I love Penzeys Spices. In fact, one of the things I miss most about living in Menlo Park is having a Penzeys store just down the street. Since the nearest store is now about 45 minutes away, I really appreciate getting the catalog that much more. And, unlike the store, the catalog is filled with all kinds of great recipes.
Nate got his hands on the latest catalog and requested that I make three of the recipes in it, so we’ve been doing one Penzeys recipe a week. I started with a recipe for Chicken Kai Pa Lo, a Thai soup served with rice and soft-boiled eggs. Kai pa lo is traditionally made with pork, but this particular recipe called for dark meat chicken.
This dinner was GOOD. Nate and I loved it and the kids all liked it, too. In fact, 7-year-old Anna was especially enamored with this dish and practically licked the bowl clean. Nate and I both agreed that this kai pa lo tasted as good as anything we’ve eaten at a Thai restaurant. I am so glad Nate got me to try this recipe. Penzeys once again for the win!
For the eggs, I highly recommend you follow my friend Irvin’s technique for making soft-boiled eggs. Our soft-boiled eggs came out perfectly. The soup itself has a wonderful Asian flavor that is very comforting, and the recipe is surprisingly simple to make. You won’t have to slave in the kitchen to make an impressive meal!
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- Half of a medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 fresh garlic cloves, minced or pushed through a garlic press
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon chicken soup base (Penzeys sells this, I also use "Better Than Bouillon" from the store)
- 6 cups water
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 soft boiled egg per serving
- 1½ tablespoons Chinese Five Spice
- Chopped green onions (optional)
- Heat oil in a large sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- While the onions are cooking, mix together the soy sauce, garlic powder and white pepper. Rub this mixture on both sides of the chicken pieces.
- Once the onions are translucent, add fresh garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Push the onions to the side of the pot a bit and add the chicken pieces to the center of the pot. Brown chicken on both sides, about 4 minutes a side.
- Add the soup base to the pot then pour in the water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let cook uncovered until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. I use a thermometer to check for doneness - chicken is ready at 160º F.
- Remove chicken from the pot and shred/cut into bite-sized pieces. Add the five spice and brown sugar to the pot, stir well, then return chicken to the pot. Simmer 5-10 more minutes.
- Serve soup in a bowl with jasmine rice and a soft-boiled egg. Top with green onions if using.
Hi! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and count on you to share yours! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
ummm. holy yum. This looks fantastic! And I love that it uses dark meat chicken. Dark meat > white meat 🙂
I am in totally agreement with you – yay for dark meat!
Thai and topped with a soft boiled egg?? This is so on my menu for next week!
let me know how you like it if you try it!
I made this tonight and it was great! I loved the presentation too. The only change I made is I used boneless chicken breast instead of thighs.
oh good, so glad you liked it! it really is a pretty dish, huh? thanks for letting us know!
Your photo makes it look like a must-try. And the recipe looks so simple, too!
Would this be OK omitting the Chinese Five Spice? Or alternatively, is there a substitution you could recommend? Thanks!
hi jo!
if you omit the chinese five spice, I would definitely be sure to add in some substitute spicing as the five spice provides so much flavor to this dish.
So, Five Spice is made up of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechwan peppercorns, pretty much in equal parts. Black pepper or ground ginger are also nice to mix in. I would recommend choosing from those spices ones that you like (or have on hand) and mixing in equal parts to equal 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons for the recipe.
Hope that is helpful! 🙂
I love this recipe. I marinate the thighs the day before in the soy sauce and also toast some sesame seeds for a pretty presentation but otherwise, this is the recipe, down to the brass tacks!
I am totally going to marinate the day before next time, brilliant! and sesame seeds would be gorgeous! Thank you for commenting!