Lao Grilled Chicken (Ping Kai)
ປີ້ງໄກ່ Ping KaiSay it: ping KAI
Ping kai is Laos's roadside-and-family-table classic: chicken rubbed with a pounded paste of lemongrass, garlic, cilantro root and black pepper, then cooked slowly over coals until the skin blisters and turns deep amber. The marinade perfumes the meat all the way through, so every bite is smoky, herbal and savory with a faint sweetness. It is made for sharing, torn or chopped into pieces and eaten by hand with sticky rice and a sharp chili dip.
Lao Grilled Chicken (Ping Kai)
ປີ້ງໄກ່, Ping Kai
Pronounced ping KAI
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains fish. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the chicken
For the marinade
Method
Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels. If you bought a whole bird, set it breast-side down, cut along both sides of the backbone with poultry shears, remove the backbone, then press the bird flat; otherwise use the 8 cut pieces.
Pound the lemongrass, garlic, cilantro roots and peppercorns in a mortar to a coarse, fragrant paste, or pulse briefly in a small food processor. Stir in the fish sauce, palm sugar and 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the oil until the sugar dissolves.
Rub the paste all over the chicken, working some under the skin and into any cuts. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
Take the chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium, about 375°F (190°C), and oil the grates with the remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil.
Lay the chicken skin-side down over direct medium heat and cover. Grill 10–12 minutes, without moving it, until the skin releases cleanly and is deep golden with light char marks.
Turn the chicken and continue grilling 15–20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F (74°C) and the juices run clear.
If the skin darkens too fast, slide the chicken to a cooler part of the grill and keep it covered until cooked through. Rest 5–10 minutes.
Chop into serving pieces with a cleaver, or leave the pieces whole, and serve warm with sticky rice and a chili dipping sauce.
Regional variants
In neighboring northeastern Thailand the same style is called gai yang and is usually paired with som tam; some cooks add a pinch of turmeric for color or brush the chicken with coconut milk near the end of grilling for a glossier skin.
Cook's notes
- Keep the heat at medium and use the lid: fierce direct heat burns the skin before the inside is done.
- A mortar keeps the paste coarse and aromatic; if using a processor, pulse in short bursts so it doesn't turn watery.
- Cilantro roots carry the most flavor — scrub them well, or use the thick lower stems as a stand-in.
Serve with
Sticky rice, som tam or a simple lime-chili-fish sauce dip.
Make ahead and storage
Marinate up to 24 hours ahead and grill just before serving. Leftovers keep refrigerated up to 3 days and are good eaten cold or gently reheated.
