Thai Grilled Chicken - Gai Yang (ไก่ย่าง) | Mark Wiens

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It would be virtually impossible to say anything negative about Thai grilled chicken, known as Gai Yang (ไก่ย่าง). It's available all over the streets from Bangkok to Chiang Mai to Nakhon Pathom, and you'll be able to smell the luscious aroma of grilled chicken smoke from hundreds of meters away.

So for today's video I was in Nakhon Pathom, about an hour outside of central Bangkok, a city that happens to be famous for their Gai Yang (ไก่ย่าง). It can be found across the city, being grilled up and then laying on banana leaves waiting to be purchased. Believe me, every time you walk past, you'll be tempted to purchase. And that's exactly what happened to me, I had no intention of eating Thai grilled chicken that day, but the fumes and the juicy looking chicken thighs were all I need to lure me in. Soon I found myself choosing a big fat chicken piece and my mouth was drooling for a taste.

There are a few different marinades for Thai Grilled Chicken Gai Yang (ไก่ย่าง). This version, that's widely available in Nakhon Pathom is first soaked in turmeric (to make it orange), fish sauce, salt, garlic, and some kind of sugar to make it slightly sweetened. Once the chicken has been marinated, it's then attached to a bamboo stick. It's then thrown on the hot fire and roasted until done, but not overcooked to the point where it's dry. The great thing about the chicken vendor I bought from was that she had hand grilled every piece to perfection. I think she took some real care in her grilled chicken.

Along with my choice of chicken piece, which was fresh off the grill and still hot, I also bought a bag of fresh sticky rice. Back to the chicken, that first bite was miraculous - it was so good I almost couldn't believe it was chicken. It was salty to perfection, nicely garlicky, and the tinge of turmeric made it even better. A bite of Thai grilled chicken (gai yang ไก่ย่าง), chased by a bite of plain sticky rice is one combination the Thais have seriously mastered.

When you eat grilled chicken in Thailand, make sure you choose the fresh hot pieces that haven't been sitting out all day. If the vendor is still cooking, you can be more sure that her chicken is fresh and good to eat. Also, feel free to choose your piece of chicken and then throw it back on the grill to re-heat it if necessary. You don't have to go to Nakhon Pathom to eat gai yang, I just happened to be there for this video, but you'll find grilled chicken all over Thailand!

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