Ingredients
- 12 chicken drumsticks
- finely-grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 600g long red chillies
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 stick lemongrass, chopped
- 3 lime leaves, finely sliced
- 120ml cider vinegar
- 75ml fish sauce
- 400g white sugar
- salt flakes and freshly-milled black pepper
Instructions
1 Combine the chicken, lemon zest and olive oil in a large bowl, and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate.
2 Halve the chillies and remove half the seeds. Reserve ¼ of the chillies and seeds, then combine the rest in a blender with the lemongrass, garlic, 2 lime leaves, vinegar and fish sauce. Purée until very smooth.
3 Finely dice the remaining chillies and place in a medium saucepan with the seeds, remaining sliced lime leaf, purée and sugar. Cook over a moderate heat for 25 minutes, until thickened.
4 Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then cook over a moderate barbecue grill, turning often, for 10 minutes. Begin basting with the lemon juice and cook for another 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Serve with chilli sauce.