Tags: Asian - chicken - dinner - GF - GF Asian - GF chicken - GF dinner
Active Time: 45 minutes
Passive Time: 2 hours
Serves: 4-6

An incredibly savory Filipino dish that showcases the chicken thighs in a way that honors the strengths of the cut. With a wonderfully bright coconut sauce as its supporting cast, it's sure to impress.

Milk Street

• Unseasoned rice vinegar: 1.5 cups
• Low sodium soy sauce: 3/4 cup
• Garlic: 6 cloves, smashed
• Bird's eye chili: 6, halved lengthwise
• Bay leaves: 4
• Black peppercorns: 1 tbsp (whole)
  
  
• Chicken thighs: 8 bone-in, skin-on (about 3 - 3.5 lbs)
  
  
• Unsweetened coconut milk: 1 cup
  
  
• Cilantro: 1/3 cup, chopped

• Don't use regular soy sauce - it must be low sodium or the sauce will end up too salty
• Serve with white rice, which can be used with leftover sauce
• Can substitute other small chilies for the bird's eye ones

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, chilies, bay leaves, and peppercorns
2. Add chicken thighs, submerging them. Cover and refrigerate for 30 - 60 minutes
3. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium-low and cook, turning the thighs occasionally, until the chicken registers 170F, about 25 - 30 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a medium simmer
4. Heat the broiler with an oven rack 6 inches from the element. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and arrange skin side up on the baking sheet. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside
5. Strain the cooking liquid, discarding the solids, then skim off the fat. Return 1 cup of the defatted liquid to the pot, stir in the coconut milk, and bring to a simmer over medium heat
6. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the cilantro, then cover and set aside
7. Broil the chicken until the skin is deeply browned and blackened in spots, 3 - 8 minutes (watch carefully). Serve in shallow bowls with steamed white rice, ladling the broth over the rice