Description
This Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang) recipe features tender, marinated chicken thigh fillets infused with fresh lemongrass, garlic, and traditional Thai flavors. Grilled to a golden brown perfection, the chicken is served with fragrant coconut rice, lime wedges, and flavorful dipping sauces like Nam Jim Jaew and sweet chili sauce, offering a vibrant and satisfying meal inspired by authentic Thai street food.
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 thick)
- 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 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 into 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.
- Marinate: Pour the pureed marinade into a bowl, add the oil and stir well. Add the chicken thigh fillets and toss to thoroughly coat them in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate to marinate overnight, or at least 3 hours. If short on time, finely slice the chicken, toss in the marinade, and cook quickly as a stir-fry.
- Preheat Grill or Pan: Heat an outdoor BBQ grill on high or place a non-stick pan over high heat on the stovetop.
- Cook: Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade (unless you plan to bake in the oven – see notes). Place the chicken on the grill or pan, then reduce the heat to medium to avoid burning the sweet marinade. Cook until golden brown, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side. If the chicken begins to burn, flip immediately and flip repeatedly as needed to prevent burning.
- Rest and Serve: Allow the cooked chicken to rest for 3 minutes. Serve alongside a mound of steaming coconut rice with lime wedges. Garnish with fresh sliced red chilies and coriander leaves if desired, and accompany with Nam Jim Jaew or your preferred sweet chili dipping sauce.
Notes
- If you don’t have a stick blender, finely grate the lemongrass and garlic instead of pureeing.
- The marinade can be made with lemongrass paste from a tube as a substitute for fresh lemongrass.
- If baking the chicken in the oven instead of grilling or pan-cooking, you can keep and use the leftover marinade as a basting sauce. Otherwise, discard it due to contamination from raw chicken.
- Marinating overnight yields the best flavor, but a minimum of 3 hours still offers great taste.
- Use a neutral oil for the marinade to keep the authentic Thai flavors prominent.
- The sugar in the marinade helps caramelize the chicken, so keep an eye on temperature to prevent burning.
