Crunchy Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Marinade

Place the garlic in a blender or pestle and mortar along with the shallot, ginger and maple syrup, then work to a paste.

Transfer to a small bowl and whisk in the soy sauce, Thai fish sauce, five spice powder and several grinds of pepper.

Arrange the chicken thighs in a shallow, non-metallic dish and pour over the marinade, turning until well coated.

Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight is best.

Bring back to room temperature before cooking and wipe off any excess marinade with kitchen paper. Reserve any remaining marinade.

To cook the Vietnamese Chicken Salad:

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Pour in the rapeseed oil, then add the chicken thighs, skin side down.

Cook for 20–30 minutes, until the skin is golden and crispy. Don’t be tempted to touch them while they are cooking or shake the pan occasionally – just leave them alone and you will produce the most fantastic crisp skin and succulent flesh. If you think that they are starting to catch and burn a little around the edges, add a couple tablespoons of the reserved marinade.

When you can see that they are nicely browned and that the flesh is almost but not quite cooked through, turn them over and cook for another 5–6 minutes, until completely cooked through and tender. Remove from the heat and leave to rest in a warm place for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl or jug mix the dressing ingredients together.

In a large bowl, throw in the lettuce leave, chopped tomatoes, diced pepper and sliced carrots and toss together with a little splash of the dressing.

Slice the chicken and serve warm on a bed of your freshly prepared salad.