Thai Barbecue Chicken, 'Gai Yang'

Bangsaen-style gai yang is a yellow (turmeric-infused) chicken that's already been cooked, and they finish each order with a few minutes on their distinctive grills. The meat is flat and relatively thin, so we use thin-cut skinless breasts in our recipe. After some experimentation and advice from a very good Thai chef known for famous gai yang, we've created a version that starts off in the oven, and we know you'll love it. We also provide a recipe for traditional Thai bbq chicken (gai yang boran) using cornish game hens.

Thai chickens tend to be small, and tasty. When making traditional gai yang, you can use a 2 pound chicken, or cornish game hens, or other small poultry. Modify the marinade to suit your preference. Some chefs would omit the ginger, others add more garlic, etc. If you choose to use satay powder, it will give your gai yang a special "signature" flavor that no other can match--we highly recommend it.

Bang Saen Beach-style Gai Yang, Method

You will need about 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast, preferably thin-cut. In a mortar and pestle, pound peppercorns into a powder. Add salt and garlic, then pound until it turns into a smooth paste. Add coriander, lemongrass, turmeric and sugar, pound together until well blended. Transfer to a large mixing bowl then add oyster sauce, thin soy sauce and coconut milk stir until smooth. Put chicken in the marinade mixture and knead (put gloves or your hands will turn yellow) to make sure the marinade gets all over the chicken. Cover and let it marinade overnight in the fridge.

Bake your chicken directly on a lightly-oiled oven rack, at 375 F. Lay some foil on the bottom of the rack to catch drippings. Bake for 30-35 minutes. At this point you can enjoy the chicken as it is, or let it cool down a bit then re-cook on a bbq grill over charcoal for a few minutes to finish it. Serve with sticky rice andsweet chili sauce for chicken as dipping. Enjoy!

Traditional Gai Yang, Method

Pound the coriander seed in a mortar and pestle, into a coarse powder (not too fine) set aside. Pound the garlic into a rough paste, set aside. Wash the chicken and rub it with fresh limes. Combine the marinade ingredients (coriander seed powder, garlic paste, turmeric powder, salt, soy sauce, pepper powder, and sugar) with 4 cups of water in a large bowl. Mix well. Add chicken, and marinade for an hour or more (overnight), the longer the better.

As a side note, you can give the marinade more strength by adding some ground black pepper, ground fresh ginger, and dark sweet soy sauce.

Place the chicken on a roasting pan. Preheat oven to 450F, then place chicken into oven and reduce heat to 350F, and cook for about 50 minutes (cook until internal temperature reaches 165F), and the skin is crispy brown.

This is best served with Thai sticky rice, and sweet chile sauce. You should also put some more fresh ground ginger on the table and the usual Thai condiments (we particularly like chilis marinated in sweet dark soy sauce with this one). You can also serve it with a simple green salad.

Street Vendor Gai Yang, Method

Wash the chicken and rub it with fresh limes. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken, mix well and marinade.

Barbecue over charcoal or broil until cooked and the skin is crispy brown.

This is best served with Thai sticky rice, and sweet chile sauce. You should also put some more fresh ground ginger on the table and the usual Thai condiments (we particularly like chilis marinated in sweet dark soy sauce with this one). You can also serve it with a simple green salad.