This Thai bbq chicken is tender, full of flavour and amazing cooked outside on the bbq or even in the oven. Marinating the chicken makes it succulent, slightly sticky and oh so moreish!
I love barbecued food and I love barbecue flavours but until now I hadn't cooked a bbq recipe with Thai flavours. That all changed when I was looking through my latest cookbook, Easy Thai Cookbook by Sallie Morris. As soon as I saw the Thai bbq chicken I knew I wanted to make it. We love marinated chicken and my children are especially keen on chicken legs right now. Although we also like these honey and hot sauce marinated chicken wings!
I could not have been happier with the results. The Thai bbq chicken legs were tender, moist and perfectly cooked. The slightly blackened skin had an amazing flavour that had permeated the chicken too. It's definitely a recipe that I'll be making again!
The great thing about any marinade is that it helps tenderise the meat and also flavours it. What's more, this Thai marinade is so easy to make. You really can mix up the ingredients for it while you're getting ready in the morning and then leave it to do it's work while you're out during the day. In the evening, you only need to put everything on a baking tray in the oven.
Of course, if you have time then finishing these chicken legs off on the bbq is something that will really make them special. Even so, just cooked in the oven alone they are totally scrumptious!
Ingredients for Thai bbq chicken
To make this Thai bbq chicken you'll need:
- Coriander (cilantro) stems
- Coriander seeds - You can replace the whole spices with ground coriander
- Syrup - You could use golden syrup, maple syrup, agave nectar or honey. I used honey.
- Black pepper
- Garlic - I usually use fresh garlic cloves but you can use a paste or puree
- Fish sauce - If you don't have fish sauce you can replace it with light soy sauce.
- Turmeric
- Chicken legs - You could swap the legs for wings, thighs or even chicken breasts
How do you make Thai bbq chicken?
This Thai chicken recipe is really simple to make. Basically you mix together all the ingredients to make a marinade and then coat the chicken in the marinade and leave for up to 24 hours in the fridge.
When you're ready to cook, simply take the chicken out of the fridge, ideally 20 minutes before cooking. Then put the chicken on a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes.
If you are planning to have a bbq then take the chicken out of the oven a little earlier and just finish cooking on the bbq.
How long does it keep?
Like any cooked chicken, it will keep in the fridge for at least three days. Store it carefully in an airtight container.
Can you freeze it?
Yes, if you're planning to freeze this chicken then put in a freezer bag as soon as it has cooled and it should keep for up to 4 months. Defrost it in the fridge overnight before eating the next day.
My review of The Easy Thai Cookbook
If you love Thai flavours but don't often cook Thai food at home then this book is a great starting point. The recipes are clear and easy as well as looking beautifully tempting! There are recipes for lots of well-known Thai dishes such as curries, stir fries and soups but also more special recipe for dishes such as steamed stuffed crab and Thai rubies.
Personally on my list of recipes to try after this Thai bbq chicken are the barbecue spare ribs (khrong moo yang), market salad (som tam) and coconut milk ice cream (alsa khrim ka-thi). I also plan to try some of the stir fries as they make great quick and easy midweek meals.
I love Thai flavours and in the past have made Thai beef salad, Thai chicken curry and Thai cucumber salad.
Now I've got this book I'm looking forward to cooking a lot more Thai dishes!
Recipe
Thai BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 coriander (cilantro) stems
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds or replace with 1.5 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 tablespoon golden/light corn syrup or honey I used honey
- 1 teaspoon black pepper coarsely ground
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 kg chicken legs
Instructions
- Chop the coriander stalks and then pound them in a pestle and mortar.
- If using coriander seeds, then toast them in a dry frying pan and then pound them in the pestle and mortar too.
- Mix all the marinade ingredients together and either place in a bowl with the chicken or in a ziplock bag. Leave to marinate for a minimum of an hour. You could leave for up to 24 hours though.
- Preheat the oven to 190C.
- Put the chicken in a roasting tray and roast in the oven for 40 minutes. If you plan to finish it on the bbq then roast for 30 minutes then transfer to the barbecue to finish it off.
Notes
Nutrition
Keep in touch
Do let me know if you make this Thai bbq chicken or any of my other recipes. I love to get feedback from readers.
You can also stay up to date by following on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Dislosure: I was originally sent this book as part of a review and giveaway. The post has been edited to remove the original giveaway content.
Lorna Wils
Thai red curry i smy favourite!!
Lorna Wilson
My favourite is the Thai red Curry
laura stewart
thai green prawn curry
Sheila Reeves @cakereev
I love vegetarian Pad Thai - lots of noodles and vegetables and those wonderful @Thai spices
Adrian Bold
I love a Thai fried rice with prawns & peas
Samantha O'D
Thai green curry, i first tried it on holiday and have tried to recreate it at home but its never as good
Natalie Crossan
Thai green curry because it's so delicious x
sharon martin
i love a thai red curry as its so flavoursone
Deborah Mackenzie
I have not tried Thai food, but my daughter loves it and also loves cooking.
Julie Camm
I'm not that experienced in eating Thai food, but I'm enjoying it more and more. I still really enjoy a Thai Green Curry just because the flavours and spices suit my tastes.
Karen Hughes
I like shrimp phat thai, as it is full of flavour and very easy to make
Angela Macdonald
I love Thai red curry
CHARLOTTE G
I love Thai Green Curry
Allan Fullarton
Thai Gren Curry is my favourite
Tracey Argent
I love Pla Priew Wan - Sea Bass in Sweet and Sour Sauce - absolutely delicious
Cassandra D
I like Khao Pad .
laura lawrie
Seafood curry, because they are two of my favourite flavours
CARA-JANE HUNTER
Fried rice and vegetables is my fave. Simple and delicious!
Zoe Graham
I love their green chicken curry it is one of the first meals I learnt to cook
Allan Wilson
Not a cuisine I'm familiar with since getting severe food poisoning from a Thai restaurant in Edinburgh, but now is the time to get acquainted with Thai food again.
Patience Kinch
Never really cooked Thai food before but I love eating it in restaurants...❤️
Carolyn E
My favourite is Jungle Curry. It’s a bit time consuming collecting all the ingredients together, it oh so worth it! healthy curry option too!
Lugworm
Tom Yam Talay, hot , spicy and sour seafood soup. Just adore it
Eve H Ogden
A Thai green curry because it is so delicious
Natalee Gosiewski
never tried
Elizabeth Cooke
I love Massaman curry! I love how flavoursome it is
janine atkin
Thai chicken curry, im not very adventurous
Tina H
I adore Pad Thai and Thom Yum soup as it reminds me of my time in beautiful Thailand.
carol boffey
thai green curry
A.E. ADKINS
Love a prawn Pad Thai & enjoyed most food in Thailand but have never cooked any myself
Pam Francis Gregory
Duck Red Curry is my favourite, Spice with the richness of the duck - Yum!
ruth lee
that green curry its a lovely curry
Michelle Ferguson
I love thai green curry as brings back happy memories of the first time I tried it
Rebecca Whatmore (@0zzyhog)
Red thai veg and Quorn curry. Tastes good and is full of healthy veg.
amanda w
i love a vegetable thai green curry!!!
Rai
I've only tried the obvious ones so far, but love a green curry.
Ali
I love Thai green curry! It’s easy to make and always so tasty and fresh.
Debbie Finnerty
That chicken looks delish!!
greig spencer
Red Thai curry is my favourite as its spicy
Elzbieta Znyk
Thai chicken curry is my favourite, amazing taste.
sheri Darby
I love Thai Green Curry
Christopher Read
My favourite recipe is a thai green curry recipe I found on the Internet because it’s really tasty 🙂 Great comp - thanks for running this.
Victoria Prince
I've had very little experience with Thai food but I had phat phak ruam once which I loved, because I love anything where vegetables are the star! I think the only other Thai dish I've had is Thai Green Curry and I wasn't overly keen.
That Thai BBQ Chicken looks REALLY good!
Lorraine Stone
Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles - LOVE to make this. It is quick and simple, flavoursome and looks great on the plate!
Laura Robinson
A thai green curry, because my friends recently came back from travelling and have mastered the art of cooking it traditionally. It's amazing!
Michelle Carter
I like Thai curry
Paul Meulen
I like to make a thai green curry because its quick, tasty and nutritous
Tina W
My favorite Thai restaurant in San Diego serves a cucumber salad that is soooo good. It's light and refreshing on a hot day. Thankfully, the owner, Su Mei Yu, put the recipe in her cookbook Cracking The Coconut.
Stevie
I like Thai tom yum soup especially for the mushrooms.
Jennifer Baker
My Favourite is Thai yellow curry, love the spicy flavours xxx
JULIE WARD
I've never cooked any Thai food before, or tasted any yet
ElizM
Thai green curry for me, preferably vegetable rather than meat, and with coconut rice
Carole Nott
Love to try new products and recipes - Thai chicken curry would be my first choice
Laura Banks
my hubby makes a really nice thai green prawn curry
jo liddement
I love Som Tam Thai Salad made with green papaya and with a spicy dressing is delicious.
Alison Johnson
Never tried Thai food before but my Hubby does all the cooking & he's always looking for new dishes & tastes to cook for the family.
Rikki marsala
amazing cookbook
Kim Neville
My favourite is red thai curry with peppers. Love the taste of the combination together
Amy J
I love pad thai!
Lynn Neal
I had a vegetable thai curry and it was lovely!
Donna Loxton
I haven't tried any Thai recipes but reading the comments on this post, they all sound really nice. I would like to try some recipes.
Jacqui Bellefontaine | Recipes Made Easy
I know the author of this book and her recipes should be very good. Your chciken certainly looks fabulous. I love Thai food. Thank you for linking to #CookBlogShare
Corina Blum
The chicken was fantastic and I've also made the ribs now which were great too. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture as everyone was too hungry!
Frances H
Never really tried any Thai recipes besides Thai curry.
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food
I adore Thai food, so this is right up my alley—especially since I can make this chicken outside and not heat up the house! I love that you can get such amazing flavor with just a few ingredients. I can't wait to try this!!
Corina Blum
I hope you like it! We are having the bbq ribs from the same book tonight and they are just as good.
Heather Haigh
I've only really had Thai green curry and that tastes lovely, the coconut and lemongrass are favourite flavours of mine
Marianna
I've never cooked any Thai food (yet) but I like to eat Pad Thai
Josie Bicknell
i love thai food but i am nervous about cooking it this would help
Zoe
Tom Kha Gai (Chicken soup) as it's not as hot as Tom Yam Goong the hot & sour prawn soup
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder
I love Thai food but don't have it often enough and I'm not sure why. Thai Green Curry used to be the go to dish I would make but last couple of times I made Massaman curry and that is definitely a new favourite now. Thai BBQ Chicken sounds delicious and so simple I'll have to give it a try and yes chicken drumsticks are the thing with my kiddos too lol. x
Corina Blum
I used to cook a lot more Thai food as well Jo but someone haven't made as much over the past few years. I do have another recipe from this book planned for tonight though! x
paula cheadle
I love Pad Thai because you can use different ingredients every time if you wish, but the basic's are the same
Rebecca Brown
Currently loving the recipe for thai sweetcorn fritters my friend shared with me - so delicious!
Dems Banjo
Thanks, Corina for this! I love BBQued food too. Will be trying this out soon.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Oh wow - this recipe sounds amazing. I love the Thai twist on BBQ chicken. Sounds a great recipe book! Eb x
Corina Blum
Thanks Eb! I'm making another recipe from it tonight but adapted slightly. I'm looking forward to it. x
Jessica Powell
I love Thai chicken curry, it's really tasty.
Balvinder
I often cook thai but don't post as much. This recipe is seriously making me drool.
Birgit Gaiser
I love Pad Thai and other recipes with peanuts in them, great flavour combination.
DAWN WINSKILL
A vegetarian Thai Green Curry is my favourite as it is so tasty.
Laura Turner
Nothing beats Thai cooking, especially when you can get the authentic fresh ingredients.
Laura Pritchard
I love Thai-style fishcakes with sweet and sour cucumber pickle as they're so tasty!
Lyndsey
I live close to a restaurant called Chaophraya and they do the most amazing chicken green curry
Donna
This looks fantastic! We don't cook thai that often either but love it when we do! #CookBlogShare
Ruth Harwood
Love a good Thai green curry!
ROBERT MCINTOSH
To be honest no real favourite at the moment - just enjoying tasting them as I go
Jane Willis
I'm not familiar with Thai food, I seem to have spent so much time exploring other South East Asian cuisines such as Malay and Indonesian, so I don't have a favourite dish. I think I've only ever tried a Green Chicken Curry, which I loved, but it's hard to call it a favourite when it's the only thing I've tried!
Anthony G.
I've never tried cooking Thai food before, so the cookbook would be helpful! 🙂
Margaret Gallagher
Thai noodles made by my cousins girlfriend - havent a clue what she puts in it - says its a secret recipe!
Farrah
I love Thai food! This sounds so good! 😀 I can't wait to try this out! Thank you for this giveaway! :] My favorite would probably be yellow curry with chicken!
Chloe Marsh
Love how simple this recipe looks, I can't wait to try it out for my partner on our date night!
Judith Allen
Never cooked it, but I like noodles with nuts and egg, really tasty.
Ian
Thai Yellow Curry is my favourite
Sheena Batey
Anything with Thais flavour and noodles . Tend to eat it in restaurants rather than cook it so this book would come in handy
Cat | Curly's Cooking
This looks so tasty! I really like Thai food but only eat it in restaurants and stick to the same meals usually. I really need to broaden my Thai food taste buds!
pete c
though I`m only just starting to explore such flavours, I`ve never tried any but it`s their curries that always look so enticing to me
Solange
I love an authentic Thai Green Curry as it's both delicious and easy to make. I serve it with lots of fragrant Thai jasmine rice.
Ashley Murraywww
Red Thai curry. So simple but I think that's why I love it! Nice and spicy! I make mine with turkey instead of chicken and always pack it full of veggies.
Wise Ways
I don't have one so I need this cookbook to help me find one
Kim Murray
Never tried any Thai food but would love to give it a go - especially with some home cooked recipes x
Rena Plumridge
Red Thai curry is my favourite
Kim Styles
I love Thai Seafood Curry because the coconut goes so well with seafood
Lucy
I like a classic thai green curry 🙂 Just always have!
Sadiyya Maryam
I absolutely love Thai food and my favourite is Tom Yum Soup made with tiger prawns as the flavours are out of this world!
Sadiyya Maryam
I absolutely love Thai food and my favourite is Tom Yum Soup especially with tiger prawns a the flavours are out of this world!
Annabel Greaves
I love Thai chicken curry
iain maciver
massaman curry
Layla Thomas
I love Pad Thai because it always varies on the ingredients but has the same flavour in the sauce.
Susan Lloyd
I love yellow Thai curry with tofu and vegetables as it’s a gorgeous flavour but not too spicy x
Corina Blum
I haven't had a yellow curry for ages - that's definitely something I need to try again!
Emma C
I love a massaman curry - it's a perfect blend of flavours for me.
Corina Blum
That's a favourite of mine too!