Gai Yang (Thai Grilled Chicken)

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Gai Yang (Thai Grilled Chicken)

Gai Yang (Thai Grilled Chicken) is a traditional Thai recipe for a classic barbecue dish of chicken marinated in a thick and sticky sauce served wth glutinous rice. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Thai version of: Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang).

prep time

15 minutes

cook time

90 minutes

Total Time:

105 minutes

Additional Time:

(+over-night marinading)

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Chicken Recipes Thailand Recipes

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Thai grilling (barbecuing) is not such a well known cooking style that truly deserves to be publicised a lot more. Gai yang is Thai grilled chicken and nam jim jaew is a wildly popular dipping sauce – sweet, sour and a bit spicy. This is a truly great summertime braai (barbecue dish).

Ingredients:

2–2.5kg (4 1/2 to 6 lbs) whole free-range chicken
steamed rice and lime wedges, to serve

For the marinade:
3 tbsp chopped coriander (plus roots and stalks)
1 garlic bulb, cloves separated and peeled
2 tbsp light brown sugar
30g (1 oz) fresh turmeric, grated
2 tsp white peppercorns
3 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
1 tsp dark soy sauce

For the nam jim jaew:
1 tbsp glutinous (sticky) rice
2 small Thai shallots (or 1 regular shallot), thinly sliced
1 spring onion, green part only, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fish sauce
1-2 tbsp light brown sugar
3-4 tbsp lime juice
2 Thai birds' eye chillies, minced

Method:

For the marinade: pound the coriander roots and stalks, garlic, sugar, turmeric and peppercorns to a paste in a mortar, then mix in the fish sauce and soy sauce.

Spatchcock the chicken by cutting either side of the backbone with kitchen scissors. Remove the bone, turn the bird over, then open it out and press down firmly with the heel of your hand to flatten). Rub the marinade all over the chicken, then cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.

Toast the glutinous rice in a pan or wok over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring continuously to stop it burning. It should have an even golden colour. Tip the rice onto a place, set it aside to cool, then grind to a coarse powder in a spice grinder/pestle and mortar. You want to retain some of the crunchy texture, so take care not to grind it too finely.

When you're ready to cook, prepare the barbecue for indirect cooking with the coals banked to one side. When the coals are ready, almost close the vents, leaving just a small gap at the top and the bottom. Wipe any large clumps of marinade off the chicken and cook the bird away from the coals, breast side up, with the legs facing towards the hotter side, for 90 minutes. You may need to move the chicken during cooking so it barbecues evenly.

To make the nam jim jaew, combine all the ingredients with the toasted rice powder in a bowl. Let the chicken rest somewhere warm for 15 minutes before cutting into portions and serving with the dipping sauce, steamed rice and lime wedges.