Description
Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang) is a flavorful and aromatic dish featuring marinated boneless, skinless chicken thighs infused with lemongrass, garlic, and a blend of soy and fish sauces. Grilled to perfection, this dish is tender and juicy with a sweet and savory glaze, ideal when served with fragrant coconut rice and traditional 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, 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 vegetable oil (canola or any neutral flavored oil)
Serving and Garnishes
- Nam Jim Jaew (traditional Thai dipping sauce for meat, recommended)
- Lime sweet chili sauce
- Sweet chili sauce (bottle)
- Lime wedges
- Red chili (finely sliced, optional)
- Cilantro / coriander leaves (optional)
- Coconut rice
Instructions
- Blitz the Marinade: Place all the marinade ingredients except the oil into a jug just big 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 the ingredients thoroughly.
- Marinate the Chicken: Pour the blitzed marinade into a bowl and stir in the oil. Add the chicken thigh fillets and toss well to coat evenly. Cover and marinate overnight for best results, but a minimum of 3 hours will suffice. If short on time, finely slice the chicken, toss with the marinade, and proceed to cook like a stir-fry.
- Preheat Cooking Surface: Heat your outdoor BBQ grill on high, or preheat a non-stick pan on the stove over high heat to prepare for cooking the chicken.
- Cook the Chicken: Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade (unless baking in the oven, refer to note). Place the chicken on the grill or in the pan, then reduce heat to medium as the sweet marinade can burn easily. Cook the chicken for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. If burning occurs, flip immediately and you can flip repeatedly as needed to prevent charring.
- Rest and Serve: Let the cooked chicken rest for 3 minutes to retain juices. Serve the chicken alongside a generous mound of steamy coconut rice, with lime wedges, garnished with fresh chilies, coriander/cilantro, and your choice of dipping sauces such as Nam Jim Jaew or sweet chili sauce.
Notes
- For a convenient alternative, lemongrass tube paste can be used instead of fresh lemongrass stalks.
- If baking rather than grilling, reserve the marinade and baste the chicken periodically to avoid drying out.
- The sweet marinade is prone to burning when cooked over high heat, so turning the heat to medium after placing the chicken is essential.
- If lacking marinating time, slice the chicken thinly and cook it quickly like a stir-fry for a faster meal.
- Optional garnishes like fresh red chili and cilantro add authentic flavor and visual appeal.
