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This Thai Inspired Grilled Chicken recipe is the perfect combination of sweet, spicy and tangy. The grilled chicken thighs are tender and juicy, the chicken marinade provides a sweet and sticky punch while the pickled veggies add a burst of freshness and spiciness that round out a perfect meal.
Don’t forget to check out my Thai Inspired Pork Skewers and Grilled Steak with Crying Tiger Sauce for more Thai recipes.
Table of Contents
Prep the Thai chicken marinade
This marinade is the secret sauce of this recipe. It brings all those classic Thai flavors to the chicken. I’m using it with chicken in this recipe but you can also use this marinade with fish and beef! Try it with different proteins.
To prepare the marinade and glaze, in a mixing bowl add sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, sriracha, rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, Thai seasoning paste, sesame oil and freshly squeezed lime juice. Mix it well and pour about 1/2 into another bowl to use as glaze later.
Recipe Tip
Feel free to use different proteins or even different cuts of chicken with this recipe. It’s great with seafood and beef!
Submerge the boneless and skinless chicken thighs into the marinade. Make sure that each piece is nicely coated. Leave in the bowl and place it in the fridge for 1 hour to marinate.
How to pickle veggies
For this recipe, I used cucumbers and pre-sliced carrots. First I peeled the skin off the cucumber and sliced it in half. Next with the peeler, I cut thin strips of cucumber.
First, place the sliced carrots and cucumber pieces in a mason jar. Stuff it full and to the top. Next, we can prep the brine. In a sauce pan, add rice vinegar, water, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and vinegar. Simmer until in starts to boil and pour the mixture into the mason jar. Seal shut and set aside to cool off. If you like pickled food like me, you will really enjoy this side dish. The addition of the red pepper flakes adds a great kick to the tanginess of the vinegar.
Time to grill the chicken!
Set up the grill for 375 – 400 degrees. You will need both indirect as well as direct heat for this cook.
While the grill is heating up, pour the remaining half of the marinade into a saucepan and simmer on low heat until it thickens. When the grill is ready, place the marinaded chicken thighs on direct heat first to get a nice char. Grill for only a few minutes on each side before moving over to indirect heat to finish cooking or until the chicken reaches 175 degrees internal temp.
When the chicken thighs are ready, remove them from the grill and immediately brush on the sauce. Let them rest for 5-10 before plating. I paired it with plain white rice, the pickled veggies and more sauce on the side for dipping. This dish will not disappoint. The tenderness of the chicken, sweetness of the glaze and spicy crunchiness of the pickled veggies is the perfect mouthful. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Absolutely! Follow the same times and temps as in the recipe. You can either sear the chicken on a skillet and finish it in the oven or cook it in the oven start to finish.
You can, but you run the risk of getting the skin chewy. The sauce and marinades are sweet and sticky and it makes it harder to crisp up the skin. This is why I like to use boneless and skinless thighs.
Similar Saucy Recipe Ideas:
Chicken & Turkey
Grilled Orange Chicken
Chicken & Turkey
BBQ Spatchcock Chicken
Chicken & Turkey
Grilled Citrus Chicken
If you tried this Thain Inspired Grilled Chicken or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!
Thai inspired Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 2 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup Sweet chili sauce
- 1/4 cup Rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup Soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Brown sugar
- 3 tbsp Fish sauce
- 3 tbsp Minced garlic
- 2 tbsp Sriracha
- 2 tbsp Sesame oil
- 1 tbsp Thai seasoning paste
- 1 tbsp Fresh squeezed lime juice
Pickled Veggie Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup Sliced cucumber strips
- 1/2 cup Rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 tbsp Salt
- 1 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- To prepare the marinade and glaze, in a mixing bowl add sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, sriracha, rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, Thai paste, sesame oil and freshly squeezed lime juice
- Mix it well and pour about 1/2 into a small saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. This will make the sauce for later.
- Submerge the chicken thighs into the marinade making sure that each piece is nicely coated.
- Leave in the bowl and set it in the fridge for 1hour or more to marinate.
- Setup the grill for 375 – 400 degrees. You will need both indirect as well as direct heat for this cook.
- Place the marinaded chicken thighs on direct heat first to get a nice char on both sides.
- Next, move the chicken thighs over to the indirect heat to finish cooking until internal temp reaches 175 degrees.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and immediately brush on with the sauce made earlier. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Pickling of the vegetables:
- Peel the cucumber and slice in half. Next with the peeler, cut thin strips of cucumber.
- Fill a mason jar with the sliced cucumbers and carrots.
- In a saucepan, add rice vinegar, water, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and vinegar. Simmer until in starts to boil and pour the mixture into the mason jar.
- All the mixture to cool down before serving. Refrigerate leftovers in the same jar.
Notes
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work best for this recipe. If you use skin on chicken, the skin might come out tough and chewy.
Nutrition
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Great recipe! Flavors of the marinade and then glaze make this into a better then restaurant dish.
The pickled veg is a perfect pairing!
We love this recipe! Sweet, spicy, sticky, so good on chicken. I hope you like it as much as we do!