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)
Hi Nagi,
Thanks so much for this great, simple recipe. I made it tonight for me and my husband and we both really enjoyed it. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks so much!
My daughter made this and we had it with coconut rice and broccoli.
The total meal was so delicious.
Once again, Nagi has given us a flawless recipe. So easy to make.
Highly recommended
It’s good, but more salt, fat and sugar than my doctor wants me to eat, especially if served with garlic ginger coconut rice… I wish there was a nice website like Nagi’s of “tested healthy recipes that don’t suck.” Well, I cooked this on the stove and at 30 minutes the largest thighs were slightly pink at the bone and my funky nondigital thermometer barely made it to 150 degrees. The “chef’s resource” website claims that bone-in thighs take longer if you use a sauce and cover the pan. Why would steam lenghten the time, rather than shorten it? If you cook it on the stove don’t be surprised if it takes longer than 20 minutes, maybe even twice as long.
I didn’t have oyster sauce and used 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce as a substitute. It still came out delicious. Also used boneless skinless thighs. You and your team come up with recipes that really work for me. Cheers!!
A beautiful recipe. And I love the photograph of Dozer too.
Made this 2x now with coconut chicken and crunchy Thai slaw…delicious!
Nagi never fails! This was SO GOOD. My 4 year old devoured it too and said it was yummy! I used boneless chicken thighs and breast, and was pressed for time so only marinated the chicken for 30mins. Also used an air fryer instead of the oven. Lined my air fryer with parchment liners, popped the chicken in skin side down at 180degC for 10 mins. Flipped the chicken over to skin side up, another 12-14 mins until skin is crispy and golden brown. Ugh SO JUICY SO AMAZING.
Man was I ever disappointed with this recipe. First time on Navi’s website.
First, after 30 minutes there was no juice to baste
Second, after 40 minutes there was no juice to baste.
Finally, after cranking the oven up to max for the last 10 minutes, fat started to render. But it was too late!
350 is much too low to cook chicken. Chicken needs 550.
Second that parchment paper seems to suck up all the juice. Bad idea!
Third just make curried chicken.
This recipe was my first miss on recipetineats.
Did anyone do what I did and cook the chicken, left it to cool on the stovetop, and then found themselves eating two of the thighs with their bare hands whilst standing over the kitchen bench? This is absolutely delicious!
Outstanding flavor and complemented well by the suggested Thai salad of cucumber and tomato bites that I accented with green onion slivers and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. What a wonderful dish! I’m new and I look forward to many more of your recipes!!
Wonderful flavor! Minimal prep. I marinated the night before and able to make quick dinner after coming home from work the next day. Thank you!
I converted this to a slow cooker dish by adding a can of coconut cream. The flavours were great and enjoyed by everyone. Thx for sharing.
Hi Jen – do you do anything with the chook first, or just bung it in !!! I like the sound of this with Coco – nom nom nom
Cheers – Kim
So yum. One of our family faves.
Came out perfectly. I am going to try the Fluffy Cocoanut Rice to go with it as another lover suggested
This recipe is effortless and impossible to get wrong. Perfect for a week’s night dinner, it was inhaled by everyone in a few minutes. Don’t be afraid of the smell of the fish sauce, it translates perfectly into great flavour once baked. Would 100% recommend!
Unbelievably good!
Literally no effort and the flavour OMG! 10/10
Had it with your fluffy coconut rice which was also 10/10
Still thinking about it 2 days later 🙂
I’m amazed by how simple and easy this recipe is and how much FLAVOR there is!! Wow!! Just a few ingredients to marinade the chicken, produced such delicious oven baked chicken with crispy skin. This is a must try for those short on time and looking for some incredible flavors.
BEST recipe EVER !!!
You are my go-to for the best recipes! Tried this for the first time for my son and he loved it! Will be a regular in the rotation! Many thanks!
Delicious! Although I had to make it with chicken breasts as my family won’t eat chicken legs/thighs. Yes, that makes things tricker (and gets me very cross!) I served it with some steamed rice and chopped salad with your Asian sesame dressing and baked corn on the cob. Empty plates all round. I might be able to get around the chicken issue by using a spatchcocked chicken next time.
Almost forgot, I made your lemon yogurt cake again. Since it was a Thai themed dinner tonight, I switch the lemon for lime zest and juice. Absolutely beautiful. Thank you as always, Nagi! X
Made this recipe for the 1st time yesterday…had no oyster sauce so substituted hoisin & added a little extra brown sugar as hubby likes sweet. Served with vegetable fried rice & green beans.
Delicious!
Thank-you for the recipe!