Description
Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang) is a flavorful and aromatic dish featuring marinated chicken thigh fillets grilled to perfection. The marinade blends fresh lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauces, and brown sugar to create a savory-sweet coating that caramelizes beautifully over the grill or stovetop pan. Served with fragrant coconut rice, lime wedges, and traditional dipping sauces, this dish offers a perfect balance of heat, tang, and sweetness that is a hallmark of Thai cuisine.
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) (Note: tube paste can be used as a 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 oil (vegetable, canola, or any other neutral flavored oil)
Accompaniments
- Nam Jim Jaew (traditional Thai dipping sauce for meat) – recommended
- Lime Sweet Chilli Sauce
- 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 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 well.
- Marinate: Pour the pureed mixture into a bowl, add the oil, and stir to combine. Add the chicken thigh fillets and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover and marinate overnight for best flavor, with a minimum marinating time of 3 hours. If short on time, finely slice the chicken, toss in the marinade, and cook like a stir-fry.
- Heat Grill or Pan: Preheat an outdoor BBQ grill on high heat or a non-stick frying pan over high heat on the stovetop.
- Cook: Remove the chicken from the marinade, discarding any leftover marinade. Place the chicken on the grill or pan, then reduce heat to medium to prevent burning due to the sugar in the marinade. Cook the chicken until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. If it begins to burn, flip immediately. You can flip repeatedly as needed to cook evenly without charring.
- Rest and Serve: Let the cooked chicken rest for 3 minutes before serving. Serve the grilled chicken alongside a mound of steamy coconut rice, lime wedges, fresh sliced chilies, cilantro or coriander leaves, and your choice of dipping sauces such as Nam Jim Jaew or sweet chili sauce.
Notes
- Note 1: Using skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets ensures tender, juicy meat and quicker cooking on the grill.
- Note 2: If fresh lemongrass is unavailable, lemongrass paste can be used as a convenient substitute.
- Note 3: When baking the chicken in the oven instead of grilling, reserved marinade can be used as a glaze; otherwise discard marinade if grilling or pan-frying to avoid burning.
- Marinating longer enhances flavor infusion; minimum 3 hours recommended, but overnight is best for optimal taste.
- To reduce sweetness or modify taste, adjust brown sugar and soy sauce quantities according to preference.
