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Gai Yang

Grilled chicken on a wooden cutting board with a meat cleaver and a mortar and pestle filled with sauce.
Photo by Maureen M. Evans

Thai grilled chicken is an absolute delight and, in my opinion, is far superior to other grilled chicken dishes from around the world. The dish hails from Isaan, where grilling over fire is a main cooking method. However, gai yang is eaten in every corner of Thailand, served with green papaya salad (som tam) and sticky rice (khao niaw). The success of this gai yang recipe relies on a few processes, but with some planning ahead it is relatively simple to pull off and is great for sharing with family and friends.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Kin Thai’ by John Chantarasak. Buy the full book on Amazon. This book was selected as one of the best cookbooks of 2022.

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