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An overhead shot of a round white plate topped with grilled chicken thighs, fresh cilantro, and edible flowers.
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4.77 from 26 votes

Gregory Gourdet’s Favorite Grilled Chicken

Chef Gregory Gourdet’s boldly seasoned grilled chicken with lemongrass, cilantro, and fish sauce, is the spicy Thai-inspired barbecue recipe that’ll jazz up your summer menu! 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Marinating time12 hours
Total Time12 hours 55 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: barbecue, gluten-free, grill, grilled chicken, low carb, nom nom paleo, nomnompaleo, paleo
Servings: 8
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup avocado oil
  • ½ cup Red Boat fish sauce
  • 5 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt  divided
  • 4 lemongrass stalks trimmed, bruised, then thinly sliced
  • 1 small bunch fresh cilantro stems roughly chopped, upper leaves reserved for garnish
  • ¼ cup finely chopped palm sugar or coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup black peppercorns
  • 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 8 garlic cloves peeled
  • 6 Thai chilies stemmed (use less or omit if can't do spicy)
  • pounds chicken thighs or other bone-in, skin-on chicken parts
  • 2 tablespoons edible flowers optional garnish

Instructions

Marinate the chicken

  • In a blender, combine the avocado oil, fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt, the lemongrass, cilantro stems and lower leaves, palm sugar, black peppercorns, coconut aminos, coriander, garlic, and chiles. Blend to a coarse puree, about 2 minutes.
  • Season the chicken all over with the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt, put it in a large container along with the marinade, and toss to coat well, making sure the marinade gets into the nooks and crannies. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.

Grill the chicken

  • When it’s time to cook the chicken, fire up a grill so there’s a high-heat area and a medium-heat area.
  • Remove the chicken from the marinade, giving each piece a brief shake and reserving the marinade, and transfer it to a large plate or tray. Pour the reserved marinade into a small pot, bring it to a boil over high heat, and turn off the heat. You’ll use it in a bit to glaze the chicken.
  • Grill the chicken, skin-side down and uncovered, on the hot area until it’s charred and the skin is crispy, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken as you move it to the area of medium heat (or decrease to medium heat on a gas grill), baste with some of the reserved marinade, then cover the grill. 
  • Cook the thighs until the meat pulls easily from the bone, 25 to 30 minutes and the temperature measures 165°F. Cooking breasts? Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, and temperature measures 150°F.
  • When the chicken is ready, flip it back to skin-side down and cook for about 30 seconds more, rubbing the remaining marinade on the meat side as the skin side crisps up.
  • Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Serve, garnishing with the remaining cilantro and edible flowers.

Video

Notes

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
NO GRILL? HERE ARE OVEN DIRECTIONS!
Heat the oven to 400°F convection or 425°F conventional with the rack in the middle position. Shake off the excess marinade and arrange the chicken, skin-side down, on a stainless steel wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the chicken for 45 minutes, rotating the tray and flipping the thighs skin-side up at the halfway point.
Recipe adapted slightly with permission from Everyone’s Table by Gregory Gourdet, copyright © 2021. Published by Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Nutrition

Calories: 705kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 54g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g