A classic Thai street food, this grilled Thai Chicken is so good that it almost converted a vegetarian. True story.
If you’re feeling inspired, indulge in a Thai banquet with this Thai Chicken complete with Coconut Rice or Coconut Lime Rice, a starter of Thai Lettuce Wraps and how about a Thai Red Curry or Green Curry?
Traditional Thai Chicken
The marinade for this chicken is insane. It really is. The flavour is so good and I honestly think you’ll regret it if you don’t make a double batch. Because I promise, you will eat more than your fair share.
I call this “real” Thai Grilled chicken because it’s on the right side of that “line” between authentic and westernised. As with any traditional dish from any country or region in the world, there is no such thing as “the” recipe. Whether it be fried rice, chili con carne, paella, bolognaise or a beef bourguignon, there are countless variations, from family recipes passed down through generations to high end modern interpretations by top chefs around the world.
BUT….there’s a line. A line between a recipe staying true to its roots and being completely westernised. Not that there is anything wrong with westernising something. In fact, some of the most popular (and delicious!) Asian dishes in western countries aren’t even found in Asia – like Singapore noodles.
This Thai Grilled Chicken is a classic example of staying on the authentic side of the “line”. Even throughout Thailand, there are so many variations of Gai Yang. Different from region to region, restaurants to street food vendors to home style versions. But there are two key ingredients that make this authentic Thai – lemongrass and fish sauce. Omit either of these, and you can’t call it “real”!
In addition to lemongrass and fish sauce, the marinade for this chicken is packed full of other classic Thai ingredients – loads of garlic, a touch of sweet and a great hit of chili.
Traditionally, Gai Yang is served with a dipping sauce. I like making this with chicken thighs because it is such a juicy cut. And with such juicy chicken with a thick glaze on it, I find that a dipping sauce is not necessary. So instead, I incorporate the flavour of the dipping sauce into the Marinade.
Throughout Thailand, you’ll find Gai Yang made with different cuts of chicken and even butterflied whole chicken (my favourite – except I can’t get through a whole chook myself!!). You can make this with you favorited chicken cut, just adjust the cooking time. It is traditionally cooked over hot coals so you get that wonderful smokey flavour. But whether you cook this on your grill or even on your stove top, I promise you one thing – this will be the BEST Thai grilled chicken you’ve ever had. I really am not exaggerating when I say this almost converted a vegetarian into a carnivore.
Happy grilling! – Nagi x
MAKE A MEAL OUT OF IT – SERVE THESE ON THE SIDE
Steamed Jasmine rice, Thai Fried Rice, Pineapple Fried Rice or Coconut Rice
Crunchy Asian Slaw on the side – great all rounder Asian salad that goes with all Asian foods
Asian Sesame Dressing for any fresh salad or steamed vegetables
Asian Mushroom Ramen Noodles – another great all rounder!
And more of my favourite Asian Chicken recipes
All these are ideal for grilling but can also be cooked on the stove
Yakitori Chicken – Japanese chicken skewers on my mother’s Japanese recipe website, RecipeTin Japan
Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken – infused with beautiful Vietnamese lemongrass flavours
Thai Coconut Chicken – added richness and flavour from a coconut marinade
Asian Chicken – marinated in a great Asian marinade that’s sweet sand savoury
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Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang)
Ingredients
- 2 lb / 1 kg chicken thigh fillets (skinless, boneless) (Note 1)
Marinade
- 1 large lemongrass stalk , white part only very finely chopped (about 2 tbsp) (Note 2)
- 6 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp finely chopped red chili (optional but recommended)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine , sherry or sake (Japanese cooking wine) (Note 4)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar
- 2 tbsp honey (or 1 tbsp brown sugar)
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper (adjust to taste – this adds spiciness)
To Serve
- Lime wedges
- Red chili , finely sliced (optional)
- Cilantro / coriander leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Place Marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Massage to mix.
- Add the chicken into the ziplock bag and massage to spread the marinade over all the chicken. Marinate for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight (up to 24 hours).
- Remove chicken from the Marinade and discard the Marinade (unless baking in the oven – refer Note 3).
- Heat the outdoor grill on medium high. Or heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan over medium high heat on the stove.
- Cook the chicken until golden brown – around 3 minutes each side.
- Rest for a few minutes before serving with lime wedges on the side, and garnished with fresh chilies and cilantro, if using.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition per serving.
Hi Nagi,
I made this for the first time tonight and also the southern Thai turmeric chicken (for the 6th time). My only problem is I now can’t decide what to save (hide) for tomorrow’s lunch?
Loved this! Another recipe to be stuck on my fridge. If only you could see my fridge, it’s mostly covered with recipes from here!!! That’s prime real estate in the cooking world at my place 😉
I’ve got a foolish grin plastered across my face at the thought of my recipes stuck on your fridge. That IS an honour!!!
Made this for my 7 guests on the weekend and it was a huge hit! So much so I’ve had to succumb to pressure give up your web site! I was sort of keeping you to myself (sorry!!) but this chicken was so yummy I thought it was about time my friends knew were all my new recipes were coming from! This is so easy to make & super yummy it’s now on the rotation!
Thanks Nagi keep the recipes coming.
Cheers
Vikki
BA HA HA! I love that, keep me a secret! 🙂 Feel free to take credit for my recipes – let your friends think they’re YOURS!!! 🙂
Made this today for Sunday lunch. We had it with roast potatoes and steamed veg. Awesome!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I made it for my boyfriend and he got teary eyed because it was so good. There are no leftovers and now he asked me to do more tomorrow. It was raining so I had to put it into oven but I guess it might have been a good thing since I had accidentally purchased chicken thighs with bones. Can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Hi Joanna! I’m SO glad you AND your boyfriend enjoyed this so much!! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know. And don’t let your man suffer, make some more for him asap!!! PS Putting bone in thighs in the oven is perfect 🙂 And stove top for thigh fillets works just as well as the BBQ!
This looks absolutely delicious. Thai Chicken Soup was my introduction to lemongrass and I really enjoyed the bright flavor with the sweet and savory. Your recipe seems to have the same wonderful qualities. I’m finally breaking out the grill this weekend and will definitely give Gai Yang a try!
Oooh, I hope you do! The flavour of this marinade is truly incredible!! 🙂
is there one brand of fish sauce that you recommend over another…I get confused when making my purchase
Hi Mary! I use all different brands, whatever is on special usually! I’ve never had a problem 🙂
OMG This chicken looks phenomenal! Thai food is my favorite cuisine, so this is going on my menu to make soon. Looks great Nagi and I love the pictures, gorgeous!
Thanks Jo! I think you’ll like the flavours, knowing your taste 🙂 N x
That sounds sooo delicious and I love how much is going on these photos!
Thanks Nic! They are crazy delicious. As the size of my belly evidences!! 😉
Yummmy!! The marinade looks amazing. So shiny and saucy <– grill perfect. And it's simple and perfect for weeknights. Can't wait to give this a try 🙂
Awww, thanks Sarah! 🙂
Those Thai s know how to grill and you have captured it in one gorgeous dish.,one of the first i ever had in Thailand.
They SURE DO Tania!! It’s one of my fave Thai street foods 🙂 I wish I had a charcoal grill in my backyard!!!
WOW! Another fantastic recipe! My hubby is my grill master and I bet he would LOVE this recipe!
Nom Nom Nom!
Hugs,
Linda
Don’t you love that men love to take control of the grill?? Less work for us! Just marinade the meat, then leave the hard work to them!! I grill often when I’m entertaining for that very reason! 🙂
We just got a patio grill! These chickens have the perfect grilled marks! Love the lemongrass, garlic, chili and lime marinade. Sounds incredible! I will bookmark this recipe for my grill list! Will try this soon!
OOOH!!! Whole world of grilling for you to discover!! 🙂 You’re going to have some fun and I’m looking forward to reading what you share!
Heyya… I am so looking forward to have a BBQ again and this is just the sort of dish I would cook on the grill – I know I say nearly every post but this is so my kind of food – thanks Nagi and hope you are having a good week..:)Moreover, This is exactly the kind of dish my husband and I love to make together! On the weekends we like to find something great to make on the grill and it always seems to be either Middle Eastern in flavor or Thai.
That could be me talking!!! I adore Middle Eastern and Asian BBQ’s 🙂 I’m having a great week! Hope you’re having a good week too. Weekend is here – yay!! Even if you don’t have a BBQ, this is fab made on the stove. Hope you have a great weekend!
Nothing perks me up on a Thursday like an INSANE marinade!!!! But here is a serious question – I have a tube of Lemongrass paste in my fridge (don’t ask me why, I’ll never tell, it’s shameful). Are you familiar with this, and if so, do you know if I can use it in your INSANE marinade? Love me some chicken thighs. 🙂 PINNING!
There’s no shame in that!! A Malaysian friend told me that most Malaysians have frozen finely chopped lemongrass on hand all the time cause it’s used in so many dishes and it’s so handy. It would totally work for the marinade!! I don’t know how strong the flavour is but I’d start with 1 tbsp. The marinade should have a fairly decent lemongrass fragrance but not overpower it, if you know what I mean? Love to know what you think if you do try it! And I’d really love to know how much lemongrass paste you use so I can add that into the recipe! 🙂
Oh, I am so looking forward to have a BBQ again and this is just the sort of dish I would cook on the grill – I know I say nearly every post but this is so my kind of food – thanks Nagi and hope you are having a good week – it is cold here! Winter:-(
It’s so funny, the words I find myself constantly writing on YOUR blog are “Oooh, this is totally my kind of food!!” OR “I just made something similar last week!!” (Usually followed by “but mine wasn’t as good as yours, the spice combination you’ve used is fantastic!”) 🙂
Oh my! that looks so delectable it’s putting my sad little dinner sandwich to shame!
I had a tray of plain roasted veggies last night. Your sandwich wins. 🙂
After weeks of indulging me in my preferred choice of cuts of chicken (thigh fillets and thigh cutlets), it’s time I made something with a cut of chicken that J Daddy likes – chicken breast. This is going in next week’s menu!!!
J Daddy’s preferred cut is chicken breast….??? Have you tried converting him? 😉
Hahahahah – I’m trying my best to convert J Daddy, and I’m making progress. I don’t think he’ll ever be fully convinced that any other cut of chicken is better than the breast. He likes the leanness of the breast meat and has been known to make faces at the fatty bits in the thigh fillets, and trust me, I trim and trim and trim those little fillets to try and avoid those looks. In the 20 weeks I’ve been on this cooking odyssey, I’ve cooked many many chicken dishes, and have used breast meat in no more than half a dozen dishes. Let’s put it this way – he’s at least now eating the chicken thigh cutlets without complaint, but it sure took a while!
Another thing he absolutely cannot stand is chicken skin, unless it’s the deep fried chicken skin from our friends’ restaurant (PappaRich Broadway). So with any of your dishes where you call for the chicken skin to be cooked so the fat is rendered to get the skin crispy, I cook the chicken as per your instructions, and just before serving, I pull the skin off his piece/s of chicken and put it on my plate. I love the skin. Love love love the skin. So, Win/Win, right?
I think I’m going to use both cuts of meat next week – breast for him and thigh fillet for me. We can swap and compare the flavours, and he’ll be happy that he’s getting breast meat for a change!
You crack me up!! And Pappa Rich in Broadway is your friends?? SO COOL! I’ve been there a few times!! 🙂
I wanted to just swing by and grab one of those delicious chicken pieces off your plate, but would not want to ruin your beautiful photography. The longer overnight marinade time really makes a difference in both the taste and the tenderness of this dish. You have a dog right? When you are doing a photography shoot why don’t you have little doggie noses and paws in the photos, like I have, or did you already crop those out? LOL Pinning and Sharing!
He’s sitting UNDER the table in a puddle of drool. It’s disgusting. I used to kick him outside while I was shooting but I take too long. So he just suffers silently. He never takes his eyes off him, follows my every movement.
Like those gorgeous brown eyes are going to make me break. No no!! At least, not this type of food. Too much garlic in it – bad for dogs!! 🙂
Gai yang is one of my absolute faves. So easy to prepare and all you need to do is grill or bbq it. Made it a few nights go and already have some more chicken marinating in the fridge! Love it!
It’s delish isn’t it? I find that without a proper charcoal grill, the authentic marinade isn’t enough. I really like this version, bit more flavour in the marinade to make up for lack of charcoal flavour. 🙂 I bet you have a killer Gai Yang recipe. Only fair to share! 🙂
that sauce! i will gladly ask for the dip, all of it! haha. Beautiful recipe and picture. I don’t i would be able to use my fork, just hands to gnaw down on it! haha
You think I used a fork to eat this the minute I snapped the last picture? Nope, not a chance. The minute I called “finished!” there were 4 pairs of hands reaching in to grab the chicken and we stood around the table eating every single scrap!! N x