Grilled chicken that only takes 1 hour to marinate for an unbelievably juicy result fresh off the grill! A mix of fresh herbs such as cilantro, garlic and ginger along with sauces such as soy sauce, fish sauce and lime make this dish a flavourful weeknight meal you'll want to cook over and over again!
Debone chicken thighs and leave skin on (optional). Pound both sides of meat with a meat tenderizer (use the grooved side). Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
In a mortar, crush garlic with pestle. Add ginger slices and crush into garlic. Add thai chili and crush into garlic/ginger paste. At this point, if mortar is too full, scrape mixture into a medium mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Then, add roughly chopped cilantro to mortar and crush / grind with pestle until fragrant and soft. Add green onions and crush / grind into cilantro until soft. Scrape into bowl and combine with garlic/ginger/chili mix. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, ground coriander, oil to paste and stir to combine well.
Place chicken into a large ziploc bag. Pour marinade into bag, zip bag closed (leave enough air inside) and gently massage marinade into chicken to distribute evenly. Release all of the air inside the bag through a small opening, then close the bag and refrigerate chicken for 1 hour.
Preheat BBQ oven to 400°F (204°C). Place chicken, skin side down to sear for 1 minute (leave BBQ lid open), flip meat over and turn heat down to reach 350°F (176°C). Close lid and grill for 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on your chicken as flare up may occur, if that happens, leave your BBQ lid open and move chicken away from the flare up area. Continue flipping meat every 5 minutes. Chicken is done when internal temperature is 165°F (74°C). Serve with rice and vegetables. Enjoy!
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Notes
Can I use drumsticks and chicken breast? You can use both. Just a word of caution though, chicken breast is usually not my go-to choice for grilling as it is a leaner cut and most times will end up dry. You can try to flatten it with a tenderizer and marinate it for 2 hours. For best results, use drumsticks and/or chicken thighs.Can I freeze marinated chicken?If you're like me and buy chicken in bulk from costco, this would be a great way to marinate and freeze it. Use freezer friendly plastic ziploc bags to freeze chicken up to 8 weeks. Leave a bag of frozen chicken to thaw in your fridge overnight until you're ready to grill it the next day. This is a great way to give it extra marinating time while it thaws.Do I have to use boneless chicken thighs?No you don't, however, tenderizing your chicken will allow the marinade to be absorbed better for more flavour and also helps your chicken grill evenly which is why the chicken should be deboned (save and freeze the bones for making broth another time. Double use! #winning!). Having said that, if you are using chicken with bone in, marinate your chicken for at least 2 hours and remember that grilling time will be longer.How do I choose a good Fish sauce?A good Fish sauce should taste salty followed by a slight sweet taste and is dark amber in colour. It should not taste bitter or very diluted. Always choose a premium Fish sauce in a glass bottle (not plastic) at a higher price. On the label, look for Fish sauce from "Phú Quốc". It is the name of an island in southwest Vietnam that produces premium Fish sauce using only premium anchovies (unlike other brands that use squid or oysters).