Ultimate Thai BBQ Chicken Recipe (Gai Yang) - Hot Thai Kitchen

fish sauce

🥗Healthier: soy sauce

💰Cheaper: salt

Soy sauce offers a similar umami flavor while being more accessible.

palm sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey provides sweetness with fewer calories.

coconut milk

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: milk + cornstarch

Greek yogurt adds creaminess with lower fat.

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 and separate the drumsticks 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, stirring the chicken or flipping the bag halfway through to ensure even marinating.

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. Add the chili flakes and shallots. Close to serving time, stir in the green onions, cilantro and toasted rice powder.

About 45 minutes before cooking, pull the chicken out to room temperature.

Preheat the grill on medium heat, then place the chicken on the grill, skin-side up. 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. Keep the BBQ temperature between 275°F - 300°F so the outside doesn't burn too quickly.

To check doneness, use a meat thermometer. Cook the chicken breast until the internal temperature reaches 160°F, and cook chicken drums and thighs until internal temp of 175°F.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens