Gai Yang (Isaan Grilled Chicken)
Chicken marinated in garlic, coriander root, pepper and lemongrass, grilled slowly over charcoal and served with jaew and sticky rice.
- Region
- Isaan (Northeastern Thailand)
- Condiments
- Fish Sauce, Palm Sugar, Thai Soy Sauces
- Vegetables
- Lemongrass, Coriander Root, Garlic, Fresh Turmeric
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (about 1.5 kg), spatchcocked, or 1.2 kg chicken legs
- Marinade: 4 coriander roots (or a handful of coriander stems), chopped
- Marinade: 8 cloves garlic
- Marinade: 1 tsp white peppercorns
- Marinade: 2 stalks lemongrass, tender part only, finely sliced
- Marinade: 3 tbsp fish sauce
- Marinade: 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- Marinade: 1 tbsp palm sugar
- Marinade: ½ tsp ground turmeric (optional, for colour)
- To serve: nam jim jaew, sticky rice and som tam
Instructions
Gai yang is the grilled chicken of Isaan, sold from smoky street-side grills all over Thailand. The chicken is often spatchcocked and clamped between bamboo sticks, then grilled slowly over low charcoal until the skin is golden and crisp and the meat stays juicy.
Gai yang, som tam and sticky rice together are the classic Isaan meal.
Method
- Pound the coriander roots, garlic and peppercorns to a paste. Add the lemongrass and pound again. Stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar and turmeric.
- Make a few deep cuts in the thickest parts of the chicken. Rub the marinade all over and into the cuts. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
- Light a charcoal grill and let it burn down to medium-low heat, with the coals covered in white ash. Gai yang is grilled slowly, not seared.
- Grill the chicken skin side up first, turning every 5–10 minutes, for 35–45 minutes, until golden, slightly charred at the edges and cooked through (74°C at the thickest part of the thigh). Move it to a cooler part of the grill if it colours too fast.
- Rest for 5 minutes, then chop into pieces with a cleaver. Serve with nam jim jaew, sticky rice and som tam.
Cook’s tips
- No grill? Roast the chicken at 200°C for 45–50 minutes, then finish under a hot grill to crisp the skin.
- Baste with the leftover marinade during the first half of grilling only.
Aroy Mak Mak
Aroy Mak Mak is a small team writing about the food of Thailand and its neighbours: recipes you can cook at home, guides to the ingredients behind them, and places worth travelling for. The name means "very delicious" in Thai. Every recipe on the site lists its ingredients, timings and method in full, explains the techniques that matter, and suggests substitutes for ingredients that are hard to find outside Thailand. The guides to regions, condiments, vegetables and fruits explain what things are, how they are used and how to buy and store them. Place pages are researched from current sources, including the latest Michelin Guide Thailand, official websites and maps, and give addresses, opening hours and what to order. Where a detail could not be confirmed, it is left out rather than guessed.