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Grilled Thai Chicken Thighs will be your new favorite main dish! The easy marinade infuses the chicken with incredible flavor and you’ll want to double the recipe to have leftovers all week long
It’s no secret that I am a die-hard dark meat girl. My parents never cooked with white meat, and the times I had it at restaurants it was always way too dry.
My one white meat recipe on the blog is my Citrus Marinated Grilled Chicken Sandwich. And the key to the tender deliciousness is the simple, yet very flavorful marinade.
I recently made Coconut Milk Ranch Dressing and only made a small batch, so I had a half a can left. I didn’t want the rest of the milk to go bad, so I put on my creative cap and created GRILLED THAI CHICKEN THIGHS
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- The marinade comes together in minutes.
- The marinade makes the chicken so tender
- You can easily adjust the marinade ingredients to your taste.
I have this thing where I dance around the kitchen when I hit the jackpot with a recipe. Yep, I definitely did that dance after one bite of Grilled Thai Chicken Thighs!
MARINADE FOR GRILLED THAI CHICKEN THIGHS
The marinade is so easy and flavorful, and I literally made it up as I searched the fridge and pantry.
Coconut Milk is the base and works just like buttermilk to tenderize the chicken. I use full fat coconut milk because that’s what I have in the pantry, but you could certainly substitute light coconut milk.
Sesame Oil is powerful, and a little goes a long way. This is the one time I’m generous with sesame oil because the coconut milk balances it out.
Fish Sauce adds a strong earthy flavor, and I highly recommend it for the marinade.
Fresh ginger, garlic, and cilantro are critical. I roughly chop all three, and toss them in the marinade. I am very generous with the cilantro because I love it.
Chili paste adds great heat and I use Sambal Hot Chili Paste. You could also substitute Sriracha or your favorite chili paste.
I add just a little Low Sodium Soy Sauce for one more layer of flavor.
PREPARING THE CHICKEN
Marinate the chicken from frozen! Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl to fully combine. Pour the marinade into a Ziploc Bag, add frozen chicken, and rest in fridge for 8 hours while it thaws.
Skin or no skin? I marinate and cook Grilled Thai Chicken Thighs with the skin on. And then it’s very easy to remove the skin before eating.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Add all marinade ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together.
Pour marinade into a Ziploc bag. Add frozen chicken pieces, press the air out of the bag and seal. Massage marinade into the chicken and place the bag in the fridge for 8 hours.
Remove the chicken from the fridge right before heating the grill. Using tongs, remove chicken from the bag and place on a platter. DON’T THROW AWAY THE MARINADE!
Preheat the grill to 350°. Spray grill grates lightly with oil or cooking spray. Place chicken skin side down on the grill and cook for 12-15 minutes per side.
While the chicken cooks, pour the marinade into a sauce pan and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. This will kill any bacteria in the marinade and reduce it slightly.
Brush both sides of chicken with the reduced marinade and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove chicken from grill and serve.
LEFTOVERS
We ate leftovers all the time growing up, so as an adult I pretty much swore them off. However, I love leftover Grilled Thai Chicken Thighs! I’ll even make a big batch and eat them throughout the week.
The chicken is fabulous cold. Or, heat it in the microwave at about 60% power for 2-3 minutes per piece.
In an airtight container, it will last up to one week in the fridge.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I adjust the cooking time for other cuts of chicken? Cook chicken breast for 8-12 minutes per side (depending on thickness), and boneless thighs for about 6 minutes per side
How long should I marinate fresh chicken? I still recommend 8 hours, for the most intense flavor. Anything less than 4 hours, you don’t get nearly as much flavor.
Can I bake the chicken instead of grilling? Absolutely, and I recommend baking it in the marinade. The temperature and cooking time will remain the same
What if I don’t like sesame oil? Believe me, I was team hate for a long time! It is very powerful, but the milk really does tone it down a lot. I would recommend trying a smaller amount to start.
MORE DELICIOUS CHICKEN RECIPES
- Spicy Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry
- Old Bay Chicken Wings
- Crispy Chicken Fajita Wrap
- Dirty Rice Chicken Skillet
- Baked Spicy Honey Chicken Wings
- Maple Mustard Garlic Sheet Pan Chicken
- Chicken Chickpea Salad
MORE RECIPES MADE WITH COCONUT MILK
Grilled Thai Chicken Thighs
Grilled Thai Chicken Thighs has an easy Thai inspired marinade that infuses the chicken with incredible flavor. About 30 minutes on the grill and you have a delicious meal
Ingredients
- 4 frozen bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 can coconut milk (I use full fat)
- 1/4 cup Sambal chili paste
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 6 cloves garlic, coarsley chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, coarsley chopped
- juice of 2 limes
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except chicken into a large bowl and whisk to combine
- Pour marinade into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag.
- Add chicken, press out extra air and seal bag. Massage marinade into chicken and place into fridge for 8 hours to thaw
- Remove chicken from fridge
- Preheat oven to 350°, and spray grill grates with cooking spray
- Place chicken skin-side down and grill for 12-15 minutes per side, depending on size
- WHILE CHICKEN COOKS: pour marinade into a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. This will cook out any bacteria, and thicken it slightly
- Brush marinade on both sides of chicken and finish cooking for 4-5 minutes
- Remove from grill and serve
Notes
I like to use Sambal hot chili paste. You could also substitute Sriracha or your favorite chili paste.
I marinate and cook Grilled Thai Chicken Thighs with the skin. And then it’s very easy to remove the skin before eating
Cooking the marinade separately will kill any bacteria from the raw chicken.
LEFTOVERS
The chicken is fabulous cold. Or, heat it in the microwave at about 60% power for 2-3 minutes per piece.
In an airtight container, it will last up to one week in the fridge
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I adjust the cooking time for other cuts of chicken? Cook chicken breast for 8-12 minutes per side, and boneless thighs for about 6 minutes per side
How long should I marinate fresh chicken? I still recommend 8 hours, for the most intense flavor. Anything less than 4 hours, you don’t get nearly as much flavor.
Can I bake the chicken instead of grilling? Absolutely, and I recommend baking it in the marinade. The temperature and cooking time will remain the same
What if I don’t like sesame oil? Believe me, I was team hate for a long time! It is very powerful and a little goes a long way. I would recommend trying a smaller amount to start. The milk really does tone it down
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 351 Total Fat: 28g Saturated Fat: 20g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 42mg Sodium: 1080mg Carbohydrates: 21g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 11g Protein: 11g
We eat chicken several times a week and we eat dark and white meat although I do believe that dark meat is easier to cook with. The Thai chicken sounds scrumptious!! I’m so glad you cook the marinade after you marinate the chicken. I bet it is so yummy. The coconut milk looks like it makes such a great tasting sauce. Can’t wait to try it.
That chicken looks so so good.. Juicy and full of flavor. I like recipes like these
I love that these thighs are infused with a delicious marinade! I can’t wait to whip up the marinade and start cooking these.
This grilled chicken recipe is going on my weekend grilling list soon! The marinade looks amazing and then using it as a topping makes it even better.
This is a flavorful and delicious recipe. Will surly try making this yummy recipe this weekend for family.
I love dark meat as well and would always go for that meat over breast meat! Your Thai chicken thighs look so delicious and easy to make! Can’t wait to try it!