Classic Thai BBQ Grilled Chicken Recipe (with Tangy Dipping Sauce)

Classic Thai BBQ Grilled Chicken Recipe (with Tangy Dipping Sauce)

 Yaowalak Thongpoonkaew/Getty Images

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 2 to 3 servings

This grilled chicken recipe is truly bursting with all the flavor and exquisiteness of Thai cooking! Marinated in a garlicky sweet and sour sauce, the chicken pieces are then easily barbecued or oven-baked to perfection. Add my special homemade Thai sauce as either a dipping sauce or a glaze, and this dish will be the life of your dinner or lunch party! It's a classic Thai BBQ chicken recipe you will want to keep in your recipe files for life!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 fresh chicken (chopped into small parts) or 4 pieces chicken
  • Marinade:
  • 2 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. dark soy sauce (or 1 more tbsp. regular soy sauce)
  • 2 tbsp. fish sauce
  • 3 tbsp. sherry (cooking sherry works well too)
  • 2 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp. black peppercorns (crushed with pestle & mortar) or 1 tsp. coarsely-ground black pepper
  • 10 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 red chili (minced, to taste)
  • Dipping Sauce or Glaze:
  • 2/3 cup rice vinegar (or another type of vinegar: white, white wine, or apple cider)
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 fresh red chili (minced) or 1/3 to 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili or cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp. fish sauce

Steps to Make It

  1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and stir well to dissolve the sugar.

  2. Add chicken, turning several times to ensure the chicken is covered and literally bathed in the marinade.  Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate at least 2 hours, or overnight is even better.

  3. To make the dipping sauce/glaze, place all the dipping sauce/glaze ingredients in a saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil (the smell will be quite pungent as the vinegar burns off).  Reduce heat slightly to keep it on a gentle boil.  When sauce has reduced to 1/3 and is bubbling all over the surface, remove from heat.  The sauce will thicken as it cools and should taste tangy - a mixture of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.  Note that it's best to make the sauce right before eating, or it will thicken too much.  If this happens, reheat and add a little water.

  4. Brush your grill with a little vegetable oil, then grill the chicken, turning occasionally. Brush the chicken with the leftover marinade for the first 10 minutes or so, then discard marinade. (If the weather doesn't cooperate, see tip below recipe.)

  5. Serve with the dipping sauce on the side, or spoon a little sauce over each piece of chicken as a glaze before serving. This dish goes well with a salad or served with rice. ENJOY!

If the Weather Doesn't Cooperate:

Cook the chicken in your oven!

  1. Place chicken pieces on a grill pan or on a baking sheet lined with foil.

  2. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, or until chicken is nearly done (thicker pieces may need slightly longer). 

  3. Then Turn oven to the "broil" setting (on "high" if you have a choice), and move chicken to one of the upper racks of your oven.

  4. Baste both sides of chicken with the leftover marinade, or with a little of the dipping sauce, then broil 3-5 minutes per side, or until fully cooked (stay near the oven for this process, or chicken may burn).

Glass Bakeware Warning

Do not use glass bakeware when broiling or when a recipe calls to add liquid to a hot pan, as glass may explode. Even if it states oven-safe or heat resistant, tempered glass products can, and do, break occasionally.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
690 Calories
24g Fat
66g Carbs
52g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 3
Amount per serving
Calories 690
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g 31%
Saturated Fat 7g 33%
Cholesterol 139mg 46%
Sodium 1836mg 80%
Total Carbohydrate 66g 24%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Protein 52g
Calcium 238mg 18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)