Description
Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang) is a flavorful and aromatic dish featuring marinated boneless, skinless chicken thighs infused with lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, and soy sauces. The marinated chicken is grilled or pan-cooked to a golden brown and served with fragrant coconut rice, lime wedges, fresh chilies, and cilantro, accompanied by traditional Thai dipping sauces like Nam Jim Jaew or sweet chili sauce. This recipe highlights Thai cuisine’s balance of savory, sweet, and tangy flavors.
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)
- 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 brown sugar or palm sugar (tightly packed)
- 2 tbsp neutral flavoured oil (vegetable, canola, etc.)
To Serve
- Nam Jim Jaew (traditional Thai dipping sauce for meat) – recommended
- Lime sweet chili sauce or 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 oil into a jug just large enough for a stick blender head. Blitz until lemongrass and garlic are fully pureed. If you don’t have a stick blender, finely grate the lemongrass and garlic and mix them well with the other ingredients.
- Marinate: Pour the blitzed marinade into a bowl, add the oil, and stir to combine. Add the chicken and toss thoroughly to coat. Cover and marinate overnight for best flavor, or for a minimum of 3 hours. If short on time, slice the chicken finely, toss it in the marinade, and cook it like a stir-fry.
- Heat the grill or pan: Preheat an outdoor BBQ grill to high heat or a non-stick pan over high heat on the stovetop.
- Cook: Remove chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade (unless baking in the oven, see notes). Place chicken on the grill or pan, then reduce heat to medium to avoid burning the sweet marinade. Cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. If the chicken starts to burn, flip immediately; you can flip multiple times as needed for even cooking.
- Rest and serve: Let the chicken rest for 3 minutes after cooking. Serve with a mound of steamed coconut rice, lime wedges, fresh chilies, cilantro, and your choice of dipping sauce such as Nam Jim Jaew or sweet chili sauce.
Notes
- Using the white part of lemongrass is essential as it has a more tender texture and better flavor for the marinade.
- If you don’t have fresh lemongrass, a lemongrass paste (about 2 tsp) can be used as a substitute.
- Discard marinade before grilling to avoid flare-ups; if baking, the marinade can be used for basting.
- Marinating overnight intensifies flavor, but a minimum of 3 hours will still produce good taste.
- Adjust the chili quantity according to your heat preference.
- This recipe pairs excellently with coconut rice, which helps balance the strong flavors of the marinade and dipping sauces.
