Description
Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang) is a flavorful, aromatic dish featuring marinated chicken thigh fillets infused with lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, and soy sauces. Grilled to a perfect golden brown, this chicken is tender and juicy, making it an ideal dish to serve with coconut rice, fresh herbs, and tangy dipping sauces like Nam Jim Jaew or sweet chili sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Marinade
- 2 lb / 1 kg chicken thigh fillets (skinless, boneless)
- 1 large lemongrass stalk (white part only, reedy outer layers removed, sliced 5mm / 1/5″ thick or 2 tbsp lemongrass paste as substitute)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled, whole)
- 2 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (or any all-purpose soy or tamari)
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp (tightly packed) brown sugar or palm sugar
- 2 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola, or any other neutral flavored oil)
To Serve
- Nam Jim Jaew (traditional Thai dipping sauce for meat) *RECOMMENDED*
- Lime sweet chili sauce
- Bottle of sweet chili sauce
- Lime wedges
- Red chili (finely sliced, optional)
- Cilantro / coriander leaves (optional)
- Coconut rice
Instructions
- Blitz: Place all marinade ingredients except the oil in a jug just large enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz until the lemongrass and garlic are fully pureed. If you don’t have a stick blender, finely grate the lemongrass and garlic, then mix thoroughly with the other marinade ingredients.
- Marinate: Pour the marinade into a bowl and stir in the oil. Add the chicken thigh fillets and toss to thoroughly coat. Cover and marinate overnight for best flavor, though a minimum of 3 hours is acceptable. If short on time, finely slice the chicken, toss it in the marinade, and cook right away like a stir-fry.
- Heat the Grill or Pan: Preheat an outdoor BBQ grill on high heat or heat a large non-stick pan over high heat on the stove.
- Cook: Remove the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade. (If baking in the oven instead, you may retain the marinade—see Note 3.) Place the chicken on the grill or in the pan. Immediately reduce heat to medium to prevent burning due to the sugar content in the marinade. Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, approximately 5 to 6 minutes on each side. If the chicken starts to burn, flip it right away and continue flipping as needed to avoid charring.
- Rest and Serve: Let the cooked chicken rest for 3 minutes to retain juices. Serve it alongside a mound of steamy coconut rice, lime wedges, and garnish with fresh sliced chilies and cilantro/coriander leaves. Offer Nam Jim Jaew or your preferred sweet chili sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Note 1: Using skinless, boneless thigh fillets ensures juicy and tender chicken while being easy to marinate and grill.
- Note 2: The white part of lemongrass has the most flavor and is preferred. If unavailable, lemongrass paste (about 2 tbsp) can be used as a substitute.
- Note 3: If you prefer to bake the chicken, you can retain the marinade for basting. Otherwise, discard the marinade to avoid contamination when grilling or pan-cooking.
- Marinating overnight greatly enhances the flavor, but minimum 3 hours is sufficient for a tasty result.
- The sugar in the marinade can cause burning if the heat is too high, so be mindful to reduce heat after placing the chicken on the grill or pan.
- Resting the chicken after cooking allows juices to redistribute, resulting in more tender meat.
