Dinner · 50 min · thai

Gai Yang (Thai Grilled Chicken)

This is the kind of Thai dinner you’ll make on repeat — chicken leg quarters and lemongrass, 50 minutes, big payoff.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken leg quarters
• 3 stalks Lemongrass
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 3 tbsp Fish sauce
• 2 tbsp Palm sugar
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp White pepper

Steps

1. Pound the lemongrass, garlic, and white pepper into a paste. The bruised lemongrass releases citrusy oils you will never get from slicing. This marinade is the soul of gai yang.
2. Rub the chicken leg quarters all over with the paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, and turmeric. Marinate at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge for the full street-stall effect.
3. Set up your grill for medium indirect heat. You want to cook the chicken through without torching the sugary marinade. A little char is character; a lot is a bonfire.
4. Grill skin-side down first, 6 to 8 minutes, until the skin crisps and renders. Flip and cook 20 to 25 minutes more, turning occasionally, until the juices run clear and the thickest part reads 165°F.
5. Rest the chicken 10 minutes. Non-negotiable. The juices redistribute instead of running all over the cutting board.
6. Chop into pieces through the bone, Thai street-style, or carve off the bone for polite company. Serve with sticky rice and extra lime.

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