Ping Gai (Lao Grilled Chicken)

Name: Ping Gai (Lao Grilled Chicken)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Laotian
Ingredients: 1 pcs whole chicken (about 1.3kg, spatchcocked (butterflied flat)); 3 stalks lemongrass (chopped, for marinade); 8 cloves garlic (for marinade); 3 pcs cilantro roots or stems (for marinade); 1 tbsp turmeric powder (for marinade and colour); 3 tbsp fish sauce (for marinade); 2 tbsp oyster sauce (for marinade); 1 tbsp sugar (for marinade); black pepper (to taste, for marinade); 3 tbsp lime juice (for the dipping sauce); 2 tbsp fish sauce (for the dipping sauce); 3 pcs Thai chillies (chopped, for the dipping sauce); 2 cloves garlic (minced, for the dipping sauce)

New (0)1 hr 15 minmedium

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A whole chicken flattened, marinated in lemongrass, garlic, cilantro root and fish sauce, then grilled slowly over charcoal until the skin is deeply charred. A festival and roadside-stall favourite across Laos, always served with sticky rice.

Servings4 SERVINGS

Ingredients

0 of 13 gathered · scaled for 4

whole chicken · about 1.3kg, spatchcocked (butterflied flat)1lemongrass · chopped, for marinade3garlic · for marinade8cilantro roots or stems · for marinade3turmeric powder · for marinade and colour1tbspfish sauce · for marinade3tbspoyster sauce · for marinade2tbspsugar · for marinade1tbspblack pepper · to taste, for marinadetotastelime juice · for the dipping sauce3tbspfish sauce · for the dipping sauce2tbspThai chillies · chopped, for the dipping sauce3garlic · minced, for the dipping sauce2

Method

Make the marinade paste

Pound or blend the lemongrass, garlic and cilantro roots into a rough paste, then mix in the turmeric, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and black pepper.

Marinate the chicken

Rub the paste all over the spatchcocked chicken, working it under the skin where you can, and marinate in the fridge for at least three hours or overnight.

Getting paste directly against the flesh under the skin matters more than piling it on top — that's where the flavour actually penetrates.

180 min

Make the dipping sauce

Stir together the lime juice, fish sauce, chopped chillies and minced garlic in a small bowl.

Grill the chicken

Grill the chicken skin-side up over medium-low charcoal or gas heat for forty minutes, turning every ten minutes, until the skin is deeply charred and the juices run clear.

Keep the heat moderate and move the chicken away from flare-ups — ping gai wants a long slow char, not a quick burn.

40 min

Rest and carve

Let the chicken rest for five minutes off the grill, then chop it into pieces through the bone.

5 min

Serve

Serve the grilled chicken with the dipping sauce and sticky rice.

gluten-freedairy-freegrillchicken

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Ping Gai (Lao Grilled Chicken)

6 steps · 3 timers · 4 servings