Ping Gai Chicken - Laotian "Grilled Chicken Chicken"

I’ve wanted to film a skewered version of our chicken teriyaki recipe for a while, but it was actually a karaage I recently enjoyed that pushed me into action. Michele and I were at Ramen Gaijin in Sebastopol, where they serve an amazing chicken karaage that comes with a miso ranch dipping sauce. The cool, tangy sauce is just perfect with the fried nuggets of chicken, and I assumed (correctly so, as it turns out) that it would be just as effective with these skewers.

None of the ingredients below are very hard to find, and any large grocery store should have Sake, and Mirin, as well as probably several kinds of miso. I used a “white miso,” which is actually gold in color, but apparently the “white” refers to the rice content, which is the other main ingredient besides soybeans. Feel free to make the dressing without it, but its fermented savoriness is such a great addition, I’d at least make some effort to track it down.

As far as the chicken goes, there’s not a lot that can go wrong, but I’d caution against an extra long marination. Especially if you’re skewering small chunks like we did here. The meat will “cure” in the sweet, salty mixture, which can make for an odd texture once cooked, as well as the meat is more likely to start falling apart. Personally, I think about four hours is ideal, which is perfect, since you can marinade in the morning, and then grill in the afternoon. Regardless of these variables, I really do hope you give both these incredible recipes a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients to make about 12 small skewers:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3 or 4 chunks each

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sake

1/3 cup mirin (Japanese sweet wine)

2 tablespoons finely minced green onions

2 teaspoons finely grated ginger

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the Miso Ranch:

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup sour cream or crème fraiche

1 generous tablespoon white miso paste, or to taste

1 tablespoon minced green onion

1 clove crushed garlic

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste

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