Description
This Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang) recipe features succulent boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets marinated in a fragrant blend of lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauces, and brown sugar, then grilled to perfection. Served with aromatic coconut rice and traditional Thai dipping sauces, this dish offers a delicious balance of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors, bringing the essence of Thai street food right to your table.
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; or 2 tsp lemongrass paste as substitute)
- 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)
Accompaniments
- 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 (to serve alongside)
Instructions
- Blitz the Marinade: 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 together.
- Marinate the Chicken: Pour the blitzed marinade into a bowl. Add the oil and stir to combine. Add the chicken thighs and toss thoroughly to coat them in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. If short on time, thinly slice the chicken, toss with marinade, and cook quickly like a stir-fry instead.
- Preheat the Grill or Pan: Heat an outdoor BBQ grill on high heat or a non-stick frying pan over high stovetop heat.
- Cook the Chicken: Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade (unless baking in the oven—see note). Place the chicken on the hot grill or pan and immediately turn heat down to medium to prevent burning due to the sweet marinade. Grill the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. If the chicken starts to burn, flip it immediately and continue flipping as needed for even cooking.
- Rest and Serve: Allow the chicken to rest for 3 minutes after cooking. Serve with a mound of steaming coconut rice, lime wedges, fresh sliced chilies, coriander or cilantro leaves, and your choice of dipping sauces such as Nam Jim Jaew or sweet chili sauce.
Notes
- The recipe uses skinless, boneless chicken thighs for juiciness and tenderness, but bone-in or skin-on can be used with adjusted cooking times.
- For lemongrass, only the white part is used because it is more tender and flavorful; if unavailable, lemongrass paste can be a convenient substitute.
- If baking the chicken instead of grilling, reserved marinade can be used as a glaze but must be boiled first to ensure safety.
- Marinating overnight develops deeper flavors, but a minimum of 3 hours is sufficient for good taste.
- If short on time, slicing the chicken thinly and stir-frying with the marinade provides a quicker alternative.
- To avoid burning, reduce heat after placing chicken on grill or pan because sugar content in marinade caramelizes quickly.
