Recipe by Head Chef, Nick Stapleton – The Balfour Kitchen & Bar, Spicers Balfour Hotel, New Farm, Brisbane
Serves 8 entrée or 4 mains
Poached chicken
1kg chicken breasts, skin removed
25g garlic, crushed
25g ginger, sliced
3 kaffir lime leaves
1 stalk lemongrass, crushed
35ml Megachef fish sauce
50g palm sugar, blonde
2 long red chilli, sliced
20g coriander root
10g cassia bark
650ml coconut cream
Preheat oven to 160C. Place the chicken breasts (with the tender loin to the base) into a baking dish ensuring they maintain their plump shape. Add the remaining ingredients to the baking dish. Cover with baking paper and foil. Bake for approx 45min until cooked. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the liquid. The liquid is to be reserved as the coconut dressing.
Salad with crispy noodles
100g bean sprouts
1 punnet red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
90g crispy rice noodles
2 green shallots, finely sliced
Ÿ bunch mint, plucked
Ÿ bunch Vietnamese mint, plucked
Ÿ bunch dill, tough stems trimmed
1 bunch watercress, tough stems trimmed
35ml extra virgin olive oil
Place all vegetables and herbs in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and gently toss.
Coconut dressing
Drain the liquid from the chicken and reserve. Pass the liquid through a fine sieve and pour into a serving jug. Discard waste.
Garnish
10g crispy rice noodles
1 chilli, finely sliced, to taste
To serve
Slice the chicken breasts across the grain. Place slices of chicken onto the base of a bowl then top with salad. Drizzle with coconut dressing. Garnish with crispy