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Pandana Chicken is made by marinating it with aromatic spices, wrapped in fragrant pandan leaves and deep fried till golden making it one of the most unique way of having fried chicken which is spicy, sour and sweet at the same time.

Pandan leaf is not a new ingredient for me, owing to the fact that, in Mangalore, a ‘pulao’ is not complete without a pandan leaf and it is popularly known as ‘Pulao Ka Patta’. The rice cooked with this heavenly leaf has such an alluring fragrance that you can just have the pulao without adding any curry to it. That is all I knew about this leaf and never thought beyond it, up until I tried it in a Kerala special restaurant and had no idea of how it would taste with chicken when it was mentioned on the menu card.

Asian Style Pandan Chicken or Pandan Leaf Chicken is one of those kinds of recipes that I first try in a restaurant and I get so drawn to it that I then decide to make it at home.

My curiosity for the Pandan leaves with chicken compelled me to give it a try. When the dish finally arrived, the appearance wasn’t quite pleasing as I felt the leaves had turned too dark (almost burnt) due to deep frying. I then started to unwrap it slowly, and as I took the first bite, I felt as though I hadn’t tasted anything like that before. While taking each bite, I tried to guess the ingredients which I typically do whenever I try a new dish. And guess what, I almost succeeded in guessing and tried to replicate the dish at home.

Coming back to my guesswork, overall I felt the fragrant aroma of the leaf itself and as I started to devour it, the chicken was juicy, tender, and perfectly cooked. It was spicy, sour, and sweet at the same time.

So with a lot of scanning and guesswork, I could manage to come up with my version of Pandana Chicken. As we all know that homemade delicacies always have an edge over the restaurant ones. At home, we can control the level of spice, salt, and other ingredients as per our taste buds.

What is Pandan Leaf?

Pandan leaf is a tropical plant that grows in South East Asia. The leaves have a bright green color, thin and long in appearance. The unique feature of this leaf is its slight sweetness and soft aroma and that is the reason it has been used more often as a flavoring ingredient in Asian cooking.

Where do we find Pandan leaves?

It is easily available in all South Asian Countries which mostly grow like a weed and in bushes. If you are living abroad, then you may find these leaves in any Asian or Indian store. You can also plant them in your garden for regular use.

Can Pandan leaf be substituted with any other leaf?

As of now, I do not know of any substitutes because the main reason for using pandan leaves is for their fragrance and flavors.

What other dishes can be made using Pandan Leaf?

You can use 1 or 2 leaves while cooking rice. Just add it to the boiling water along with the rice. Pandan leaf can also be used in paste form to marinate any meat cooked in Thai or Asian style. It can also be used to flavor the drinks.

I hope most of the questions are answered, and if you have any queries regarding this recipe kindly feel free to leave a message in the comment box.

For folding the Pandan leaf in knot style, watch the below video for the demo.

You can try other similar recipes like

Grilled Mango Chicken,

Dragon Chicken,

Peruvian Grilled Chicken,