Recipes

Grilled Chicken

Gai Yang

Herb-marinated spatchcocked chicken broiled until crisp, served with a toasted rice chili dip

Prep

60 min

Cook

60 min

Serves

4

Heat

mild

Gai Yang is normally cooked slowly over wood coals at street stalls throughout Thailand, but a broiler does a respectable job of getting the same crisp, well-colored skin at home. The marinade leans on a ground paste of coriander root, garlic, and black pepper mixed with turmeric and a trio of soy and fish sauces, worked under the skin as well as over it so the flavor reaches the meat directly. The chicken gets spatchcocked flat so it cooks evenly, then basted through its time under the broiler. A dipping sauce built on toasted rice powder and dried chili, finished with barely-touched cilantro leaves, is the classic accompaniment served alongside.

Ingredients

• 1/3 stalk Lemongrass (sliced thin)
• 2 Coriander root (finely chopped)
• 2 Garlic, large cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon Black peppercorns
• 3/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 3 tablespoons Light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Fish sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dark sweet soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Fish sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Fresh lime juice
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Toasted ground white rice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Sun-dried Thai hot chili (ground)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Coriander/cilantro leaves (cut into large pieces, not chopped)
• 3 1/2-4 lb Whole chicken (spatchcocked)

Directions

1. Chop the coriander root and slice the lemongrass thin. Grind the black peppercorns to a fine powder in a mortar and pestle, then add the coriander root and garlic and continue grinding into a thick paste.
2. Stir the herb paste together with the light soy sauce, dark sweet soy sauce, fish sauce, and turmeric until well blended. Let it sit for about 15 minutes.
3. Cut through the backbone of the chicken and spread it flat, cutting through the breastbone while keeping the chicken in one piece. Rinse the cavity well and pat dry.
4. Place the chicken breast side up. Lift the skin over the breast and rub marinade underneath, then lay the skin back down. Pour the rest of the marinade over the whole chicken and rub it in well.
5. Turn the chicken breast side down and marinate for 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C with the broiler element on. Place the chicken breast side up on a wire rack over a baking sheet so fat drains away. Broil for about an hour, checking periodically and basting with any remaining marinade to build color on the skin.
7. While the chicken cooks, cut the cilantro gently into large pieces without chopping it, to avoid bruising. Stir together the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, toasted rice, and ground chili for the dipping sauce. Let it sit at least 10 minutes so the rice and chili soften, then stir in the cilantro just before serving.
8. The chicken is done when well browned and the breast reaches at least 165F/73C internally, or the juices run clear when pierced. Rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
9. Serve whole at the table for everyone to carve, or cut into pieces on a platter, with sticky rice and the dipping sauce alongside.

Notes

Rub marinade underneath the breast skin, not just over the top — that's what gets the flavor into the meat itself rather than leaving it sitting only on the surface.

Substitutions

A charcoal grill can replace the oven broiler for a more traditional smoky flavor — just keep the heat low and cook slowly until the skin is crisp and golden.