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Thai

Gai yang (Thai grilled chicken)

Non-vegetarian

ไก่ย่าง · kai yang

Chicken marinated in garlic, coriander root, white pepper, lemongrass and fish sauce, grilled slowly until bronzed and served with a toasted-rice chilli dipping sauce.

Gai yang (Thai grilled chicken) is a Thai grilled dish from Thailand, ready in about 3 hours 10 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on and lemongrass. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Delicious grilled chicken served with cucumber slices and sauce on a banana leaf.
Photo: UNDO KIM / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
40 min
Rest
10 min
Total
3 h 10 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
753

Includes at least 2 hours marinating (overnight is better).

Ingredients

4 servings

For the chicken

For the marinade

For the dipping sauce (nam jim jaew)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pound the garlic (opens in a new tab), coriander roots, white pepper (opens in a new tab) and ground coriander (opens in a new tab) to a paste. Mix in the lemongrass (opens in a new tab), turmeric (opens in a new tab), fish sauce (opens in a new tab), soy sauce (opens in a new tab), palm sugar (opens in a new tab) and oil.

  2. Step 2

    Slash the chicken to the bone in a few places, rub the marinade all over and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Keep raw chicken covered in the fridge and wash hands and boards after handling.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Grill over medium, indirect heat, turning often, until deeply browned and cooked through. Rest for 10 minutes.

    Food safety: Cook chicken until no pink remains and the juices run clear (74 °C in the thickest part).

    No grill? Roast at 200 °C for 35–40 minutes, then finish under the grill.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    For the jaew, stir the fish sauce (opens in a new tab), lime juice (opens in a new tab), tamarind and palm sugar (opens in a new tab) together, then add the chilli flakes (opens in a new tab), toasted rice, shallot (opens in a new tab) and coriander. Serve with the chopped chicken.

    • 5 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Isan (north-eastern Thailand), Thailand · Commonly attributedAlso eaten widely in Laos.More food from Thailand
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Grills & kebabs · Main courses · Street food
Cooking method
Grilled, Marinated / cured
Taste
smoky, garlicky, savoury, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Street food
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Lemongrass · Garlic · Coriander leaves · White pepper · Ground coriander
Techniques
Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom fish sauce
  • May contain: Crustaceansfrom fish sauce
  • Contains: Wheatfrom soy sauce
  • Contains: Glutenfrom soy sauce
  • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

753 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 371 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 31%
  • Carbohydrate 10%
  • Fat 59%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy753 kcal203 kcal
Protein58.2 g15.7 g
Carbohydrate18 g4.9 g
Net carbohydrate16.6 g4.5 g
Sugars7.4 g2 g
Added sugars4.3 g1.2 g
Fibre1.4 g0.4 g
Fat49 g13.2 g
Saturated fat13.2 g3.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol225 mg61 mg
Sodium1496 mg404 mg
Salt equivalent3.7 g1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
836 mg
Calcium
78 mg
Iron
4.5 mg
Magnesium
106 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
150 µg
Vitamin C
12 mg
Vitamin D
0.6 µg
Vitamin B12
1 µg
Folate (DFE)
41 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
  • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
  • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
  • Red chilli flakes: Ground cayenne (FDC 170932) used as a stand-in for dried chilli flakes such as pul biber or Aleppo pepper.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Cooking slowly over moderate heat keeps the marinade from burning before the meat is done.

Common mistakes

  • Grilling over fierce direct heat — the sugar burns while the inside stays raw.

Serve with

  • The classic trio: gai yang, som tam and sticky rice.

Storage

  • Refrigerate cooked chicken for up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat in a hot oven for 10–15 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

For the chicken

Used in step 2

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