Description
This Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang) recipe features tender, flavorful chicken thigh fillets marinated in a vibrant blend of lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauces, and brown sugar, then grilled to perfection. It’s an authentic street food favorite that’s wonderfully complemented by fresh herbs, lime wedges, and traditional dipping sauces, ideal for a quick yet impressive 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)
- 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 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.
- Marinate: Pour the blitzed marinade into a bowl. Add the oil and stir to combine. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight for the best flavor, though a minimum of 3 hours is acceptable. If you have no time to marinate, finely slice the chicken, toss in the marinade, and cook quickly like a stir-fry.
- Heat the grill or pan: Preheat your outdoor BBQ grill on high heat or heat a non-stick pan over high heat on the stove.
- Cook: Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade (unless baking in the oven, see note). Place the chicken on the grill or in the hot pan, then immediately reduce heat to medium to prevent the sweet marinade from burning. Cook the chicken until golden brown, approximately 5 to 6 minutes on each side. If burning occurs, flip immediately; you can flip repeatedly as needed to avoid charring.
- Rest and serve: Let the chicken rest for 3 minutes after cooking. Serve it alongside a mound of steamy coconut rice, accompanied by lime wedges, fresh sliced chilies, coriander leaves, and your choice of dipping sauces such as Nam Jim Jaew or sweet chilli sauce.
Notes
- Using skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets helps keep the meat tender and juicy.
- If you don’t have fresh lemongrass stalk, substitute with about 2 teaspoons of lemongrass paste.
- For oven baking, saved marinade can be simmered and used as a glaze or sauce, but for grilling and pan-frying, discard the marinade to avoid contamination.
- Marinating overnight enhances flavor, but a minimum of 3 hours will still yield tasty results.
- The sweet marinade can burn easily; always cook over medium heat after searing to prevent charring.
- If you’re short on time, slice the chicken thin and cook it quickly like a stir-fry instead of grilling.
