30‑Minute Thai Roast Chicken Rice
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is my weeknight love letter to chicken rice. I’ve taken the beloved chicken rice of Asia, comforting, nostalgic, full of soul, and merged it with a western-style high-heat roast chicken technique. The result? Crispy golden skin, juicy chicken, fluffy garlicky rice, and a spicy, funky Thai sauce. All in 30 minutes, with maximum payoff and minimal fuss.
What is Thai Roast Chicken Rice?
It’s a Thai-inspired twist on Southeast Asia’s iconic chicken rice dishes. While traditionally made with poached or steamed chicken, this version uses oven-roasted chicken for crispy skin and a faster cook time but still delivers that same comforting depth and soul.
What’s the deal with high-heat roasting?
Roasting at 250°C gives you a beautifully golden, crispy skin in under 20 minutes. It’s quick, fuss-free, and ideal when you’re craving comfort but short on time.
Special Ingredient Notes
Thai soybean paste (tao jiew) is a thick, salty-savoury fermented bean paste that’s packed with umami. It’s essential in the sauce, delivering the funk, the depth, the Thai-ness. You can find it in most Asian grocery stores, usually near the soy sauces or miso pastes.
What You Need
Chicken thighs
Garlic
Ginger
Jasmine rice
Chicken stock
Coriander root
Thai soybean paste
Soy sauce
Vinegar
Kecap manis
Bird’s eye chillies
Cucumber
Sesame oil
Steps
Preheat oven to 250°C. While your oven is preheating, heat the oil in
a saucepan
over medium heat. Sauté garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add the rinsed rice and stir to coat each grain. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 12-14 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest with the lid on for 10 minutes.
Pat the chicken dry and rub with salt and oil. Place on a lined
baking tray
or rack, skin-side up. Roast for 18-20 minutes, or until the skin is golden and crisp, and the chicken is cooked through.
To make the sauce, use
a mortar and pestle
to pound the coriander roots, garlic, ginger and salt to a rough paste. Stir in the Thai soybean paste, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, dark sweet soy sauce, chopped chillies and coriander stems. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Use a fork to gently fluff the rice, then divide among serving
plates
. Slice the chicken and serve over the rice. Add cucumber and coriander, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve with the sauce on the side.
A Quick Note on Chicken Rice Across Asia
Chicken rice is one of those iconic dishes that feels familiar no matter where you are in Southeast Asia. In Singapore, it’s all about silky poached chicken and fragrant pandan rice. In Malaysia, it might come with spicy sambal and a richer soy-based sauce. Thailand has its own versions, including khao man gai, often served with a fiery fermented bean and chilli sauce. This version blends the concept with roasted textures and that unmistakable Thai flair.
30‑Minute Thai Roast Chicken Rice
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PREP TIME
10 minutes
COOK TIME
20 minutes
SERVES
4
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Ingredients
4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs
1 tsp sea salt
1½ tbsp vegetable oil
Cucumber slices, to serve
Sesame oil, to serve
Coriander leaves, to serve
For the rice:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp grated ginger
2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
2½ cups
chicken stock
Marion’s special chicken sauce:
2 coriander (cilantro) roots, scraped clean
1 garlic clove
2cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
½ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp Thai soybean paste (tao jiew)
½ tsp sugar
½ tbsp Thai soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegar (white or rice)
1 tsp dark sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
2–3 bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander stems
Storage Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat chicken and rice together in the microwave or oven. Keep the sauce and cucumber separate until serving.
Instructions
1
Cook the Rice Base
Preheat oven to 250°C. While your oven is preheating, heat the oil in
a saucepan
over medium heat. Sauté garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
2
Simmer the Rice
Add the rinsed rice and stir to coat each grain. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 12-14 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest with the lid on for 10 minutes.
3
Roast the Chicken
Pat the chicken dry and rub with salt and oil. Place on a lined
baking tray
or rack, skin-side up. Roast for 18-20 minutes, or until the skin is golden and crisp, and the chicken is cooked through.
4
Make the Sauce
To make the sauce, use
a mortar and pestle
to pound the coriander roots, garlic, ginger and salt to a rough paste. Stir in the Thai soybean paste, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, dark sweet soy sauce, chopped chillies and coriander stems. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
5
Serve
Use a fork to gently fluff the rice, then divide among serving
plates
. Slice the chicken and serve over the rice. Add cucumber and coriander, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve with the sauce on the side.
Marion’s Tip:
The sauce is the soul of this dish: salty, spicy, funky and fresh. That coriander root brings the unmistakable Thai depth, and the high-heat roast gives you crunch without the stress.
