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Butterflied nam jim chicken

Butterflied nam jim chicken

Dairy free
Egg free
Lactose free
Gluten free
Sesame free
Soy free
Wheat free
Shellfish free
High in dietary fibre
High in protein

Nam jim is a flavour-packed, herbaceous sauce from Thailand. Its spicy freshness makes it a great accompaniment for BBQ butterflied chicken.

Serves6
Cook time2 hour
Prep time10 minutes

Ingredients

2.3kg Coles RSPCA Approved Extra Large Whole Chicken
Steamed rice, to serve
Coriander leaves, to serve
Mint leaves, to serve
Lime wedges, to serve

Nam jim

5 garlic cloves, peeled
4 long green chillies, coarsely chopped
4 long red chillies, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup chopped coriander (including leaves, stems and roots)
2/3 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup (60ml) fish sauce
1/4 cup (55g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) lime juice
2 tbs peanut oil

Nutritional information

Per Serve: Energy: 2454kJ/587 Cals (28%), Protein: 47g (94%), Fat: 39g (56%), Sat fat: 11g (4%), Carb: 11g (4%), Sugar: 11g (12%), Fibre: 5g (17%), Sodium: 1140mg (50%).

Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.

Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.

Method

Step 1
To make the nam jim, process the garlic, combined chilli, coriander, mint, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and oil in a food processor until smooth.
Step 2
Use kitchen scissors to cut along either side of the chicken backbone. Discard backbone. Place chicken, breast-side up, on a chopping board and press down firmly to flatten. Place chicken and half the nam jim in a large bowl. Toss to coat.
Step 3
Preheat covered barbecue on high. (Alternatively, preheat oven to 230°C.) Place chicken in a large disposable tray. Place chicken in barbecue or oven and reduce heat to medium or 200°C. Roast in covered barbecue using indirect heat, or in oven, basting with juices every 30 mins, for 2 hours or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer. Serve with rice, coriander, mint, lime wedges and remaining nam jim.

Recipe tip

COOK. STORE. SAVE.
Use it up: Leftover bones and offcuts from the butterflied chicken can be used to make homemade chicken stock. You’ll also have leftover coriander and mint. Use them up in these recipes from the garden.

Discover the best-ever nam jim sauce at home

It’s true what they say: nothing beats homemade, which is why we’re giving you the only nam jim sauce recipe you’ll ever need. This popular Thai sauce adds a tangy, spicy fresh flavour to a whole chicken cooked low and slow on the BBQ. Read on for all the hints and tips to whip up this tasty BBQ main.

What is nam jim sauce?

A nam jim sauce is a classic Thai dipping sauce. You’ll find numerous variations on the recipe throughout Thailand (and numerous spellings), but the common denominator is the perfectly balanced combo of salty, spicy, sweet and sour. The beautiful green nam jim colour comes from the green chillies and all those beautiful herbs. It’s tangy and sweet and hot all at the same time, and has the ability to elevate a simple BBQ chicken into something spectacular.

How to make nam jim sauce

A food processor is your best friend when making nam jim sauce because it will quickly blitz all your nam jim sauce ingredients into a paste. Don’t have a food processor? No problem! Simply put all the ingredients in a mortar and pestle and pound away. Just a note on the chillies here – there are quite a few in this recipe. To get that perfect balance of flavours, we haven’t deseeded ours, but if you prefer milder heat, feel free to remove the chilli seeds. (Make sure you don’t touch your face – especially your eyes – after handling chillies – that will literally end in tears!)

How to butterfly a whole chicken

This recipe calls for a whole butterflied chicken. You can buy chicken already butterflied, but these will generally have a marinade on them and we want to make our own. So, here’s how it’s done: Place the chicken breast-side down on a clean work surface and cut along either side of the back bone. Kitchen scissors are really the best tool for the job, but you can also use your sharpest knife. Now flip the chicken over so it’s breast-side up, and press down firmly with the heel of your hand. This flattens the chicken, ready for the barbie. Not sure why you have to butterfly the chicken? Flattening it out helps the chicken cook evenly and quickly. It also gives you more surface area for the nam jim dressing. Make sure your chicken is well coated in half the sauce.

Cooking the nam jim chicken

Here’s where you let your BBQ do all the work. Set it up for indirect cooking and preheat the barbie on high. This just means lighting the burner on one side of the BBQ but placing the food on the opposite side over the burners that are off. Place the marinated chicken in a disposable foil tray (trust us, this makes clean-up so much easier), turn the heat down to medium and cook the chicken, with the lid closed, for 2 hours. Now this is important – remember to baste the butterflied chicken with the juices in the tray every 30 minutes. This keeps the meat moist and adds layers of flavour.

Love this recipe?

Want to try more spicy Thai-inspired recipes? Start with this Thai beef and zoodle salad, then for another BBQ show stopper have a go at this Thai-style BBQ chicken, which is cooked on a beer can. For more ideas and inspiration, check out our collection of Thai recipes.