Make an easy at-home version of the classic Thai street food, Gai Yang or Thai Grilled Chicken! Choose to oven roast, air fry, grilling or pan fry.
Editor’s Note: Recipe was last updated on 5 August 2024 to include other cooking methods including air frying, grilling and pan frying!
One of my absolute favorite street foods whenever I’m in Bangkok, Thailand, is Gai Yang! There’s something so exciting about walking down the bustling streets and spotting a pushcart selling this aromatic grilled chicken. The smell alone is enough to draw you in, and before you know it, you’re savouring a delicious piece of grilled chicken, paired with a bag of sticky rice and a mouthwatering dipping sauce. It’s a simple yet incredibly satisfying meal (snack?), and it’s incredibly easy to make at home!
What is Gai Yang?
Gai Yang, or Thai Grilled Chicken, is a beloved dish from the northeastern region of Thailand, known as Isaan. It’s a staple street food, typically enjoyed with sticky rice and som tam (green papaya salad). The key to Gai Yang lies in its marinade, which infuses the chicken with a fragrant mix of herbs and spices, giving it a distinctive Thai flavour.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Aromatic and Flavorful: The marinade combines lemongrass, garlic, and cilantro, creating a deliciously fragrant and flavorful chicken.
- Versatile Cooking Methods: Whether you prefer grilling, pan frying, oven roasting, or air frying, this recipe has you covered.
- Perfect for Meal Prep: Marinate the chicken ahead of time and cook it when you’re ready for a quick and easy meal.
- Authentic Street Food Experience: Bring the vibrant flavors of Bangkok’s street food right to your kitchen.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: Thighs or drumsticks work best! You can also use wings or breast, or a whole chicken! Make sure to adjust the seasonings accordingly.
What Chicken Pieces to use for Gai Yang?
I used chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in. This works the best for this recipe. You can use chicken breasts too, but cut down on the oven time to 20 to 25 minutes.
You can also use this recipe for a whole chicken! Double the ingredients, as well as the cooking time in the oven to about 1 hour 30 minutes.
I’ve also used this recipe to make boneless chicken thighs. Boneless chicken will cook much quicker than bone-in chicken. 400g of filleted boneless chicken thighs cooked in just 20 minutes, plus another 5 minutes on broil setting to get that golden crispy skin.
The Marinade
Marinating is Key for Perfect Gai Yang Chicken
We’re making a rough paste for the marinade. I find it works better for a roast as it does not burn as much. You can use a pestle and mortar, a food processor, or simply give it a good mince with your knife.
- Cilantro or Coriander: Specifically the root portion! I could argue that this is the most important ingredient to the marinade! It gives that distinctively herby Thai flavour that none other could imitate. Use the roots if available; if not, use the stems. Cilantro is sold in bunches with roots in some areas, but if yours don’t come with the roots, use the stem portion instead. Give your fresh cilantro a wash to rid of the dirt and soil – being gentle with the leafy portion, and rubbing the roots to remove the dirt – and cut off the roots for this.
- Garlic: Minced to infuse the chicken with its robust flavour! Absolute must!
- Onion & Ginger: These are the other aromatics used in Gai Yang, but compared to garlic, these are background actors compared to garlic. Ginger is optional.
- Lemongrass: Finely chopped for that signature Thai aroma!
- Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce, and optional Dark Soy Sauce: The main seasonings for Gai Yang, these add depth and umami to the marinade. Feel free to use a combination of fish sauce and soy sauce, or use just either or. The dark soy sauce is optional, but it adds such a lovely colour to the chicken.
- Sugar: Balances the savory and salty elements with a touch of sweetness.
- Black Pepper: Adds a subtle heat to the dish.
Leaving it to marinate overnight would be best, minimum three hours. I like to come back at the 12 hour or so mark, just to flip and move the chicken around to help get a more even marinade. If you’re using a ziploc bag to marinade, then it’s an even easier process to toss the chicken around in the marinade.
Key Steps to Making Gai Yang
1. Marinate the Chicken
- Combine garlic, lemongrass, cilantro roots or stems, fish sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, black pepper.
- Coat the chicken thoroughly and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight for best results.
2. Cook Gai Yang
Traditionally Gai Yang is grilled, but at home there’s a myriad of ways to cook it!
Make sure to leave the chicken out at room temperature for about 30 minutes or so. This is to allow the chicken to increase in temperature before going into the oven, and get a more even cook, especially in the thicker parts of the chicken.
My favourite methods are to roast in the oven or air fry (passive cooking is the best!) but you can also grill or pan fry it:
a. Oven Roasting
- Preheat your oven to 175°C (347°F). Place the marinated chicken thighs on an oven rack and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Turning halfway through, until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.
- You would notice that I am roasting the chicken at a rather low temperature of 175 degrees celcius. This is to let the chicken cook thoroughly, and also to not burn the marinade. To give it a good colour, I turned up the heat at the 40 to 45 minute mark to 220 degrees celcius. This is going to also crisp up the skin. If your oven has a broiler setting, you can change it to that to get a good char on the skin.
- At the 40-minute mark, turn up the heat to 220°C (428°F) and roast for another 10 minutes. If your oven has a broiler setting, you can use that at this stage too.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
TIP! Use an oven rack for a more even roast! If you are just using a pan to roast the chicken, you want to come back halfway and flip the chicken.
b. Air Frying
- Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (190°C).
- Air fry the chicken for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C). This timing is for bone-in chicken; if using boneless you can decrease the timing by 10 minutes.
Ever since I’ve had my air fryer, I’ve been using it in place of my oven! Even though they work differently, I find that the temperature and timing tweak is minimal. Every air fryer – like an oven – is made differently though – but I always find that simply subtracting about 10 to 15 minutes of the total time for oven roasting instructions for the air fryer somehow seems to work out! No change in the temperature settings is needed! I would always recommend you to check the internal temperature of the chicken has hit 75°C or 165°F before serving if you want to be extra careful.
c. Grilling
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
- Grill the chicken for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C).
d. Pan Frying
- Heat a bit of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook the chicken for about 5-7 minutes per side, until it’s cooked through and nicely browned.
TIP! To make sure your bone-in chicken is cooked through, use a meat thermometer and poke to the thickest part of the chicken, especially near the bone. The internal temperature should hit at least 75°C or 165°F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, use a fork to poke through the thickest part of the chicken near the bone. Juices should run clear and no blood should run.
3. Make Nam Jim Jaew Sauce
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the Nam Jim Jaew sauce.
- Mix fish sauce, lime juice, ground toasted rice (khao kua), sugar, and chili flakes. Adjust to taste.
How to Serve Gai Yang
My favourite way of serving this is with sticky rice, and a side of my easy cheat som tam (green papaya salad). The dipping sauce is the ultimate gamechanger! A simple mix of a simple mix of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chili flakes to level up the dish.
Gai Yang is ultra versatile though. You can easily serve this as a side protein to your rice or noodle dish!
Other Serving Suggestions:
- For a balanced meal, serve with steamed rice and add steamed or grilled vegetables like broccoli, carrots, or bell peppers.
- Serve as protein topped over your favourite noodle or pasta dishes.
The Best Sauce to Serve Gai Yang with: Nam Jim Jaew
Nam Jim Jaew is a Thai dipping sauce that is the perfect flavour combination of sour, salty, sweet and spicy. It’s one of my favourite sauces ever, and pairs amazingly well with the roast chicken. I have a dedicated post for Nam Jim Jaew right here. It includes more in-depth instructions on how to make Toasted Rice Powder or Khao Kua.
Although it’s traditionally spicy, if you don’t take spice, then just omit the chilli flakes. It’s also a gorgeous flavour without the spice.
Tips and Tricks
- Use the Marinade: Before roasting the chicken in the oven, spoon all of the rough pieces of the marinade onto the chicken. They can continue to impart flavour onto the chicken, with the added benefit of providing an extra layer to not dry out the chicken. The pieces actually become soft and edible, and quite unnoticeable once the chicken is cooked, especially if you’re processed them finely enough. If you don’t fancy it, you can remove them very easily as well.
- Marinate Longer for More Flavour: The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavourful it will be. This is freezer-friendly as well, I like to make a big batch and store in the freezer.
- Use a Meat Thermometer: To ensure the chicken is perfectly cooked, use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C).
Storing and Reheating
Storing
Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating
To reheat, you can use the microwave, but for best results, reheat in the oven or air fryer at 350°F (175°C) for about 10 minutes, or until warmed through. This helps to retain the texture and flavour of the chicken.
Watch How to Make Oven Roasted Gai Yang!
More Recipes Like This
Oven Roasted Gai Yang Thai Grilled Chicken
4
servings20
minutes55
minutesIngredients
600 g or 4 Chicken Thighs, bone-in, skin-on
2 Coriander Roots or Stems
1 Lemongrass, white inner core
8 cloves Garlic
2-3 Shallots
1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp Fish Sauce
1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce (or Kicap Manis)
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Brown Sugar (or Palm Sugar)
- Nam Jim Jaew/ Thai Dipping Sauce:
1 tbsp Brown Sugar (or Palm Sugar)
1 tsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Tamarind Paste (or juice from 3 tbsps of Tamarind Pulp)
1 tsp Toasted Rice Powder or Khao Kua
1 tsp Chilli Flakes
1 tsp Lime Juice
1 tbsp Cilantro leaves
2-3 tbsp Water
- Serve With:
Rice or Sticky Rice
Nam Jim Jaew Sauce
Directions
- Pound the marinade ingredients with a pestle and mortar, blitz in a food processor or finely mince with a knife. You should get a rough consistency.
- Pour marinade all over the chicken, and massage on to chicken evenly. Marinade for at least 3 hours or overnight would be best.
- Cook the Chicken based on any of these methods:
Oven Roasted
– Preheat your oven to 175°C (347°F).Place the marinated chicken thighs on an oven rack and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Turning halfway through, until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.
– At the 40-minute mark, turn up the heat to 220°C (428°F) and roast for another 10 minutes. If your oven has a broiler setting, you can use that at this stage too.
– Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Air Frying
– Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (190°C).
– Air fry the chicken for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C). This timing is for bone-in chicken; if using boneless you can decrease the timing by 10 minutes.
Grilling
– Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
– Grill the chicken for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C).
Pan Frying
– Heat a bit of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
– Cook the chicken for about 5-7 minutes per side, until it’s cooked through and nicely browned. - Make the Nam Jim Jaew sauce by mixing together all of the ingredients for it. Taste test and adjust accordingly. If roasting or air frying, make the sauce while the chicken is cooking for efficiency.
- Serve the chicken with the Nam Jim Jaew sauce, and some sticky rice. Enjoy!
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