Thai Grilled Chicken with Garlic and Coriander (Homemade Gai Yang) Recipe
Gai Yang is a popular Thai grilled chicken marinated in garlic, coriander and fish sauce. In Thailand it’s sold at street stalls, often with sticky rice and spicy dipping sauce. At home you can bake it in the oven or cook it on a grill pan – it will still turn out delicious.
Homemade Gai Yang brings the flavor of Thai street stalls to a home balcony grill or oven – the aroma of garlic, coriander and fish sauce is unmistakable. The combination of crispy, charred skin with juicy thigh meat is a completely different experience from classic chicken breast. It tastes exotic yet uses very simple, easily available ingredients.
Chef's tips
Marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight – especially if you’re using larger bone-in thighs, so the seasoning can reach the center. Before baking, take the meat out of the fridge for about 20–30 minutes so it’s not ice-cold; otherwise it will burn on the outside before it cooks through inside. If you’re baking in the oven, turn on the grill function or increase the temperature for the last 5–7 minutes so the skin becomes really golden and crispy, but watch that the marinade doesn’t burn.
How to serve
Serve Gai Yang with sticky rice or regular jasmine rice, plus a spicy chili–lime dipping sauce and fresh cucumbers or a Thai-style carrot salad similar to Som Tam. It pairs well with a light beer, homemade lime lemonade or chilled jasmine tea. It’s a great dish for a weekend barbecue with friends when you want to surprise them with something other than the usual pork neck steaks.
Ingredients
- chicken thighs with bone and skin you can also use wings or drumsticks - 1 kg
- garlic peeled - 5 cloves
- coriander roots or coriander stalks if you don’t have roots, use the lower parts of the stalks and some leaves - 3 pieces
- pepper can be replaced with black pepper - 1 teaspoon
- fish sauce - 3 tablespoons
- soy sauce - 1 tablespoon
- sugar - 1 tablespoon
- oil for the marinade - 1 tablespoon
- lime juice optional, for a light acidity - 1 tablespoon
Preparation
- Finely chop the garlic and coriander roots or stalks, then crush them with a knife or in a mortar into a paste. If you don’t have a mortar, you can use a blender with a little oil.
- Add the garlic–coriander paste, pepper, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and oil to a bowl. Mix until the sugar dissolves. Finally add the lime juice, if using.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Make 2–3 shallow cuts in each thigh so the marinade can penetrate better.
- Place the chicken in a large bowl or zip-top bag, pour in the marinade and rub it thoroughly into the meat, also under the skin if possible. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (top–bottom heat). Arrange the chicken skin-side up on a rack set over a baking tray lined with baking paper (the fat will drip down).
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the skin is golden and crispy and the meat near the bone is completely white. If you want the skin more browned, turn on the grill function for the last 3–5 minutes.
- After baking, let the chicken rest for 5–10 minutes so the juices settle. Serve with rice, salad or a spicy chili sauce.
Storage
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the oven or on a covered pan so it doesn’t dry out; you can also serve it cold, sliced, in salads or sandwiches.
