Thai Boxing Chicken (Gai Yang Sanam Muay)

My brother had made this dish a few times and said that it was so good so I decided to try it out.


Recipe from Night and Market: Delicious Thai Food to Facilitate Drinking and Fun-Having Amongst Friends A Cookbook

Serving 2-4

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup coconut or palm sugar

  • 1.5 cups coconut milk

  • 1/3 cup Thai seasoning sauce

  • 1/3 cup Garlic-Cilantro Paste (see below)

  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt

  • 4 boneless, skin- on chicken thighs (about 6 oz each), not brined

Instructions:

  1. In a small saucepan, combine the coconut sugar, coconut milk, seasoning sauce, garlic-cilantro paste and salt and stir over low heat until combined. Removed from heat and let the marinade cool.

  2. place the chicken in a plastic bag or shallow dish and cover with the marinade. Refridgerate and marinate for 3 hours, or overnight for a stronger flavor.

  3. preheat a well-oiled grill to high heat.

  4. remove the chicken from the marinade and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, brushing the chicken with extra marinade as it cooks. once cooked through and slightly charred, slice each thigh crosswise into strips and serve with sticky rice, papaya salad, jaew, and sweet chile sauce.

Garlic- Cilantro Paste

Makes about 2/3 cups

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup roughlt chopped cilantro stems

  • 1/3 cup garlic cloves, peeeld but kept whole

  • 2 tsp ground white pepper

  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions:

In a blender or food PROCESSOR, combine all the ingredients and puree until a rough paste forms. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.


And it did not disappoint, the marinade/ sauce was so tasty I could have just eaten that over rice. It was sweet salty and creamy. The recipe called for chicken thighs but I had a whole chicken that I broke down into pieces and I think it worked just as well. also i did grill the chicken as well its winter and the grill is outside however i just put them in a shallow dish and roasted it instead then for the last few minutes I broiled them to get the skin a bit darker and slightly charred. But once summer is back we will try this on the grill for sure. i served it with some stir fried thai basil eggplant over plain white rice. This is SURPRISINGLY a super easy and quick dish to make that packs a lot of DELICIOUS flavor. you must try to cook this you won’t regret it.