Hailing from southern Thailand, Thai Tumeric Chicken (Gai Yang Khamin) is lip-smackingly delicious street food that’s sweet, sticky and savoury. The marinade is unbelievably simple: garlic, fish sauce, oyster sauce, turmeric powder and sugar. The turmeric really makes it!
Southern Thai Turmeric Chicken (Gai Yang Khamin)
This is a great one to marinade tonight and bake tomorrow, to bring authentic Thai flavours to your dinner table! It’s sweet but has layers of savoury, and is incredibly delicious for something so simple.
With the excellent street food in Thailand, it will come to no surprise that I found this during my travels. It’s a street food that hails from the south called Gai Yang Khamin, and is one of those recipes that tastes like it has way more ingredients in it than it does.
At the time I tried it, I didn’t know what it was called, though the mystery was solved through furious Googling for “yellow Thai grilled chicken” in my determination to replicate it back at home.
Street vendors grill this over smokey coals and use butterflied whole chicken. I bake it in the oven and use chicken thighs instead to make it Monday-night-friendly. This does not, however, compromise flavour – it is still ridiculously delicious!
Ingredients in Thai Turmeric Chicken
This is one of those recipes that tastes like it’s got way more ingredients in it that it does. I get a secret thrill out of finding recipes like this!!
For the juiciest, stickiest chicken with the best glaze, bone-in thighs are best. But I’ve provided directions for breast and other cuts.
Chicken – As noted above, skin-on, bone-in thighs are best because the time it takes for the skin to go sticky and golden is the same time it takes for the inside to cook through to juicy perfection. Leaner, boneless cuts, like breast and boneless thigh, cook through faster, before the surface has a chance to caramelise. However, I’ve provided directions for these – and you could always pan fry instead! Drumsticks are also an excellent, economical option – these work perfectly as a direct substitute.
Turmeric powder – Key flavour and colour for this dish. This is what makes this Thai Turmeric chicken!!
Fish sauce – Secret ingredient! Adds salt with extra layers of flavour so this otherwise simple marinade isn’t bland.
Oyster sauce – Second secret ingredient! Adds sweetness with savoury undertones.
Sugar – For extra sweetness.
Garlic – Quite a decent wack!
Pepper – I like the flavour white pepper brings to this but you can substitute with black pepper.
How to make Thai Turmeric Chicken
Pop this in the marinade tonight then bake it tomorrow! Marinade for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Then bake and baste until golden and sticky (45 minutes).
Mix the marinade in a bowl – garlic, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and turmeric.
Marinade the chicken for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
Bake on a lined tray for 50 minutes until the surface is sticky and delicious.
Baste using the tray juices at the 30 minute mark….
Then baste again at the 40 minute mark and pop it back in for a final 10 minutes to caramelise the surface.
Garnish with fresh coriander/cilantro leave if you want (it’s just for looks), then serve using the pan juices as a sauce!
What to serve with Thai Turmeric Chicken
Serve this with a pile of steaming jasmine or coconut rice and plain chunks of cucumber and tomato, something you commonly see served as a vegetable side all over Thailand. The fresh crunch of cucumber and juiciness of tomato is a nice contrast to the sweet-savoury-meatiness of the chicken, with the added bonus that you don’t have to bother with a dressing. I’m not going to argue with that!
Though, if you are a better person than me and would like to make more of an effort for your side salad, you could toss any fresh or steamed greens with Asian Sesame Dressing (for a quick option). For a more substantial side salad, try Thai Chicken Salad minus the chicken, or Thai Beef Salad minus the beef (I love the dressing of these salads).
And here are some more options for things to serve on the side:
Suggestions for sides
Or, eat it street food style – just grab the chicken with your hands and munch it on the go. You know I did! (Though the vision is slightly different – in my kitchen at home in my scruffy apron, rather than the bustling streets of Thailand.😂)
– Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Back to the old-style hands only video for this one! Ran out of time to do the new style with me and Dozer in it. 🙂
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Thai Turmeric Chicken (Gai Yang Khamin)
Ingredients
- 5 large chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in (~1.2kg/2.4lb) (Note 1)
Marinade
- 4 garlic cloves , finely minced or crushed using garlic press
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper , ground (sub black)
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (tightly packed cup)
Instructions
- Marinade chicken – Mix Marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinade for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced).
- Prepare – Line a tray with baking paper/parchment paper. Place chicken on the tray, skin side up. Scrape all Marinade out of th bowl and dab onto chicken.
- Bake for 40 minutes, basting at the 30 minute and 40 minute mark using the tray juices to make it golden brown and sticky, and rotate the tray as needed for even colour.
- Increase the oven temperature to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan-forced). Pop the chicken back in for a final 10 minutes to caramelise the skin.
- Rest for 3 minutes before serving with jasmine or coconut rice, and plain chunks of tomato and cucumber the Thai way!
Recipe Notes:
- Stove – Heat a skillet over medium heat. Place skin side down and cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes or until the skin is dark golden. Then turn and cover with a lid again. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until cooked through, basting the skin with the residual marinade in the bowl.
- BBQ – use medium heat and cook for around 15 minutes in total, basting the skin with the marinade in the bowl).
- Other cuts:
– Drumsticks: Bake 50 minutes.
– Skinless boneless thighs: Bake 20 – 25 minutes, or stove/BBQ for 5 minutes each side on medium.
– Breast: Bake for 20 minutes, or stove/BBQ for around 5 minutes on each side on medium.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published November 2015. Updated with sparkling new photos with a recipe video added and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
When Dozer sings.
(Aka annoying, persistent bark that he quickly realised is a highly effective way to get me to play with him, on command. #sucker)
Fabulous- family have declared a favourite!
I cook in frypan but then change over to the baked rice (from Greek chicken & rice)
And put all in oven
Everyone loves the turmeric flavours in the rice
Nice recipe and Thanks fro sharing
Tried this tonight for the family and it was a big hit! So tasty and so easy. Definitely a new favourite!
Forgot to do the marinade until ~ 1 hour before baking it. Used squeezy tube coriander paste as we couldn’t get fresh. Delicious! First time using Squid brand fish sauce and it rocks!
Well …. What can we say? the best chicken recipe for soooo long.
It was one of those OMG this is SOOOOO good !
Thankyou Nagi, another firm favourite !
Sorry…. Forgot the stars ….
Omg this is in the “sensational” section of the folder list of ‘family recipes we all eat’. The flavour is amazing and at the end I poured off the oil residue of the chicken and poured the full on taste into the rice. Wow!! Another incredible Recipe Tin recipe we all love.
Made this last night Halved the garlic (as we are garlic phobes but appreciate the flavour !) and it was still flavoursome, So simple, and I used chicken thighs with the bone in and skin on. Served simply with rice and asian greens, So tasty!
This dish, like all your dishes I’ve cooked, was a hit with all the family. Absolutely delicious and succulent. I used bone-in thigh cutlets and baked in the oven on baking paper in a roasting pan. So easy and yet so impressive. Will be making this over and over.
Nagi!! I’ve made a ton of your recipes but THIS ONE! Wow! It’s so unassuming and incredibly easy to put together – the the flavor is insanely good! Definitely adding this one to my regular rotation. Thanks so much for all of your amazing recipes!
Made this last week and it was absolutely delicious. I fitted an extra 5 chicken wings in with the cutlets. Made it with fried rice. It was sooooo good. My bestfriend then made it the night after but as a stir fry with chicken thighs and her family loved it too. Always a winner Nagi 🙂
Interested in making this recipe in a few days. Do you have to use just the stems of the cilantro or can you use the leaves as well? Thinking of making this with coconut rice and asian slaw.
Hi Nagi, we can’t wait to try this! Is it possible to substitute the oyster sauce with something else?
Many thanks!
Get again a winner recipie. Tastes fantastic Nagi th so much xxxc
Made it with a whole boned chicken and then barbecued it. Only had a little fresh coriander on hand but it was fabulous! Yes, memories of southern Thailand. Thanks Nagi!
Perfect Sarah!! I can just smell it cooking now, YUM! N x
This has been a covid lockdown special in my house. It is very easy and extremely tasty. 10/10 Well done!
Hi Nagi, Can you tell me please if you only use the coriander stems and not the leaf as well?
And, how long can the marinated raw meat stay in the freezer for?
Thank you.
Hi Leanne, yes just the stems here. I would keep up to 3 months in the freezer. N x
If you vacuum seal the chicken it will easily keep for a year.
This is by far the best chicken I’ve ever had. Even my 3 picky kiddos liked it so much that I cooked it 2 times in one week. This recipe is definitely in my regular weekly rotation. Thank you for another great and easy recipe xoxo!
Finger licking good chicken. Literally! My elderly father was wiping up the juices off the plate. Great flavours. Served it with a vegetable stir fry. Another great recipe. Thank you.
I am loving your website! I have a picky eater in the house who can’t handle fish sauce… is there a substitute? Is it okay to just leave out? I want to try this beautiful recipe but need a way around that one ingredient. Thank you!!
Hi Sarah, fish sauce is what gives this dish that authentic Thai flavour. You can substitute with soy if you absolutely must though – N x
I read this as southern thai’d chicken- 😂 which actually sounds delicious. If you create a southern thai’d chicken, I’d make it! Love your recipes.
Love this 😂