Five Spice Chicken with Garlic Noodles

The most exciting part about cooking for me is being able to experiment and come up with new recipes on my own. In addition to being inventive with food, I also really enjoy going to my favorite restaurants and trying to re-create them in my own kitchen.

Now, it's important to note that my intention is not to copycat in order to beat the original dish. The pleasure I get from doing this is to test myself. Am I able to use just my tastebuds to detect/assume what ingredients are used to put together that dish? Sometimes I am completely off, while other times I'm able to closely nail the flavors. Even if it's not exact, at least I taught myself a new dish to make at home!

Perilla is one of my favorite lunch spots in San Francisco. Below is my rendition of their Five Spice Chicken and Garlic Noodles

Five Spice Chicken with Garlic Noodles

Prep Time: 40 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Servings: 2

Five Spice Chicken Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of chicken thighs (skin on)

• 1/4 cup fish sauce

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp sugar

• ~1 tbsp five spice seasoning*

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Optional: Vietnamese dipping fish sauce (store-bought or homemade)

Garlic Noodles Ingredients

• ~8 oz spaghetti noodles

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 5 garlic cloves (minced)

• 1 tbsp fish sauce

• 1 tsp oyster sauce

• 1.5 tbsp parmesan cheese (grated)

• 1/4 tsp salt

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Five Spice Chicken Prep:

• In a small bowl, mix together fish sauce, lemon juice, and sugar. Place chicken in a re-sealable plastic bag. Pour mixture in the plastic bag, fully seal, and place bag in a bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Garlic Noodles Directions:

• While chicken is marinating, you can start on the garlic noodles.

• Boil a large pot of water over high heat. Once water is boiling, add spaghetti noodles. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, while stirring occasionally. When noodles are soft and to your preferred texture, drain the water.

• In the same or new pan, add unsalted butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant and transparent. Then add back spaghetti noodles, fish sauce, oyster sauce, parmesan cheese, and salt. Evenly mix all ingredients together, and turn off the stove. Transfer noodles to serving plates and keep warm.

Five Spice Chicken Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

• Remove chicken from the plastic bags and transfer to a plate. Season chicken with the five spice (front and back).

• In a medium frying or cast iron pan, heat up olive oil on medium high heat. Place chicken in the pan with skin facing down. Let sit for about 3-4 minutes until skin is crisp (but not burnt). Flip the chicken, and let sit for another 3-4 minutes. Turn off stove.

• Transfer cast iron pan with chicken into the oven. If you were using a frying pan, be sure to transfer the chicken to a baking pan). Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until chicken reaches 160 degrees F.

• Note: ​If chicken thighs are bone-in, it may take up to 15 minutes or longer.

• Cut chicken thighs into small slices (removing the bones, if any). Transfer to serving plates with garlic noodles.

• Optional: Serve with Vietnamese dipping fish sauce. (Example recipe).

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*While you can find five spice seasoning at some grocery stores, you can also make this at home if you have a mortar and pestle!

Five Spice Seasoning

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp ground cloves

• 1 tsp peppercorn

• 1 tsp fennel seeds

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon or 2 sticks of cinnamon

• 3 pods of star anise

Directions:

• Place all ingredients in the mortar.

• Use the pestle to grind all ingredients until they become fine/powder.