Preheat the oven to 220C. Deseed and roughly chop the red chili. Peel and roughly chop the shallots.
Remove the woody exterior of the lemongrass stalks and finely chop. Peel and grate the ginger.
Place the chili, shallots, lemongrass, coriander stalks, ginger, and vegetable oil into a small food processor and whizz until broken down and combined into a sauce. Season well with salt and pepper.
On a clean chopping board, remove the skin from the chicken thighs.
Pour the chili lemongrass mixture into a roasting tray. Place the chicken thighs on top, season with salt and pepper, and turn a few times in the mixture to make sure they are evenly coated. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
In a saucepan, add 500ml water to 250g basmati rice. Add a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid to cook on a low heat. After 5 minutes, add the coconut milk and return the lid. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Once cooked, allow the rice to sit with the lid on for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork to serve.
To make the salad, peel the carrots and use a julienne peeler to shred the carrots and courgette.
Add them to a bowl with the lime juice, salt and pepper and the picked coriander leaves.
Serve the lemongrass chicken with the coconut rice, salad, a drizzle of the sauce from the roasting tray and a few coriander leaves.
Notes
Instant flavour is delivered in the form of chilli and lemongrass to make a very different roast chicken dinner in this recipe. Served with coconut rice it’s a brilliant showstopping supper.