Vietnamese Chicken Thighs

When I ran across this recipe idea, it immediately appealed to my taste buds as the ingredients are some of my favorites. They seemed similar to Thai flavors but yet with a slightly different twist. Not really knowing the difference between my favorite Thai seasonings and what would be found in Vietnamese flavors, this looked like a good recipe to experiment with!

This recipe is adapted from salu-salo recipes, the soy sauce has been replaced with coconut aminos to modify the recipe to Whole 30, and coconut sugar is substituted for the brown sugar. My first attempt also seemed a bit too “fish saucy” so that amount was reduced on the second taste test. And the result is . . . perfect. 😃

The bone-in, skin-on thighs work best for this recipe as it holds in the juices and crisps up in the oven. You don’t have to eat the skin if you are weary of that - the flavors are still tucked inside there!

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
1/4 cup coconut aminos (soy sauce alternative)
3 Tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup coconut sugar (brown sugar replacement)
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 tsp hot chili-garlic paste
Juice of 1 lime, approximately 1-2 Tbsp
Zest of 1 lime
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tbsp cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
For garnish - sliced limes and cilantro leaves

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients. Place the chicken thighs in a large ziploc bag and pour in the marinade. Place the bag in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or it can be all day if you want to prepare ahead in the morning and be ready for the evening time rush.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top of the foil. Lay the chicken, skin side up, on the rack. Bake until the thighs are cooked through, an internal temperature of 165 degrees, or about 35-45 minutes depending on the size of the thighs.

Garnish with lime slices and cilantro. And there you go, an impressive and healthy dinner - enjoy!