A Tour of Thai Grilled Chicken with Maenam Chef Angus An

On a recent trip to Thailand, Vancouver chef Angus An⁠—of Maenam and Freebird Chicken Shack⁠—revisited a favourite dish that originated along the Mekong River and has spread throughout Thailand. He takes us on a tour of the best grilled chicken in Thailand, and shares his own recipe.

“Gai Yang is one of the best dishes I discovered on my first trip to Chiang Mai. This beautifully simple dish originated from Laos and Isan, and is readily available in street stalls, market stalls and restaurants in that region. What I loved most about this dish is its simplicity. Afterall, who doesn’t love a good grilled chicken? SP Chicken in Chiang Mai makes one of my favourite versions⁠—a simple marinade of garlic and lemongrass enhances the aroma when the chicken is grilled on the charcoal rotisserie. Because of this experience, I strongly encourage using a wood fire or charcoal grill when making my recipe. Make sure to let your charcoal burn until amber, then break it apart a bit and spread it evenly on the base of the grill before you grill. Aim for medium-low heat; if you have a thermometer, it should read around 325 fahrenheit. If it gets too hot you will scorch the skin before the meat is cooked through.”

Or Tor Kor Market, Bangkok. In this food stall they serve more of a split roast style, using the typical bamboo braces to hold the chicken nice and flat and grill over dying charcoal nice and slow. They use free range chicken here, which a typical westerner may find a little tough or dry, but the chicken is so much more flavourful, and they would refer to it as toothsome rather than dry. Photo by Angus An.

Angus An’s Gai Yang

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the chicken

Two 1 ½ to 2 pound free-range chickens

½ cup palm sugar

½ cup sugar

1 cup fish sauce

1 cup garlic cloves

1 cup coconut cream

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

A pinch of white pepper

For the nahm jim jaew sauce

¼ cup toasted ground rice

¼ cup fried shallots

¼ cup finely sliced pak chi farang (also known as culantro)

½ cup tamarind water

¼ cup lime juice

¼ cup fish sauce

¼ cup finely sliced shallots

3 tablespoons palm sugar

A large pinch of chili powder (we use blue tongue chile powder, from bird’s eye chilis)

SP Chicken, Chiangmai. This restaurant is famous for their rotisserie style. The rotisserie method allows the chicken to cook evenly without drying out; it is our favourite spot for chicken in Chiangmai. Photo by Angus An.

Method

For the chicken

Butterfly the chicken by cutting through the back bone and leaving the breastbone attached. Flatten the hen by slightly breaking the breast bone so the hen sits flat on your cutting board.

Blend all remaining ingredients together, and marinate the chicken in this mixture overnight.

Start a fire with charcoal in your grill. Let the charcoal go for 45 minutes and spread it onto one layer. Once the flame has died down, grill the hen over the grill until golden, about 15 minutes each side depending on size. The dying charcoal should be about the same as medium low heat on a gas grill.

To prevent the skin from burning, make sure to adjust the distance between the grill and charcoal, or smother the charcoal with some grated coconut. You want to slowly grill the chicken while achieving browning and crisping of the skin at the same time. Heat that is too strong or direct will burn the chicken before the inside is cooked.

Ruam Jai Gai Yang, Chiangmai. Another good restaurant in Chiangmai that does split roast style; the chicken they use is more meaty and juicy, and is breaded similar to western fryer chickens. The resulting meat is tender and juicy. Photo by Angus An.

For the nahm jim jaew

In a medium sized bowl, stir all ingredients until well combined. Check seasoning and adjust with added lime, fish sauce or sugar until equally sweet, salty, sour and spicy. Transfer to a lidded container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.