Published July 1, 2004.
The traditional Thai chicken recipe produces herb-and-spice-rubbed grilled chicken served in small pieces and eaten as finger food, along with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. After testing numerous rub combinations, the simplest version won out, made only with cilantro, black pepper, lime juice, and garlic, accented with the earthy flavor of coriander and fresh ginger. Most Thai chicken recipes call for grilling the chicken over a single-level fire, but this method resulted in a charred exterior and an uncooked interior. Covering the grill with a disposable foil pan, which creates a "mini" oven, solved the problem. The true Thai flavors of this dish come through in the sauce, a classic combination of sweet and spicy. Most gai yang sauce recipes suffer from the extremes, but we found balance in a blend of sugar, lime juice, white vinegar, hot red pepper flakes, fish sauce, and garlic.
For even cooking, the chicken breasts should be of comparable size. The best way to ensure this is to buy whole breasts and split them yourself, (see instructions below). If you prefer to skip this step, try to purchase split bone-in, skin-on breasts that weigh about 12 ounces each. If using a charcoal grill, you will need a disposable aluminum roasting pan to cover the chicken (the lid on a charcoal grill can give the chicken resinous "off" flavors). Some of the rub is inevitably lost to the grill, but the chicken will still be flavorful.
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