 6-8 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven while you fry the remaining chicken.
- Just before you are ready to serve put the reduced Marmite glaze in a wok or sauté pan and heat gently. Add the chicken and toss well to coat the pieces in the sticky glaze. Serve straight away with stir-fried vegetables and rice.
