Vietnamese roast chicken

Serves 4

4 chicken leg quaters (thighs & drumsticks attached)

4 stalks spring onions,  white part minced (reserve green parts for sauce)

2-3 large clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoon five spice powder

6 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon tsao tsing wine

2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon finely ground pepper

For basting:

3 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoon vinegar

(Reserve the chicken marinade for this)

Dipping sauce No.1:

Soy sauce (I like the Vietnamese one type as it's got a lot of different notes, but you can use normal soy)

Finely chopped garlic (use however much you like. I used about 2-3 cloves)

Sliced red chilies (use as much as you like as well. I liked mine spicy so I used 5 chili padi)

Dipping sauce No.2:

Spring onion (green parts)

1/2 a knob of ginger, finely grated

Sugar

Salt

4-5 teaspoons vegetable oil

1. Wash and pat dry the chicken and poke it in several places with a sharp paring knife. This helps the marinade to get into the meat.

2. In a ziplock bag, combine the white part of minced spring onions, garlic, five-spice powder, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and stir well. 

3. Dump the chicken into the bag and shake well to distribute the marinade. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour or over night. 

4. Preheat oven to 180°C. 

5. Remove the chicken from the bag and reserve the marinade. Place chicken, skin side facing down, on a baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes.

6. While it's in the oven, pour the reserved marinade into a saucepan and turn the heat to high. Reduce till it's syrupy and sticky. Turn off the heat.

7. Mix the reduction with honey and vinegar.

8. After baking chicken for 20 minutes, turn it over and brush the honey vinegar mixture all over the skin. Bake for another 20 minutes. 

10. While it's roasting again, make Dipping sauce No.1.

11. Make Dipping Sauce No.2 by placing the green parts of the chopped spring onions and grated ginger in a small bowl, add a large pinch of salt and a large pinch of sugar, vegetable oil, and microwave for 10-20 seconds.

12. Remove the chicken and baste the chicken with the rest of the baste (if any), and change the setting to grill on super high. Grill till the skin is slightly charred - watch it very carefully as it will brown very quickly.

13. Remove the chicken and allow it to rest for a few minutes. Pour the juices (if any) into a serving bowl as a dipping sauce.

14. Serve with steamed rice and three dipping sauces - chicken juices, spring onion and ginger oil, chili garlic soy.

15. Slice some cucumber and tomatoes as a side. 

* This was adapted from Helen's Recipes on YouTube and her website. I love Vietnamese food and her recipes are the easiest to follow! Tastes amazing too!