Juicy Gai Yang (Thai Grilled Chicken) with Charred Edges

Boneless chicken thighs absorb a salty liquid fast and cook up with sticky, dark edges. This recipe for Juicy Gai Yang (Thai Grilled Chicken) with Charred Edges relies on a quick puree of garlic and fresh aromatics. You need about 3 hours to marinate 2 lb (1 kg) of meat.

Chicken choices

Boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets remain tender, absorb the Lemongrass Marinade efficiently, and form beautifully caramelized edges. You can swap these out for chicken breasts or chicken tenders. Simply slice whole breasts horizontally or pound them flat so they are uniform from end to end, ensuring they heat at the same rate. Chicken pieces with the skin and bones still attached are another good option. Those cuts just demand more time on the stove and require you to flip them frequently.

The Lemongrass Marinade

This mixture requires one large lemongrass stalk. Strip off the reedy outer layers to uncover the tender 15-centimeter white and pale green base. The higher green sections are fibrous. Blending them into the liquid leaves behind tough, unpleasant chunks. Cut the usable pale bottom portion into slices measuring 1/5 inch (5 mm) thick.

Using a handheld blender to puree the sliced lemongrass and four whole peeled garlic cloves extracts more flavor than mincing. Place the aromatics into a narrow container with the fish sauce, brown sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and neutral oil. The fish sauce acts as a salty base, and its strong scent dissipates during cooking. Dark soy sauce leaves a bronzed finish on the meat and carries a very intense flavor. You can swap the light soy sauce for tamari or any all-purpose soy sauce. Never replace the light soy sauce with dark soy sauce, as doing so will overwhelm the other flavors and ruin the dish.

If you do not have a blender, finely grate the garlic and lemongrass before mixing them by hand with the sugar and sauces. Approximately one tablespoon of lemongrass tube paste can take the place of fresh stalks.

Marinating the chicken

You pour the puree over the chicken fillets and toss them well. The bowl needs to sit covered for a bare minimum of 3 hours. You can leave the meat overnight or up to 24 hours for the best liquid penetration.

You can cut the raw chicken into fine strips if you have no time to wait. You just toss the small pieces in the liquid and cook them fast as a stir-fry.

Grilling the meat

You can cook this indoors on a nonstick pan or outside on a BBQ grill. The strong garlic and soy mixture compensates for the lack of charcoal smoke when you cook indoors. You do not need extra cooking fat because the liquid already contains two tablespoons of oil. You start by heating your surface on high.

You put the chicken down and immediately drop the temperature to medium. The high heat gives a quick sear, but the lower heat finishes the job safely. The brown sugar and dark soy sauce will burn the surface fast if you cook the meat entirely on high heat.

The fillets need 5 to 6 minutes on each side. The sugar scorches easily. You should flip the meat multiple times if the outside starts to burn before the inside finishes cooking. You can discard any leftover liquid from the bowl, or use it to baste bone-in pieces near the end of their cooking time.

Resting

You must take the meat off the heat and let it rest for 3 to 5 minutes. The muscle fibers relax and hold onto the liquids. The internal juices will spill out onto your cutting board if you cut into the meat too soon.

You can stack the finished pieces and loosely tent them with foil to keep them warm while you cook multiple batches.

To Serve

You cut the warm meat into strips and plate it. Steamed coconut rice or Jasmine rice absorbs the salty juices well.

You can scatter finely sliced red chilies and cilantro leaves over the top. Lime wedges add fresh acid to the meal.

Provide a Dipping Sauce (Pick One) alongside the cooked meat. For a traditional option, serve the dish with Nam Jim Jaew. This mixture combines scallions, shallots, garlic, chilies, sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce. A bottle of sweet chili sauce provides a fast alternative.

Serving uncooked slices of tomato and plain cucumber gives the plate a refreshing crunch next to the rich poultry. Feel free to bring out any of the following pairings: [li] An Asian-style slaw [li] A cold vermicelli salad [li] Warm vegetables steamed and coated in sesame dressing

• Asian slaw
• A salad made with thin rice noodles
• Steamed vegetables tossed in sesame dressing