The temple complex at Angkor Wat is one of the archeological wonders of the world. It's not, however, the most interesting site in Siem Reap, Cambodia. That honor goes to the less-visited Bayon temple, built at the end of the twelfth century A.D. by the Buddhist king, Jayavarman VII. On its stone walls an amazing series of bas-reliefs tell the story of the victory of the Khmers over the Thais. The obligatory heroic and horrific battle scenes are portrayed, but what caught my eye are the pictures of the army supply trains, encampments, field kitchens, and yes, some of the earliest depictions of Asian barbecue. Specifically, you'll see chicken and other meats skewered on split sticks and grilled over pyramid-shaped fires. Fast forward nine hundred years to the parking lot of Angkor Wat where you'll find chicken grilled on split wooden sticks over an open fire, exactly as it was done during the height of the Khmer empire. This recipe may look complicated, but it's really just a series of simple steps.
Ingredients
Serves 2 to 4
For the Chicken and Marinade
For the Glaze
For the Dipping Sauce
You'll Also Need
Advance Preparation
Step 1
1. Prepare the chicken and marinade: Remove and discard the fat just inside the neck and body cavities of the chicken. Remove the package of giblets and set it aside for another use. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot it dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Spatchcock the chicken. Make 2 deep slashes to the bone in both sides of the chicken breast and in each leg and thigh. Trim or fold the wing tips back behind the wings. Place the bird in a nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold it.
Step 2
2. Place the garlic halves, sugar, and salt in a heavy mortar and pound to a paste with a pestle. Work in the soy sauce and fish sauce. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, combine the garlic, sugar, and salt in a small food processor and puree to a paste, then work in the soy sauce and fish sauce. Spoon the marinade over the chicken, forcing it into the slits and turning the bird to coat it well on both sides. Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 1 hour to 4 hours; the longer it marinates, the richer the flavor will be.
Step 3
3. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the crushed clove of garlic and cook until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to a small heatproof bowl. Add the annatto seeds to the saucepan with the oil and cook until fragrant and browned and the oil turns orange, about 2 minutes. If you are using paprika instead of annatto seeds, cook it for only 15 seconds. Strain the oil through a fine-mesh wire strainer into the bowl with the garlic. Set the glaze aside.
Step 4
4. Prepare the dipping sauce: Place 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, if using, in 2 small attractive bowls. Have the limes ready; you'll add the lime juice at the last minute. (See Note.)
Step 5
5. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat it to medium. Leave one section of the grill bare for a safety zone.
Step 6
6. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Drain the chicken and discard the marinade and arrange it on the hot grate or in an oiled grill basket, if using, skin side down. Grill the chicken until it is golden brown and cooked through, 12 to 20 minutes per side. Move the chicken as needed to dodge any flare-ups. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness, inserting it into the thickest part of a thigh but not so that it touches a bone. The internal temperature should be about 170°F. Alternatively, you can make a cut in the chicken meat where the thigh connects to the body; there should be no traces of red at the bone. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, start brushing the chicken on both sides with the glaze.
Step 7
7. To serve, transfer the chicken, skin side up, to a platter. Let it rest for about 2 minutes, then cut it into pieces with a cleaver. Add 2 tablespoons of lime juice to each bowl with the salt, pepper, and sugar for the dipping sauce and stir it with a fork or chopsticks until the salt and sugar dissolves. To eat, dip the pieces of chicken in the salted lime juice.
Variation
Step 8
高棉鸡烤使用间接法:You can also grill the chicken using the indirect method, a process that, although not traditionally Khmer, has the advantage of eliminating all risk of flare-ups. Set up the grill for indirect grilling, place a drip pan in the center, and preheat the grill to medium. Place the marinated chicken skin side up in the center of the grate over the drip pan and away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until browned and cooked through, 40 minutes to 1 hour. Start brushing the chicken with the glaze during the last 15 minutes of cooking and baste it again every 5 minutes.
If you are serving 4 people, double the dipping sauce ingredients and divide them among 4 bowls.
How would you rate Cambodian Grilled Chicken (_Mann Oeng K'tem Sor, Marech_)?
Leave a Review
Reviews (13)
Back to TopNope, nothing like Cambodian grilled chicken. You’ve gotta at least have a slither of Cambodian ingredients and herbs. Where the lemongrass at least.
Anonymous
9/29/2021
Not that great. Pretty bland, actually.
TastyMcNoms
6/30/2014
Fantastic Marinade. I used quality Fish Sauce & Fragrant Garlic (not the normal garlic cloves). There's a smoother depth and bolder body to Fragrant Garlic IMO. Also added Thai Sweet Chili sauce on half the chicken during the last 5 mins of grilling. Didn't need ANY other dipping sauce since the chicken was already juicy and tender enough. Great and simple recipe!!
Anonymous
Singapore
1/14/2012
This had a good grilled chicken taste, but I expected a bit more unique/pronounced flavours from the ingredients in the marinade. We used bone-in, skin-on thighs, as opposed to the whole chicken. I halved the sugar, as I previously had an unfortunate outcome with a fish sauce/sugar combo recipe before, and the flavour was just fine. I wasn't planning on making the dipping sauce, so I added some lime zest to the marinade. Overall, pretty good.
Rainy_Day
Seattle
11/15/2010
very tasty I rate it at 4 forks. I used the indirect method and threw some rosemary I had on the pan to add a rosemary smoke flavour to the chicken, to good effect. The dipping sauce overpowers the taste of the glaze and marinade so just tell your guests to try it with and without the dipping sauce.
tnt3000
vancouver, gateway to asia
9/12/2010
I thought this was delicious, and tasted exactly as I remember the chicken I ate from roadstand stalls in parts of Asia. The sauce, however, was far too salty for me and had to be thrown out. I like a sweeter dipping sauce.
phoebe16
Toronto, Ontario
7/28/2010
This was very good. My kids even had seconds, which doesn't happen that often with new recipes. I agree with the previous reviewer to double the marinade. I thought the chicken could have been a little more flavorful. I just have the butcher butterfly and cut the back out for me. Question for those who have made this: I don't think I'm fully understanding the instructions about the slits in the sides of the breasts and thighs, where you're supposed to shove some marinade. Where on the chicken exactly is this supposed to happen? I made the slits on the side of the breast, below where the wings connect, then on the far outside of the thighs. Any advice?
Anonymous
Bay Area, CA
6/15/2010
It looks harder than it is to make. We just cut the chicken in half, doubled the marinade and grilled away. Great way to make chicken. We will definitely be making this again. Oh and the dipping sauce is a must, it brings out the best in the chicken.
k_nolde
Pensacola, FL
6/12/2010
oops...sorry...here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KElDUEKDx2A
treynolds
6/11/2010
Here's a good video showing how easy it is to Spatchcock a chicken. takes a few seconds. no biggie.
treynolds
6/11/2010
Thank you, ratdogmom!
lltte
6/11/2010
Spatchocking is to cut out the backbone of the chicken and then flatten it out so that the breast is centre and the two legs on either side of the flattened bird. If you look up brick chicken on the internet you'll find instructions with pictures.
ratdogmom
Ontario, Canada
6/10/2010
"Spatchcock" the chicken? Please explain to us many expatriates who don't know this new word; thanks, as always, to Steven Raichlen for writing a recipe that makes my mouth water.
lltte
6/10/2010
