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Pandan chicken pieces wrapped in pandan leaves on a white plate.
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Thai Pandan Chicken

Pandan chicken is the number one entree we order at Thai restaurants. It's easier than you might think to make these juicy chicken bites at home. Wrapped in pandan leaves and deep fried, they're crispy, golden and delicious!
Course Appetiser, Dinner
Cuisine Thai
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinating Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 15 pieces
Calories 96kcal
Cost $15

Ingredients

Pandan Chicken

Dipping Sauce for Pandan Chicken

Instructions

For the marinade

  • In a large bowl, mix together the chicken pieces with the coriander root, shallot, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, corn flour, sesame oil, white pepper powder, sugar and salt. Once combined, pop in the fridge to marinate for two hours.
    500 g chicken thighs, 2 tbsp coriander root, 1 shallot, 2 tbsp garlic, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp white pepper, pinch sugar, pinch salt

Wrapping the pandan chicken

  • Take a pandan leaf with the base toward your left hand side. Cross them over in the middle to make a pouch for the chicken. The base of the leaf should now be on top, and pointing to the right.
    Pandan leaves
  • Fold the left leaf down and over the front. Then flip it over to the backside. Take the tip of the leaf and weave it through the back of the pandan chicken pocket. Pull on both the base and top leaf strands to tighten the chicken pocket.
  • Cut off any excess on the leaves, leaving a couple of inches. Watch our video for a step-by-step guide on how to do this.

Cooking the pandan chicken

  • In a wok or deep fryer, heat up enough vegetable oil to fry the chicken (around 3 cups). Once hot, fry the chicken for around 4-6 minutes. Rotate occasionally, watching for the chicken to turn a nice golden brown. If you're doing a large amount of chicken, cook them in batches to keep the heat up in the oil.
    Vegetable oil
  • Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a plate layered with paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

For the sweet soy dipping sauce

  • In a small saucepan, pop in the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and water. Stir over a low to medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
    2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp water
  • Pour sauce into a small serving dish and garnish with white sesame seeds.
    ½ tsp white sesame seeds

Notes

  • Pandan Leaves: Frozen or fresh is fine. If you can’t track them down, you can use banana leaf to wrap the chicken and place in 1/2 tsp of pandan flavouring to the chicken marinade instead. You can wrap the pandan a simpler way, by just folding it around the chicken piece a couple of times and popping a tooth pick straight through the middle to hold it all together. Don't eat the pandan leaves, discard these once you've eaten the chicken. When using frozen leaves, thaw them at room temperature then rinse them under cold water and dry well before using.
  • Coriander Root: You can also a mix of coriander stems and leaves as a substitute, or 1/2 tbsp of coriander powder.
  • Fish Sauce: Substitute with soy sauce if you can’t get hold of it.
  • Use your oven instead: If you want to avoid deep frying, lay the pandan chicken pieces out on a pan and cook for around 45 minutes at 180°C / 360°F or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through the middle.
  • Make sure the oil is nice an hot before popping in the chicken. Use a wooden skewer or chopstick – if it bubbles around the base, it’s ready!
  • Try not to crowd the pan when frying. Cook the chicken in batches if you have to. This keeps the heat more even as it cooks the chicken.
  • To Save Time -
  • Easier Pandan Parcels - You can wrap the pandan a simpler way, by just folding it around the chicken piece a couple of times and popping a tooth pick straight through the middle to hold it all together.
  • Protein - Substitute the chicken with pork, or do a combination of both if you want to impress when entertaining.
  • Dipping Sauces - Swap the dipping sauce for sweet chilli sauce for a quick and easy alternative.
  • Air Fry Instead of Deep Frying - You can cook pandan chicken in the air fryer using a similar method to popcorn chicken! Preheat the air fryer 180°C / 360˚F. Brush the pandan chicken with oil, the place in the air fryer basket (avoid overcrowding, make sure there's plenty of space between each piece). Cook for around 6 minutes per side, until fully cooked.
  • arinate the chicken the day before for extra flavour, or if you’re really strapped, pop it in the fridge for only 30 minutes instead.
  • Easier Pandan Parcels - You can wrap the pandan a simpler way, by just folding it around the chicken piece a couple of times and popping a tooth pick straight through the middle to hold it all together.
  • Protein - Substitute the chicken with pork, or do a combination of both if you want to impress when entertaining.
  • Dipping Sauces - Swap the dipping sauce for sweet chilli sauce for a quick and easy alternative.
  • Air Fry Instead of Deep Frying - You can cook pandan chicken in the air fryer using a similar method to popcorn chicken! Preheat the air fryer 180°C / 360˚F. Brush the pandan chicken with oil, the place in the air fryer basket (avoid overcrowding, make sure there's plenty of space between each piece). Cook for around 6 minutes per side, until fully cooked.

Nutrition

Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 476mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg