Ayam Percik-Style Chicken

The recipe is exciting enough for Tony’s love of chile and Asian flavors but easy to divide into mild and hot batches for an 8-year-old. Oven roasting replaces a more involved grill setup, and the coconut sauce does double duty as marinade and glaze. It is a satisfying dinner project that still leaves long stretches of hands-off cooking time.

• Lemongrass: Find fresh stalks at H Mart. Use only the tender lower portion after peeling tough outer layers. Substitute 1 tablespoon frozen minced lemongrass or the zest of 1/2 lime plus extra ginger, though the result will differ.
• Makrut lime leaves: Sold fresh or frozen at H Mart. They add a distinctive floral citrus aroma; omit if unavailable rather than using ordinary bay leaves.
• Sambal oelek: A straightforward chile paste available at H Mart, Walmart, or Safeway. Sriracha can substitute but adds more sweetness and garlic.
• Palm sugar: Sold at H Mart; light brown sugar is a completely reasonable substitute.
• Black tea for teh tarik: Malaysian Boh tea is ideal if available at H Mart, but a robust Assam or English breakfast tea works well.

1. Peel the tough outer leaves from the lemongrass and finely slice the tender lower 3–4 inches. Roughly chop the shallot, garlic, and ginger.
2. Blend the lemongrass, shallot, garlic, ginger, sambal, turmeric, coriander, sugar, fish sauce or soy sauce, juice of half the lime, 1/2 cup coconut milk, and optional makrut lime leaves into a loose paste. Add 1–2 tablespoons water if needed to blend.
3. Reserve 1/2 cup of this uncooked sauce in a saucepan before it touches raw chicken. Coat the chicken with the remaining sauce. Marinate 30 minutes in the refrigerator if time allows.
4. Rinse and cook the jasmine rice according to its package directions.
5. Thinly slice the cucumber and cut the remaining lime half into wedges.

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil and lightly oil it.
2. Arrange the chicken in a single layer, shaking off only the heaviest excess marinade. Roast for 18 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring the reserved sauce to a steady simmer over medium-low heat and cook for at least 5 minutes, stirring often, until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust with lime, sugar, or salt.
4. Turn the chicken, brush with cooked sauce, and roast for 10 minutes. Turn once more, brush generously, and roast 8–12 minutes longer, until browned and at least 165°F in the thickest part.
5. Broil for 1–3 minutes for charred edges, watching carefully because coconut and sugar scorch quickly.
6. Rest the chicken for 5 minutes. Warm any remaining cooked sauce and serve it at the table; discard any marinade that contacted raw chicken and was not thoroughly cooked.

Serve the glazed chicken over jasmine rice with sliced cucumber and lime wedges. For the child, use less sambal in a separately reserved portion of sauce and remove chicken from the bone before serving. Tony can add fresh chile, more sambal, or a squeeze of lime. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days; reheat chicken in the air fryer at 350°F and warm the extra coconut sauce separately.