How to make Thai Grilled (or roasted) Chicken
A few words on Gai Yang – ไก่ย่าง
Grilled chicken with papaya salad and a bit of sticky rice is easily one of my favorite meals on earth. Sitting outside on a hot day there is nothing better, especially if you wash it down with an ice cold beer. This recipe is one of my favorites. It isn’t overly complicated and is quite satisfying.
Technical Stuff
Chicken is grilled quite differently in Thailand than here in the US. It is often done at a relatively low temperature and typically over charcoal. The resulting chicken is golden (not charred), aromatic and utterly delicious.
As much as I love grilling this chicken over charcoal, today we are cooking this bird in the oven. That being said, this marinade is very flavorful and while you won’t get that gentle smokiness, you will still yield a very delicious chicken.
If you have access to a charcoal grill, I highly suggest you cook the chicken gently over low coals. Be aware that this marinade contains soy sauce and sugar. These ingredients can easily burn if you apply too much heat.
Don’t be too fastidious with how perfectly you “nail” the temperature of this chicken. I often let the chickens cook an additional 10 or 15 minutes after they are done. Much of the connective tissue will break down, yielding a more tender bird overall. A good dipping sauce also helps.
Make sure to rest your chicken at least 15 minutes after cooking. Chickens hold on to a surprising amount of heat after they are cooked and to be honest, this chicken eats better when it isn’t screaming hot. I eat this chicken at room temperature all the time and it still hits the spot.
Serve with:
- Sticky Rice
- Spicy Tamarind dipping sauce
- Papaya Salad
Thai Grilled (or roasted) Chicken- Gai Yang ไก่ย่าง
Ingredients
- 1 each Whole Chicken (2-3#)
- 2 grams ground white pepper about 1/2 tsp
- 20 grams fresh garlic about 4 cloves
- 25 grams cilantro stems, no leaves, root attached if available about 4 Tbsp chopped
- 10 grams fresh turmeric, peeled
- 8 grams fresh red bird chili, stem removed about 4 chilies
- 50 grams chopped lemongrass (remove dirty outer leaves, stem and dried out end) 2 stalks-don't worry if its not 50 grams
- 14 grams palm sugar about 1 Tbsp
- 36 grams soy sauce (regular light soy) about 2 Tbsp
- 70 grams fish sauce about 4 Tbsp
- 16 grams vegetable oil about 1 Tbsp
Instructions
Marinade – Day Before Cooking
- Cut out backbone of the chicken using a pair of kitchen shears and place chicken into a 1 gallon freezer bag.
- Blend the rest of the ingredients in a blender. The marinade does not have to be perfectly smooth.
- Add the marinade to the chicken and massage the marinade into the bird.
- Press out excess air from bag, seal, and refrigerate chicken overnight.
Cooking – Day of Cooking
- 2 hours before cooking, using clean or gloved hands, wipe off excess marinade from chicken skin and discard. Don't worry, the flavor has already penetrated the meat and these bits of garlic, lemongrass…etc will just burn in the oven
- On a sheet tray with a roasting rack, open up the chicken and lay it on the rack. Press down to lay the chicken flat, breast side up. You may need to press down hard to get the breast to lay flat and you may hear a few bones cracking. That is OK. Pull wings behind the chicken as shown in picture.
- Allow chicken to sit at room temperature for 2 hours. This will help temper the meat and dry the skin.
- 30 minutes before cooking, place oven rack on lowest position and turn the broiler on to LOW. I have a broiler with HI and LOW settings, alternatively, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Your oven's temperatures and setting may vary.
- Place chicken on bottom rack of oven and cook.
- Chicken should take about 50-60 minutes to cook , if the chicken is getting too much or too little color, Adjust oven temperature accordingly.
- After about 45 minutes, check the bird for doneness. Use a thin metal skewer or cake tester and insert it near the bone in the thickest part of the thigh. Hold it there for 5 seconds. Quickly remove the utensil and feel the tip using your wrist or lower lip. When the tip feels hot, not warm, the chicken is cooked. Make sure to also check the breast meat near the bone in the same way.
- You could also use a probe thermometer to check the temperature in the same locations. Thermometer should read at 165 – 170 Fahrenheit.
- If you prefer the thighs to be more tender, continue cooking the chicken for an additional 10 minutes after it has come to temperature. I prefer it cooked this way.
- Rest the chicken for at least 15 minutes.
- Cut the chicken up and serve bone-in.
Delicious!