When Amelda and I got married, she kept on saying we should go to Vietnam as soon as we had a chance. She had been there and loved it. We went in 2008 and boy, was she right -- it's an amazing country. I loved the people and the culture. It's so uncommercial, but no doubt that will change. Most of all, though, I loved the food.

We stayed in Sapa in the north, an area where many hill tribes live. The market on a Sunday is a massive eye-opener: arrays of vegetables, live animals and fresh fish -- all brought by local famers and fishermen. You could even get tobacco.

While there, I had a lot of meals similar to this recipe. It's a great meal for the family to enjoy and I often cook something like this for Amelda on a Monday -- our night off, as the restaurant is closed.

Chicken thighs are cheaper than breasts and are very tasty when cooked slowly. Doing this would dry out a fillet, but with thighs you end up with crispy skin and a succulent flesh that tastes fabulous. It brings back good memories and reminds us we must go back to Vietnam soon. Serves 4.

Vietnamese-Style Grilled Five-Spice Chicken Salad

For the marinade, you will need:

6 garlic cloves, sliced

1 large shallot, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon fresh root ginger, grated

4 teaspoons sugar

4 tablespoons dark soy sauce

4 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Freshly ground black pepper

For the salad, you will need:

8 boneless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

100g (4oz) green beans, sliced into 2cm (1in) lengths

275g (10oz) mixed salad leaves

1 small red pepper, halved, seeded and diced

225g (8oz) cherry tomatoes, halved

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the vinaigrette, you will need:

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon golden syrup

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

Pinch of light muscovado sugar

Pinch of salt

Carrot, shredded, to garnish, optional

Handful chopped chives, to garnish, optional

To make the marinade, place the garlic cloves in a mini food processor or a blender with the chopped shallot, grated ginger and the sugar, then blend to form a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and whisk in the dark soy sauce, the Thai fish sauce, the five-spice powder and several grinds of pepper.

Arrange the chicken thighs in a shallow dish, then pour over the marinade, turning until they're well coated. Cover and chill for at least two hours -- up to 24 hours is best, turning the thighs several times in the marinade.

Bring back to room temperature before cooking, and wipe off any excess marinade with kitchen roll. Then, heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sunflower oil to the pan, then place the chicken thighs in it with the skin facing down. Cook for 20-30 minutes until the skin is nice and crispy. Don't touch the thighs while they're cooking, or even shake the pan occasionally. Leave them alone and you'll produce a fantastic, crisp skin and succulent flesh. When the chicken thighs are nicely browned and the flesh is almost -- but not quite -- cooked through, turn them over and cook for another five to six minutes until they're completely cooked through and tender. Remove from the heat and leave to rest in a warm place for five minutes.

Blanch the green beans in a pan of boiling salted water for one minute until just tender, then drain and refresh under cold running water.

Place the mixed salad leaves in a large bowl with the blanched beans, the diced red pepper and the cherry tomato quarters. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. For the vinaigrette dressing, blend together the sherry vinegar, the extra-virgin olive oil, the golden syrup, the wholegrain mustard, light muscovado sugar and the salt. Then, add enough vinaigrette to dress the salad and toss it well. Divide the dressed salad among plates, then carve the chicken thighs into pieces and place on top. Garnish with the carrot shreds and chopped chives, if liked.

Neven Maguire is chef and owner of the award-winning MacNean House and Restaurant, Blacklion, Co Cavan, tel: (071) 985-3022, or see www.macneanrestaurant.com