This Thai Hen recipe is a straightforward solution to make Gai Yang at house, Thailand’s well-known barbecue hen. It makes use of a aromatic Thai marinade that delivers street-stall scrumptious – with out pounding pastes, lighting coals or wrestling an entire hen! Serve with Coconut Rice and swoon.
Conventional Thai Hen
For those who’ve ever travelled by Thailand, you’ll know precisely what Gai Yang is and why I’m obsessive about it – smoky, savoury, fragrant Thai BBQ hen bought by road distributors who churn out good chargrilled hen all day lengthy. It’s the type of meals that makes usually civilised people revert to full caveman mode. Oh sure, you possibly can completely image me proper??! Fred Flinstone would approve! 😀
Historically, entire butterflied chickens are marinated in a aromatic paste made by pounding components like lemongrass and garlic with a mortar and pestle, then grilled slowly over charcoal till bronzed and juicy.
I wished to recreate the flavour of genuine Gai Yang to make it extra home-cook pleasant. So I exploit boneless thighs, a stick blender for the marinade and prepare dinner it on the BBQ or range. Simplifying road meals on this approach can fall brief – however for Gai Yang, the marinade is so good, it really works nice!
Elements in Marinated Thai Hen – Gai Yang
My rule of thumb when cooking meals on a BBQ or range fairly than smoky charcoal is to dial up the marinade flavours to compensate for the absence of smoky flavour. That’s precisely what I’ve achieved right here. 🙂
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Boneless hen thighs – Conventional Gai Yang in Thailand requires reducing up an entire hen and cooking it with the skin-on and bone-in. The very best different lower that’s simpler to prepare dinner for juicy, flavour-packed Gai Yang is boneless hen thighs. They keep tender, take in marinade brilliantly and get these beautiful caramelised edges!
Hen breast and hen tenders can be utilized too – the marinade helps retain juiciness inside. For breast, I’d both break up them in half horizontally or pound to even thickness so that they prepare dinner by extra evenly, else the thinner finish will get overcooked. I’ve popped instructions within the recipe notes.
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Lemongrass – A signature flavour of Gai Yang that’s so distinctly South East Asian! It has an earthy lemon flavour and it’s what makes this hen particular and units it other than simply one other soy-sauce-sugar marinade!
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Garlic – Important for constructing that traditional Thai savoury base.
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Fish sauce – Salty, savoury, and extra flavour than soy. The smelly fishy flavour is gone as soon as cooked! That is what makes it style correctly Thai.
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Mild AND darkish soy sauce – I exploit soy sauce so as to add extra salt into the marinade as a result of utilizing simply fish sauce generally is a bit too fishy. The darkish soy sauce offers the hen an attractive bronzed end whereas the sunshine soy sauce provides the salt with out darkening the hen an excessive amount of. Darkish soy additionally has a way more intense soy sauce flavour so you must use with restraint!
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Brown sugar – Balances the salty parts and helps the hen caramelise for sticky, charry edges.
The way to make Gai Yang – Thai Hen (grilled or range)
As talked about above, I wished to make Gai Yang extra home-kitchen pleasant, so I exploit a stick blender fairly than mortar and pestle for the marinade, and prepare dinner it on the BBQ or range. I notably like utilizing the BBQ since you get a little bit of the street-food reminiscent smoky flavour, plus it’s simpler to prepare dinner all the batch in a single go. Nice for summer season gatherings!
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Blitz sliced lemongrass, entire garlic cloves and all the opposite marinade components right into a jug massive sufficient to suit the pinnacle of a stick blender. Blitz till the lemongrass is pulverised into tiny bits (lemongrass is sort of powerful, not nice to chunk into massive chunks).
No stick blender? No worries! Simply grate the lemongrass and garlic finely then combine it into the soy sauce and so on by hand.
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Marinate the hen within the marinade in a single day. 24 hours is finest, to actually get the flavours all by the meat. Absolute naked minimal is 3 hours.
No time to marinate? Slice up the hen into bite-size strips, toss within the sauce then pan fry it. You possibly can toss in some greens and make a stir-fry. 🙂
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Cook dinner the hen in a pan or a BBQ on medium warmth for about 5 to six minutes on either side till beautiful bronzed with charred edges. (I exploit the grill facet of the BBQ, not flat iron, it really works higher). Due to the sugar and darkish soy within the marinade, the floor can burn in a short time so what I love to do is preheat the pan / BBQ on excessive, then I decrease the warmth to medium as soon as I put the hen on.
No oil – You shouldn’t want any oil in case your BBQ is properly greased or for those who use a non-stick pan as a result of the marinade has oil in it, and we’re utilizing thighs which has some fats in it.
Burning? Flip a number of occasions fairly than simply as soon as, oh, and decrease the warmth! 🙂
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Relaxation the hen for 3 to five minutes earlier than serving. I simply pile it straight onto the serving plate and go away it. If cooking in batches, loosely tent with foil to maintain them heat and pile on prime of one another.
By no means skip resting! This step permits the juices to be re-absorbed into the meat fibres so that they don’t spill out onto the plate if you lower into it.
What to serve with Gai Yang
Sauce – Historically, Gai Yang is served with a sauce known as Nam Jim Jaew which is made with fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and finely chopped garlic, chillies, eschalots and inexperienced onion. You may dip items in or spoon it over the hen so it additionally flavours the rice.
For a faster sauce, you would additionally use the Candy Chilli Sauce from the Thai Candy Chilli Beef Bowls (comparable flavours, no want to cut something) and even simply plonk a bottle of candy chilli sauce on the desk. 🙂
As for sides, serve with Jasmine rice, and even higher, coconut rice! (PS For those who’ve by no means been capable of make coconut rice with out it ending up a gluey mess or burning, you’ll love that recipe – my workforce and I labored so arduous to crack the right coconut rice!).
Add a facet of freshness with some uncooked slices or chunks of cucumber and tomato, Thai-style. No dressing, simply plain. It sounds boring, however as a result of the meat is so flavourful and juicy, the freshness actually works. You’ll crave it! Else, for those who’re after a salad, strive an Asian Slaw, Vermicelli Noodle Salad (the recent mint right here actually works) or the Thai Hen Salad minus hen plus further veg.
Fall again possibility – Asian Sesame Dressing (4 components, pour and shake) with any leafy greens or steamed greens (lettuce, cabbage, tomato, steamed broccoli, zucchini, peas, asparagus – it really works with the whole lot!).
Take pleasure in! – Nagi x
Watch tips on how to make it
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Thai Grilled Hen (Gai Yang)
Prep: 8 minutes
Cook dinner: 12 minutes
Marinating time: 1 day
Whole: 20 minutes
Barbecue, BBQ, Hen, Grilling
Thai
Servings5
Faucet or hover to scale
Elements
Sauce choices – CHOOSE ONE
Stop display screen from sleeping
Directions
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Blitz – Place Marinade components EXCEPT oil in a jug simply massive sufficient to suit the pinnacle of a stick blender. Blitz till lemongrass and garlic is absolutely pureed. (No stick blender? Finely grate lemongrass and garlic, then combine)
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Marinate – Pour in a bowl. Add oil, stir. Add hen, toss to completely coat. Cowl and marinate in a single day (my naked minimal is 3 hours). No marinating time? Finely slice, toss in marinade then prepare dinner like a stir-fry.
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Warmth the out of doors BBQ grill on excessive or a non stick pan over excessive warmth on the range.
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Cook dinner – Take away hen from the Marinade and discard the Marinade (until baking within the oven – refer Word 3). Put hen on the BBQ or within the pan, then flip warmth down to medium (candy marinade = vulnerable to burning). Cook dinner the hen till golden brown – round 5 to six minutes on either side. (If it burns, flip right away. You may flip repeatedly, as wanted.)
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Relaxation and serve – Relaxation for 3 minutes. Serve alongside a mound of steamy coconut rice with lime wedges, garnished with recent chilies and coriander/cilantro, and your chosen sauce.
Recipe Notes:
To make use of bone-in, skin-one items, flip continuously and prepare dinner for longer till cooked by. You possibly can additionally bake at 200C/400F (180C fan) for round 45 minutes – baste in direction of the top for pretty caramelisation.
2. Lemongrass is available in supermarkets in Australia today. Peel the outer inexperienced layers off to show the white half on the backside of the stalk (~15cm/6″). Solely use the white / pale inexperienced components – the opposite components are powerful and “reed” like.
3. Soy sauce – You may substitute the darkish soy sauce with extra mild soy however do NOT substitute the sunshine soy with extra darkish soy sauce (it’s far too intense and can wreck the dish!).
4. Oven – If you wish to use the oven, it’s best to broil/oven grill, on a rack, for round quarter-hour on excessive, turning as wanted. You’ll get good caramelisation with out overcooking the hen!
Common oven bake – 200C/375F (180C fan) for round 20 – 25 minutes, relying on the dimensions of your fillets although you gained’t get the identical quantity of caramelisation. Flip as soon as and baste a minimum of as soon as (ideally twice) utilizing the remaining Marinade.
Initially revealed 2015. Up to date in 2025 with improved marinade, glowing new pictures, a recipe video and most significantly, Lifetime of Dozer part added! I up to date the marinade to cut back the variety of components however nonetheless ship the identical high quality flavour – for instance, I eliminated honey and elevated sugar barely. I eliminated Chinese language cooking wine as a result of it’s not historically utilized in Gai Yang, and I didn’t really feel the recipe was missing once I took it out. And eventually, I reverted to utilizing a stick blender which isn’t solely quicker than finely minced lemongrass and garlic, but additionally extracts extra flavour out of the lemongrass.
Lifetime of Dozer
Dozer had his Story Time Spectacular on the weekend, to have fun the launch of Row Row Row your Boat (with Monsters!)! That is the kids’s guide that includes Dozer which is elevating cash for One Meal, the meals reduction charity that distributes our RecipeTin Meals to these in want.
There was a run sheet and schedule and scripts, we did rehearsals and all knew our roles.
Does it shock anybody that nothing went to plan?? 😂 “By no means work with youngsters or canine,” they stated! In the meantime, I spent 80% of the time stroking Dozer’s head attempting to maintain him calm as he barked persistently, irritated he was trapped within the row boat fairly than waddling across the stage just like the star he thinks he ought to have been.🤣
He grew to become notably bark-y when youngsters have been introduced up on stage to hitch within the interactive studying half!
And right here’s the writer, Adam Simpson. He’s really my firm lawyer – that’s the connection! Is your lawyer as enjoyable as mine?? 🤣 Adam wrote the guide and is donating all his royalties to One Meal.
Dozer and I additionally handled the youngsters to some Dozer cookies! These have been made by Claudia from Monogram Cookies. I’ve used her just a few occasions now, it’s such an effective way to do an edible thank-you reward for big numbers and be capable to customise it with a message, or branding and so on. and I feel it’s excellent worth for what you get. Plus she’s native to my space (Drummoyne – although companies all of Sydney), makes the entire course of seamless and is such a stunning individual to work with. I’m going to make use of her for some Christmas cookies for gifting too!
It was an enormous day for Mr Dozer! He’s spent the final couple of days slothing – and he deserves it. He’s an previous creaky boy now (nearly 14!) and technically in retirement, however was completely happy to come back out of retirement for this good trigger!
PS In case you didn’t decide it, the automobile under is a row boat! Dozer was tucked in with Madeline, the daughter of the writer Adam.
Love you Dozer! Sharing these experiences with you is so particular, particularly in your golden years. You make the whole lot extra enjoyable! – N x
