Description
A flavorful Thai grilled chicken recipe featuring marinated chicken thigh fillets with lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, and soy sauces, grilled to golden perfection. Served best with coconut rice, lime wedges, and a traditional Thai dipping sauce for an authentic and delicious meal.
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 tsp lemongrass tube paste
- 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 flavoured oil)
To Serve
- Nam Jim Jaew (traditional Thai dipping sauce for meat) – recommended
- Lime sweet chilli sauce
- Bottle of sweet chilli sauce
- Lime wedges
- Red chili (finely sliced, optional)
- Cilantro / coriander leaves (optional)
- Coconut rice
Instructions
- Blitz: Place all marinade ingredients except the oil into a jug just large enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz until lemongrass and garlic are fully pureed. If you don’t have a stick blender, finely grate the lemongrass and garlic, then mix all marinade ingredients together.
- Marinate: Pour the pureed marinade into a bowl and add the oil, stirring well to combine. Add the chicken thigh fillets and toss to thoroughly coat all pieces. Cover and marinate overnight, with a bare minimum of 3 hours for best flavor. If short on time, finely slice the chicken, toss in the marinade, and cook as a stir-fry instead.
- Heat Grill or Pan: Preheat an outdoor BBQ grill on high heat or a non-stick pan over high heat on the stovetop.
- Cook: Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade (unless baking in the oven, see additional notes). Place chicken on the BBQ or pan. Immediately reduce heat to medium to prevent burning due to the sweet marinade. Cook chicken for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. If the chicken begins to burn, flip quickly and feel free to flip repeatedly as needed for even cooking.
- Rest and Serve: Allow the cooked chicken to rest for 3 minutes before serving. Serve alongside steaming coconut rice, lime wedges, garnished with fresh sliced chilies and coriander or cilantro leaves. Accompany with your choice of sauces such as Nam Jim Jaew or sweet chili sauce for an authentic Thai experience.
Notes
- Skinless, boneless chicken thighs are preferred for juiciness and ease of cooking.
- If using lemongrass tube paste, use approximately 2 teaspoons as a substitute for fresh lemongrass stalk.
- Dark soy sauce adds color and depth, but can be adjusted to taste.
- Marinating overnight yields the best flavor, but at least 3 hours is sufficient.
- Discard marinade used for raw chicken unless fully cooked (such as when baking) to avoid contamination.
- Serve with traditional Thai dipping sauce Nam Jim Jaew for authentic taste.
- If short on time, slice chicken thinly and cook quickly in a stir-fry method with marinade.
- Cooking on medium heat reduces burning due to the sugar content in the marinade.
