Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang) with Lemongrass Marinade and Coconut Rice Recipe
This Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang) recipe offers an easy way to enjoy Thailand’s famous barbecue chicken at home. Featuring a fragrant and flavorful Thai marinade with lemongrass, garlic, and fish sauce, this juicy chicken dish is irresistible whether cooked on the stovetop or a BBQ grill. Serve it with traditional dipping sauces and coconut rice for a complete, delicious meal.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 day 20 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings
- Category: Barbecue
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lb / 1 kg chicken thigh fillets (skinless, boneless)
Marinade
- 1 large lemongrass stalk, white part only, sliced 5mm / 1/5″ thick
- 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 neutral flavoured oil)
Sauce Options (Optional) – Choose One
- Nam Jim Jaew – traditional Thai dipping sauce for meat (recommended)
- Lime Sweet Chilli Sauce from Thai Beef Bowls recipe (quick to make)
- Bottle of sweet chilli sauce
Garnishes / Sides
- Lime wedges
- Red chili, finely sliced (optional)
- Cilantro / coriander leaves (optional)
- Coconut rice
Instructions
- Blitz the Marinade: Place all the 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).
- Marinate the Chicken: Pour the marinade into a bowl, add the oil, and stir to combine. Add the chicken thighs and toss thoroughly to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight, with a minimum of 3 hours recommended. If you don’t have time to marinate, finely slice the chicken, toss in the marinade, and cook immediately like a stir-fry.
- Preheat and Cook: Heat your outdoor BBQ grill on high or heat a non-stick pan over high heat on the stove. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any excess marinade (unless baking). Place the chicken on the BBQ or in the pan, then immediately turn the heat down to medium to prevent burning. Cook the chicken until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes per side, flipping as needed to avoid burning and to ensure even cooking.
- Rest and Serve: Let the chicken rest for 3 minutes after cooking. Serve hot alongside steamed coconut rice, with lime wedges, fresh chilies, coriander leaves, and your chosen dipping sauce for maximum flavor.
Notes
- Chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) are preferred for this recipe as they remain juicy and have enough fat to caramelize nicely. For chicken breasts, slice horizontally or pound to even thickness and add a bit of oil to your pan or oil the BBQ grill.
- If using bone-in, skin-on pieces, flip frequently and cook longer until fully cooked. Alternatively, bake at 200°C (400°F) for about 45 minutes, basting toward the end for caramelization.
- Lemongrass is widely available; use only the white/pale green stalk parts as the outer layers are tough. You can substitute with about 1 tablespoon of lemongrass tube paste, though flavor will be milder.
- You can substitute dark soy sauce with more light soy sauce, but avoid replacing light soy with dark soy due to intense flavor.
- For oven cooking: Broil/oven grill on a rack at high heat for about 15 minutes, turning as needed for caramelization. Alternatively, bake at 200°C (375°F) for 20–25 minutes, turning once and basting with marinade at least once.
- Nutrition values are based on chicken only and assume half the marinade is discarded.