This Thai chicken is spectacular and possibly one of the easiest real South East Asian marinades. Hailing from the south of Thailand, it’s ridiculously simple, made with garlic, fish sauce, oyster sauce, cilantro/coriander, turmeric powder and brown sugar. That’s it.
There are two very popular types of Thai chicken. One is Gai Yang which I shared previously which has lemongrass in the marinade so it has an earthy lemon flavour that is so distinctly South East Asian. And this Southern Thai Chicken which is quite different because it has turmeric in it, and no lemongrass.
Lemongrass is a distinctly South East Asian herb which I absolutely love but does not make my standard weekly shop. Whereas this one is made with ingredients that I always have. Aside from cilantro/coriander, everything else is pantry staples. And because I cook so much Asian and Mexican food, coriander always makes it into my weekly basket.
I first tried this Southern Thai chicken at a night market in Bangkok. At the time, I didn’t even know what it was (my Thai is not that great….ie virtually non existent), I just knew it was a finger-licking’ lip smackin’ moment of bliss. I’m lucky I was with friends who were very patient as I became annoyingly persistent, trying to hunt it down again as we continued our exploration of Bangkok.
I never found it again in Bangkok. I was even making jokes about how there was a chicken conspiracy, depriving me of my fix that I needed. I Googled it when I got home, and I still couldn’t figure out what it was (and more importantly, where I could get more). Bearing in mind I knew nothing about what it was except it was a very tasty grilled chicken! I didn’t actually pick there was tumeric in it which would have made my search more successful.
And then, quite by chance, I stumbled across this Tumeric Chicken recipe on a site called Real Thai Recipes. As soon as I read it and saw the photo, my face broke out into a wide grin because I knew straight away that it was what I had. And the reason I never found it again in Bangkok is because it’s not common there, it’s a style of chicken from Southern Thailand.
It all made sense! There’s WASN’T a Thai Chicken conspiracy! No wonder I couldn’t find them on every street corner in Bangkok!
So I’m saving you the Googling and endless hunts through the night markets in the back streets of Bangkok. Here is a ripper of a chicken recipe which is a Southern Thai Chicken that you can grill/BBQ or bake. I really think you will enjoy it. It’s quite sweet, but there are savoury layers from the other ingredients. It’s one of those recipes that tastes like it has way more ingredients in it – my speciality! – Nagi x
Serve these on the side!
- Steamed Jasmine rice or Coconut Rice
- Crunchy Asian Slaw on the side – great all rounder Asian salad that goes with all Asian foods
- Asian Sesame Dressing for any fresh salad or steamed vegetables
- Asian Mushroom Ramen Noodles – another great all rounder!
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Southern Thai Chicken (Grilled or Baked)
Ingredients
- 5 chicken thigh cutlets , skin on and bone in (around 2.5lb / 1.2kg) (Note 1)
Marinade
- 4 garlic cloves , crushed
- 2 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper , ground
- 3 tbsp very finely chopped coriander/cilantro stems (as finely as you can mince with knife)
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- ¼ cup brown sugar (or finely grated palm sugar)
Instructions
- Combine Marinade ingredients in a bowl.
- Add chicken and coat thoroughly in Marinade. Marinade for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. (Note 2)
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. If you remember, take chicken out of the fridge and bring to room temperature.
- (Optional) Line a tray with baking paper/parchment paper (to save cleaning up), then place chicken on the baking tray, skin side up. Scrape all Marinade out of bowl and dab onto chicken.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until deep golden brown and chicken is cooked through. If it is too brown before cooked, cover loosely with foil and return to the oven.
- Allow to rest for 3 minutes before serving with rice and fresh slices of cucumber.
- Stove: To cook on the stove, heat a skillet over medium heat. Place skin side down and cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes or until the skin is dark golden. Then turn and cover with a lid again, Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until cooked through. Rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes:
- Drumsticks: Bake for 40 minutes
- Skinless boneless thighs: Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or stove/BBQ for 5 minutes each side on medium.
- Breast: Bake for 25 minutes, or stove/BBQ for around 6 minutes on each side on medium. 4. Slightly adapted from this Tumeric Chicken recipe from Real Thai Recipes. 5. Nutrition per serving assuming 5 servings. This does not take into account the fat that is rendered out of the thigh cutlets when cooking.
Nutrition Information:
This recipe looks delicious! Do you think I can substitute thin pork chops for the chicken? Maybe add a bit of oil to the marinade to make up the fat?
Yes of course Judy! Would be delicious!
Plan on making this soon. Would Thai peanut sauce go well with this?
Hi there,
This is such a simple but great recipe! I chanced upon your site and our family made a batch this afternoon (with only 2hrs for the marinade), and it was cleared up in no time! It was so good that my husband requested we make it again with a side salad for tomorrow’s lunch – we’re hoping for more flavours given the overnight marinade.
This is definitely a keeper and we can’t wait to share it at our next family gathering 🙂
That’s wonderful to hear Jaqueline! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed this! N xx
This dish was absolutely amazing. All your recipes are so so good. Finding your website has been life altering. I honestly can’t put into words how good all the dishes are. They certainly have had a huge impact on my life and cooking abilities. You’ve inspired me to travel to Asia just for the food! Thanks again for all your hard work!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this! And YES you must travel to Asia!!!
Hi Nagi,
I’ve got chicken marinating in the fridge right now. 🙂
Just wondering approximately how long it takes the chicken to come to room temperature after they’re taken out of the fridge? 2 or 3 hours maybe? And is it safe to leave the chicken out this long before they get cooked?
Thank you!
Your advice is always appreciated!
HI Maggie! 20 minutes is a good rule of thumb 🙂 Hope you love it!
Thank you Nagi! Love this recipe! Will definitely make again! It was so easy but full of flavour. I marinade overnight 😊
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Syulie! Thank you for letting me know! N xx ❤️
I tried your recipe last night. It was a winner! I added more turmeric and sauce cos I was cooking a larger batch of Maryland Chicken. Thank you for sharing!
That’s terrific to hear Sandra, thanks for leaving a review! N x
Another winner, Nagi! I also added a touch of lemongrass. Mr. Fussy got excited, as he always does when I say I’m making a Nagi recipe. And he loved this. So flavorful yet easy. I marinated the bone-in thighs for abut 3 hours and did the in the oven, with a quick crisp on broil for 2 minutes. Perfection!
You flatter me!! SO PLEASED Mr Fussy enjoyed this. I LOVE this chicken, the flavour is simply incredible!!
Hi Nagi, I really want to try this recipe because of the turmeric but my hubby and me are allergic to seafood/ fish. Other than substituting soy sauce for the fish sauce what can we use in place of oyster sauce? Any and all options appreciated. Mary G
Hi Mary! Hoisin sauce is a great sub, though it has a tiny touch of Chinese Five Spice, other than that the flavour is quite similar!
Even though I had to use hoisin sauce in the place of oyster sauce, and my chicken only marinated for 45 minutes, this was an outstanding dish! Really delicious. Thanks!
That’s so fantastic to hear Erica! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it! – N xx
This looks amazing! Do you think it will work with chicken leg quarters and how long would it need in the oven? I am going to make this on the weekend after picking up some oyster sauce and a new fresh packet of turmeric 🙂
Abolsutely! It would be SO juicy 🙂 I’d bake for around 1 hour (I’m assuming you’re talking about what we call Marylands here in Australia – leg + thigh still attached together, quite a large piece so takes longer to cook than legs by themselves).
I made this too, after making and reviewing the pork chops the other day! Loved it, followed recipe exactly aside from using ‘Marylands’. Fantastic, very unique taste. Thanks for posting. I am definitely subscribing! :))
Yes! So fantastic to hear you enjoyed this Christina! N xx
Delicious! I used less fish sauce and added lemongrass b/c I can’t help myself and cooked in a cast iron pan. This is a winner! Served with turmeric rice and cucumbers and magic broccoli (minus the parm cheese). tHANK YOU, Nagi!!
This was out of this world delicious. The flavours are insanely good. Love love love….
I am so happy that you tried and enjoyed this Lisa! I know it’s not as common as the other Thai chicken but it’s just as good in my opinion! And so much easier to make!!! N x
You’ve done it again Nagi. Can’t wait to make this
Kathy! OMG how ARE you?? Are you on dry land??
Sadly yes. Dry land but spring is a mere 4 months away. I know I don’t comment much these days but we have been enjoying a lot of your wonderful recipes. Keep up the great work!
Hi Nagi,
I’ve made this several times and I LOVE it! It’s one of my favorite recipes you have it on your blog. Today I already marinated the chicken thighs thinking that I was hosting a dinner tomorrow and then realized that the dinner is not until next week. Hahaha. Do you think it still works if I keep the marinated chicken in the freezer for a week and thaw it later? Or it would be too long of a time to marinate chicken? Thanks!
Ooh, so glad you love this one too!!! Just pop it in the freezer asap and then thaw before cooking. This is not a “harsh” marinade so it will be fine! 🙂 N x