New Thai BBQ Chicken (Gai Yang)

Name: New Thai BBQ Chicken (Gai Yang)
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H15M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT5H0M0.000S
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: One 3 1/2-pound (1.6-kg) whole chicken; 1 cup (240 ml) full-fat coconut milk; 1/4 cup (84 g) red curry paste (see Cook’s Note); 2 teaspoons (10 g) minced garlic; 1 tablespoon (15 g) white sugar; 2 tablespoons (13 g) curry powder; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; Sweet chili sauce, for dipping

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Level: Easy

Total: 5 hr (includes marinating time)
Active: 15 min

Yield: 8 servings

I used to make Thai BBQ chicken the same way forever, and it required a lot of ingredients and time. While working in tech and universities, I realized I needed a quicker way as we were making Thai BBQ chicken for hundreds of people. Thinking about all the herbs and spices that are in curry paste and curry powder, a lightbulb came on. I didn’t need to individually source galanga, lemongrass, chili, turmeric and all the other ingredients to make Thai BBQ chicken the old way, because all those ingredients were in curry paste and curry powder. So, Thai BBQ chicken V.2.0 was born and here it is!

Level: Easy

Total: 5 hr (includes marinating time)
Active: 15 min

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

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One 3 1/2-pound (1.6-kg) whole chicken

1 cup (240 ml) full-fat coconut milk

1/4 cup (84 g) red curry paste (see Cook’s Note)

2 teaspoons (10 g) minced garlic

1 tablespoon (15 g) white sugar

2 tablespoons (13 g) curry powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Sweet chili sauce, for dipping

Directions

Special equipment:

a meat thermometer

Split the chicken in half. Poke holes in the chicken using a fork and place it in a gallon-size zip-top bag.
Make the marinade by combining the remaining ingredients, except the sweet chili sauce, in a medium bowl. Whisk together until smooth and well combined.
Pour the marinade mixture over the chicken in the bag. Close the bag and massage well to coat it evenly. Make sure the bag is zipped tight then place it in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place a rack just below the middle position. Lay the chicken halves skin-side up on a foil-lined sheet pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C) in the fleshy part of the thigh. Pull from the oven and rest for at least 10 minutes. You can cut each half into four pieces and serve immediately, or finish on the grill to get some marks and extra flavor. Always serve with sweet chili sauce!

Cook’s Note

For those who are allergic to shellfish, a lot of curry pastes contain shrimp, so make sure to check before cooking with them. As a bonus, when you find a brand of curry paste sans shrimp, that paste is almost always vegan for your vegetable curries.