Gai Yang is central to Thai street culture. This recipe is a simple recreation so you can enjoy a taste of Thailand at home!
Thai Grilled Chicken Marinade (Gai Yang)
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Category
Entree
Cuisine
Thai
Author:
Chef Jarrett Wrisley
Servings
6
Prep Time
2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
While the recipe calls for thighs, this would easily work for a whole bird, broken into parts, or a mixture of legs, thighs, and halved breasts on the bone.
Make sure to wrap your chicken in foil to rest for 5 minutes or more at the end. This recipe also features a recipe for nahm jim jeow, a dipping sauce for the chicken.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
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3-4 lbs chicken thighs (bone in/skin on)
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7 cloves garlic
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½ bunch cilantro, chopped (including both sprigs and stems)
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3 tbsp palm sugar
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3 tsp black peppercorns
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1 tsp ground coriander or coriander seeds
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1 tbsp light soy sauce
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2 tbsp fish sauce
For the Nahm Jim Jeow:
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2 tbsp fish sauce
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2.5 tbsp lime juice
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1 tsp white sugar or palm sugar
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1 tsp dried chili flakes
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1 minced shallot
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1 large pinch of roasted rice powder (khao khrua)
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1 tsp very finely chopped cilantro stems
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1 finely chopped green onion
Tools:
Directions
For the Chicken:
In a mortar and pestle, begin to crush the peppercorns and coriander until well broken up. Then add in the cilantro and garlic and pound/grind until you have a rough paste. To speed up the process you can add a pinch of salt.
Next, add the sugar and the liquid ingredients (fish sauce and soy sauce) and combine until the sugar has dissolved.(You can also do this in a food processor or blender if you don’t have a mortar and pestle).
Add your chicken thighs to a container or a large zip-lock bag. Pour your marinade over the chicken and marinate for 2 hours or over night, in the fridge.
Prepare your charcoal grill: heat the coals. Once heated, move the coals to one side of the grill, so there is a ‘cool’ side of the grill (this is known as indirect heat). This will be the side we cook the chicken on. (see notes about using a conventional grill below).
Place the chicken thighs over indirect heat and cook, flipping occasionally until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 155°f. This can take up to 30 minutes or more, cooking low and slow.
When the chicken has reached 155°, move it over the coals (direct heat) to crisp the skin, on all sides. Before you remove the chicken from the grill entirely, make sure that it has reached an internal temperature of 165°f.
Remove the chicken and wrap in tin foil for 5-10 minutes before serving, to seal in the juices.
For the Sauce:
While the chicken is resting, combine all of the nahm jim jeow ingredients in a bowl or a food processor and mix until well combined.
Serve the chicken with a side of the dipping sauce, or pour the sauce directly on top. Serve with a side of rice and enjoy.
Recipe Note
Note: This dish is traditionally cooked low and slow over a charcoal grill. However, you can easily use a regular grill too. Preheat the grill to a medium-high heat (450°F) leaving one side unlit. Grill the chicken thighs for 3-5 minutes on each side, over the direct heat, until the skin is crisp and golden. Move the thighs to the unlit side (indirect heat) of the grill, close the grill and cook until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove from the grill and wrap in foil, resting for 5-10 minutes before serving.