When it comes to Thai barbecue, there is no dish more iconic than gai yang. This is one of the most popular street foods in Thailand. Here in Canada, it's become my go-to chicken recipe for summer BBQ because it's easy, can be made in advance, and is a guaranteed success for any crowd. The marinade is awesome, but the nam jim jeaw dipping sauce will take it to the next level.
To complete the meal, serve with sticky rice and green papaya salad (som tam).
Watch The Full Video Tutorial!
All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!
What is Gai Yang?
Gai yang literally means, "grilled chicken." So by definition it can be any kind of chicken on the grill. And while indeed there are different types of Thai grilled chicken, such as this one smothered in coconut milk and curry pastewhen you say "gai yang" in Thailand, this classic version is the one people think of.
The marinade is a standard combination of basic Thai pantry staples, but the flavour it delivers is pretty unreal. The umami of fish saucesoy sauce, and subtle infusion of lemongrass and coriander seeds...creates one of the most popular dishes in Thai cuisine.
Tip: You can vary the herbs a bit. Some people skip the coriander seeds, others skip the lemongrass, some add coriander roots (cilantro roots). But do keep the garlic, pepper, and the ratio of all the soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar the same.
Ingredients
In Thailand, gai yang is usually made with whole chickens, but Thai chickens are also much smaller so it's much easier to grill and manage in general. Here, I like to grill them in parts, but I buy different parts that would almost make up a whole chicken, minus the wings!
The Chicken
If you're a dark meat lover, you can also use 8 chicken thighs instead.
- 1 whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breastthat's TWO sides of the breast on the rib cage
- 2 chicken legsbone-in, skin-on (an equivalent of 2 drumsticks and 2 thighs)
The Marinade:
- White peppercornsblack pepper is fine too.
- Toasted coriander seeds
- Lemongrassbottom half only, thinly sliced
- Garlic
- I am willowI use Thai soy sauce but any soy sauce you have will do.
- Fish sauce
- Thai black soy sauce or dark soy sauce. Confused by types of soy sauces? See my video about various Thai soy sauces here.
- Sugar
- Neutral oil
The Dipping Sauce - Nam Jim Jaew
Nam jim jeaw is a tart, spicy dipping sauce that goes with all of our barbecue meats. The sharp flavours cut the richness of grilled meats. If you are serving kids, or someone who doesn't eat spicy, you can also serve it with Thai sweet chili saucealso known as nam jim gai which literally means dipping sauce for chicken!
- Tamarind paste, if buying store bought tamarind, it comes in a jar or tub and is often labeled as "tamarind concentrate." Be sure to use a product of Thailand of Vietnam; do not use Indian tamarind paste. You can also make your own tamarind paste from pulpwhich yields a much better product and is what I do.
- Palm sugar, or substitute equal amount of light brown sugar
- Fish sauce
- Lime juice
- chili flakes, to taste
- Shallotsfinely chopped
- Green onion, chopped
- Cilantrochopped
- Toasted rice powder. This is made simply by toasting raw rice (glutinous rice or jasmine rice) until dark brown then grind into a powder in a mortar and pestle of coffee grinder. Instructions included in the recipe.
How to Make Thai BBQ Chicken
If this is your first time making this chicken dish, be sure to check out the video tutorial first to ensure success!
- Grind white peppercorns and coriander seeds into a powder using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder. Add lemongrass and garlic and pound into a fine paste. Transfer into a bowl and add all remaining marinade ingredients; stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Split the breasts in half so you have two split, bone-in breasts (see technique in the video) and separate the dums from the thighs. Trim off excess skin from the thighs, if any.
- Add chicken pieces to a zip-top bag or a casserole dish and pour the marinade over, making sure all the pieces are well coated. Press out as much air as possible and marinade for at least 2 hours or overnight, stir the chicken or flip the bag half way through to ensure even marinating.
How to make nam jim jeaw dipping sauce:
- Make the toasted rice powder by adding raw jasmine or glutinous rice into a dry skillet, then toast over high heat, stirring constantly, until the grains are dark brown. Remove from heat and pour the rice onto a plate to cool slightly. Once cool, grind in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle into a powder.
- Combine the tamarind, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar; stir until the sugar is dissolved (it will really help to make sure your sugar is very finely chopped prior to mixing).
- Add the chili flakes and shallots. Close to serving time, stir in the green onions, cilantro and toasted rice powder.
To grill the chicken:
- About 45 minutes before cooking, pull the chicken out to room temperature so they're not too cold.
- Preheat the grill on medium heat, then place the chicken on the grill, skin-side up. Tip: If your grill has hot spots and cool spots, place the chicken on the cool spots to prevent the skin from burning, and you can move them to the hot spots later if more skin charring is desired.
- Turn the heat down to low or medium-low and cook with the lid closed, flipping every 5 minutes, until done, about 18-30 minutes depending on the size of the pieces. If you've got large pieces of chicken, keep the BBQ temperature between 275°F - 300°F so the outside doesn't burn too quickly.
- To check doneness, I highly recommend a good meat thermometer. Cook the chicken breast until the internal temperature reaches 160 °F or 72°C, and cook chicken drums and thighs until internal temp of 175°F (80°C).
Thai Recipes to Go with BBQ Chicken
You're going to need some sides to go with this juicy Thai chicken. I recommend sticking with the classic pairings below for the "authentic" Thai barbecue experience!
FAQ
Yes! Absolutely. For a quick weeknight meal, you can use boneless chicken thighs. You can reduce marinating time to 30-60 minutes because they're so thin, and also reduce cooking time accordingly.
In theory, yes, but they will dry out quickly and easily and I don't recommend it.
You can also bake the chicken. Bake the chicken at 400°F/200°C (375°C/190°C on convection). Once the skin dries, after about 20 minutes, take it out and brush the skin with oil to give it some shine. Check chicken breast at 30 minutes, and check thighs/drums at 40 minutes.
Ultimate Thai BBQ Chicken (gai yang)
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Marinating Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 4 servings
Instructions
- Grind white peppercorns and coriander seeds into a powder using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder. Add lemongrass and garlic and pound into a fine paste. Transfer into a bowl and add all remaining marinade ingredients; stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Split the breasts in half so you have two split, bone-in breasts (see technique in the video) and separate the dums from the thighs. Trim off excess skin from the thighs, if any.
- Add chicken pieces to a zip-top bag or a casserole dish and pour the marinade over, making sure all the pieces are well coated. Press out as much air as possible and marinade for at least 2 hours or overnight, stir the chicken or flip the bag half way through to ensure even marinating.
How to make nam jim jeaw dipping sauce:
- Make the toasted rice powder by adding raw jasmine or glutinous rice into a dry skillet, then toast over high heat, stirring constantly, until the grains are dark brown. Remove from heat and pour the rice onto a plate to cool slightly. Once cool, grind in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle into a powder.
- Combine the tamarind, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar; stir until the sugar is dissolved (it will really help to make sure your sugar is very finely chopped prior to mixing).
- Add the chili flakes and shallots. Close to serving time, stir in the green onions, cilantro and toasted rice powder.
To grill the chicken:
- About 45 minutes before cooking, pull the chicken out to room temperature so they're not too cold.
- Preheat the grill on medium heat, then place the chicken on the grill, skin-side up. Tip: If your grill has hot spots and cool spots, place the chicken on the cool spots to prevent the skin from burning, and you can move them to the hot spots later if more skin charring is desired.
- Turn the heat down to low or medium-low and cook with the lid closed, flipping every 5 minutes, until done, about 18-30 minutes depending on the size of the pieces. If you've got large pieces of chicken, keep the BBQ temperature between 275°F - 300°F so the outside doesn't burn too quickly.
- To check doneness, I highly recommend a good meat thermometer. Cook the chicken breast until the internal temperature reaches 160 °F or 72°C, and cook chicken drums and thighs until internal temp of 175°F (80°C).
Keywords: BBQ, chicken, BBQ chicken, grilling,
