Thai Tom Yum Chicken

Out of this world tom yum chicken

Darlene Schmidt

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 80 mins
Servings: 2 to 4 servings

The flavors in Thai Tom Yum chicken are so incredible, this dish will fast become one of your dinner favorites. Although you can also buy a premade Tom Yum paste in stores, a homemade paste is infinitely superior because all the herbs and spices are fresh, not packaged or preserved. It sounds complicated, but it isn't. Just blitz together all the paste ingredients in a mini chopper or food processor (or simply mince and stir together), then slather over chicken and bake. EASY and fantastic! For best results, use whole chicken drumsticks with the skin still on.

Ingredients

  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds skin-on chicken drumsticks

  • 1 to 2 shallots, thinly sliced, or 1/4 cup minced purple onion

  • 1/4 cup minced lemongrass, fresh or frozen

  • 5 cloves garlic

  • 1 (2-inch) piece fresh galangal, or ginger, thinly sliced

  • 1 to 2 thinly sliced fresh red chiles, or 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed chile, more to taste

  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon shrimp paste, or 1 additional tablespoon fish sauce

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, including stems

  • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

  • 3 tablespoons coconut milk, or dairy cream

Steps to Make It

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

  2. Set chicken pieces in a flat baking dish, such as you would use for lasagna. Be sure to leave the skin on—most of the excess fat will run off into the pan, while what is left will help flavor the dish.

  3. Place remaining ingredients together in a mini food chopper or food processor.

  4. Blitz well to create a fragrant Thai tom yum sauce. Note that you can also use a pestle and mortar to create a paste, then stir in the liquid ingredients at the end. Or simply mince all ingredients finely and stir together.

  5. Taste-test the sauce for salt and spice, adding more fish sauce if you'd like it saltier or more chile if you'd like your chicken spicier.

  6. Pour sauce over chicken, turning the pieces into the sauce.

  7. Set in refrigerator to marinate 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours); meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F.

  8. Bake (uncovered) for 1 hour. Part way through baking, remove from oven and turn the chicken pieces in the sauce, or scoop up some of the sauce and drizzle over the chicken. If your baking dish is becoming dry, add a little water (hot water if using a glass baking dish).

  9. Return to oven until chicken is golden-brown and glistening.

  10. Serve with rice.

Glass Bakeware Warning

For premade casseroles or leftovers that are in a glass baking dish and have been refrigerated, do not place directly into a hot oven as the glass can shatter. Instead, place any cold glass bakeware into a cold oven to warm up while it preheats. Or, allow the bakeware to rest outside of the fridge for 30 minutes to reach room temperature while the oven preheats.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
431 Calories
21g Fat
16g Carbs
44g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 431
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g 27%
Saturated Fat 7g 33%
Cholesterol 216mg 72%
Sodium 1456mg 63%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 6%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 44g
Vitamin C 26mg 128%
Calcium 64mg 5%
Iron 4mg 19%
Potassium 794mg 17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)