Malay-Style Grilled Turmeric Chicken Breasts (燒烤馬來黃薑雞胸肉, Siu1 Haau1 Maa5 Loi4 Wong4 Goeng1 Gai1 Hung1 Juk6)

This recipe was updated on 04 Nov 2015. The Chinese name was added, some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

 

Grilling chicken outside in the barbeque is one of my favorite methods to cook chicken. Adding a smoking wood to the grill, such as hickory, mesquite, pecan, or whatever your favorite wood is, further enhances the flavor of the chicken. This recipe was adapted from the Turmeric Fried (Grilled) Chicken recipe from the Best Recipes, Foods, and Travel blog, which no longer exists. This is not an authentic Malay recipe since a wet marinade is used before the chicken is grilled or smoked.

 

Enjoy!

Ingredients

 

6	6	Chicken breast pieces (雞胸肉, gai1 hung1 juk6)
1 in.	2.5 cm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
6 cloves	6 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Ground turmeric (黃薑, wong4 goeng1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Ground cumin (孜然, zi1 jin4)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Ground fennel (茴, zi1 jin4)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Brown sugar (紅糖, hung4 tong4)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Coleman’s brand Mustard Powder (芥末粉, gaai3 mut6 fan2) or equivalent, or hot mustard powder
½ cup	125 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
½ cup	125 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1-2	1-2	Limes (青檸, ceng1 ning4), cut into wedges for garnish (optional)

 

Equipment

 

		Garlic press
4 qt.	3.8 L.	Covered bowl
		Spice or coffee grinder
		Tongs and an oil coated paper towel
22.5 in.	57 cm.	Covered charcoal or gas grill (or larger)

 

Coleman’s Brand Mustard Powder
(芥末粉, gaai3 mut6 fan2)

Instructions

1. If using whole cumin and/or fennel seeds, toast the seeds in a dry pan using medium heat until fragrant. Allow the seeds to cool before using a coffee or spice grinder to turn the seeds into a powder.
2. Prepare the chicken breast meat by removing any excess fat and remaining yellow skin. Ideally all the yellow skin was removed during the vendor’s chicken cleaning process, but some always remains and will prevent the marinade from penetrating the skin. Use your fingers and rub any remaining yellow skin from the chicken under cold running water.
3. Marinate the chicken in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, turmeric, cumin, fennel, brown sugar, Coleman’s brand Mustard Powder or equivalent (or hot mustard powder), soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the chicken overnight, take it out 

   

   Chicken Marinade

   of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
4. Prepare the charcoal or gas grill for indirect cooking following the manufacturer’s instructions. Light the charcoal or preheat the gas grill accordingly. Soak the smoking wood (oak or pecan goes well with this dish) for one hour if desired. I use dry and not soaked wood.
5. If using a charcoal grill, arrange the lighted coals on one half of the grill. The side of the grill with the coals (the “hot” side) will later be used to grill the chicken and the side without the coals (the “cool” side) will be used for smoking the chicken. For a gas grill, follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to which burners to leave on for indirect cooking. Clean the grill to remove any leftover charred bits from the last use and with a folded paper towel coated in oil, use tongs to lubricate the grill. Put the smoking wood onto the coals or as per the instructions for the gas grill.
6. Place the chicken, skin side up, on the cool side of the grill and cook the breasts for 25 minutes covered. Uncover the grill and turn the chicken over to brown the skin on the hot side of the grill for another 5-6 minutes. Turn the chicken over again and brown the other side for another 5-6 minutes. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before optionally serving with lime wedges. The temperature of your fire and previous experience with your grill will determine the total cooking time for the chicken.