Saffron Thai Grilled Chicken Recipes

THAI GRILLED CHICKEN (GAI YANG)

Steps:

• Place Marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Massage to mix.
• Add the chicken into the ziplock bag and massage to spread the marinade over all the chicken. Marinate for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight (up to 24 hours).
• Remove chicken from the Marinade and discard the Marinade (unless baking in the oven - refer Note 3).
• Heat the outdoor grill on medium high. Or heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan over medium high heat on the stove.
• Cook the chicken until golden brown - around 3 minutes each side.
• Rest for a few minutes before serving with lime wedges on the side, and garnished with fresh chilies and cilantro, if using.

THAI GRILLED CHICKEN (GAI YANG)

Steps:

• Add the lemongrass, cilantro (coriander), shallots, and garlic to a mortar and pestle, and pound until pulverized. You can also use a food processor for this step.
• Add the oil, sugar, salt, black pepper, Thai soy sauces, fish sauce and turmeric (if using). Mix until well-combined.
• You can butterfly or spatchcock your chicken for grilling like it's done on the streets of Thailand. However, I cut the chicken into individual pieces to ensure they'd cook properly. This way, I can pull each piece off the grill once cooked. Rub the chicken with the marinade paste, ensuring every piece is thoroughly coated. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight (or at least 12 hours).
• The next day, take the chicken out 1 to 2 hours before you're ready to grill.
• In a small bowl, mix the sugar and hot water until the sugar is dissolved. Mix in the rest of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Place the chicken on the grill, and use any remaining marinade to baste the chicken while grilling. Leave the marinade paste on the chicken, including any chunks of herbs as they will caramelize and add flavor. Turn and baste the chicken often to create a nice flavorful outer crust. Baste the chicken with the leftover marinade in the first half of the grilling process, but do not do this towards the end of cooking. The raw chicken marinade needs enough time to fully cook.
• Serve immediately with some coconut rice, your nam jim jeaw sauce, and lime wedges!

SAFFRON THAI GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Poke holes in the chicken with the tines of a fork and set aside.
• Toast the white peppercorns, coriander seeds and fennel seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat until they are aromatic, about 2 minutes. Grind the spices in an electric coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle. In a large bowl, combine the ground spices with the remaining ingredients. Add the chicken and marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or longer in the refrigerator.
• Heat the grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade. Brush the grill with oil. Grill the chicken for 5 minutes. Turn and baste with sauce. Continue to turn and baste, using as much sauce as desired, until the juices run clear when pricked with a knife, about 12 to 15 minutes.

THAI MUSLIM-STYLE GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Marinade
• Spatchcock chicken the Thai way by placing it breast side up on a large cutting board. Using a sharp, heavy knife and working just to the side of the center of the breast, cut down through to the breastbone (do not cut all the way through to the backbone). Now that the path has been created, use the same knife-or, easier, a sturdy pair of kitchen scissors-to make a clean cut all the way through the breastbone and anything else that is still connecting the 2 sides of the breast together. Open up chicken and turn skin side up. Press down on chicken to flatten. Pat thoroughly dry.
• Grind peppercorns in a spice mill or a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a food processor or leave in mortar and pestle and add garlic, cilantro roots, brown sugar, fish sauce, turmeric, salt, coriander, cumin, and cardamom and process or pound until smooth. Coat chicken completely in marinade, pressing to adhere and working into nooks and crannies. Place in a large bowl and cover with a plate. Let chill at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Let chicken sit at room temperature 1 hour before grilling or baking.
• Sauce
• Purée pineapple and vinegar in a food processor or blender until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and add garlic, jalapeños, granulated sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat so sauce is at a simmer and cook until thick and smooth (consistency should be similar to cocktail sauce), about 5 minutes.
• Chicken and assembly
• Grind saffron to a fine powder in a spice mill or a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a small saucepan and add granulated sugar, salt, and ¼ cup water and cook over medium heat just until heated through and small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Whisk in coconut oil and remove from heat.
• If using a grill, prepare a grill for medium-high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off); oil grate. Arrange chicken, skin side up, on cooler part of grill. Close lid and grill, rotating chicken but keeping skin side up every 5-10 minutes, until skin looks dry and golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast and thighs registers 130°-140°, 35-40 minutes. If using charcoal and your coals are dying, start a new chimney of coals 15 minutes before this point so you are ready for the next step.
• Uncover grill and increase heat to high (add more coals for a charcoal grill). Brush one fourth of basting liquid over skin and turn chicken over, positioning over direct heat on the hot side of the grill. Grill, brushing half of remaining basting liquid over bone side of chicken, until skin is browned and lightly charred in spots, about 3 minutes. (Watch carefully as this can happen quickly.) Turn chicken over and return to cooler side of grill. Brush skin with remaining basting liquid. Cover grill and continue to grill chicken until thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 160° and thickest part of thighs registers 165°, 10-15 minutes longer.
• If using an oven, place a rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°. Place chicken, skin side up, on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Brush one third of basting liquid over skin. Bake, rotating baking sheet every 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast and thighs registers 130°-140°, 35-40 minutes.
• Increase oven temperature to 450°. Brush remaining basting liquid over skin and continue to bake, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until skin is crisp and charred and thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 160° and thickest part of thighs registers 165°, 10-15 minutes longer.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest at least 15 minutes. Carve up further as desired.
• Top dipping sauce with cilantro. Serve chicken with rice and dipping sauce alongside.
• Cook's Note
• If you cook the chicken in the oven, using the dhungar method to perfume the finished chicken with the scent of smoky ghee is highly recommended.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH SAFFRON

Steps:

• Place the saffron in a medium-size bowl and crush to a powder with a pestle or the end of a wooden spoon. Stir in the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in the yogurt, onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Rinse off chicken pieces under cold running water, then drain and blot dry on paper towels. Place chicken in large nonreactive bowl or re-sealable bag and pour the marinade over them, turning the pieces to coat thoroughly. Cover and let marinate, in the refrigerator, for 24 hours, turning the pieces occasionally.
• Preheat the grill, medium in one are and high heat in another area.
• Prepare the basting mixture. Place saffron in a medium bowl and crush it again to a powder. Stir in lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat, then remove from heat and stir in saffron mixture.
• Place chicken pieces on oiled grate, skin side down, on high heat and allow to brown for several minutes and then move them to med/low heat for several minutes. Now flip chicken pieces over and place on high heat til browned and again move over to the low heat to cook through. Baste pieces a couple of times during grilling. Be careful to watch for flareups and don't burn them. Season with salt and pepper.