Thai Grilled/BBQ Chili-Lime Chicken

Thai BBQ Chicken with Dipping Sauce
Thai BBQ Chili-Lime Chicken with Dipping Sauce. Taken by D.Schmidt for About.com
  • 35 mins
  • Prep: 15 mins,
  • Cook: 20 mins
  • Yield: SERVES 2-4
Ratings (5)

By Darlene Schmidt

Updated 10/04/17

If you like good grilled or BBQ chicken, try this classic and fantastically delicious Thai Grilled Chili-Lime Chicken!  It's simple to make, including the special marinade that imbues the chicken with taste and gives it that beautiful reddish barbecue hue. Serve with a quintessentially Thai sauce that is super-easy to make (no cooking involved!) and gives your chicken that extra hit of flavor. A great recipe to make for everyday eating, or for a special cookout or family barbecue. ENJOY!

What You'll Need

  • 1/2 lb chicken thighs (or breast, or chicken pieces of your choice)
  • For the Marinade:
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp. coriander (ground)
  • 1/2 tsp. ground pepper (white ground or substitute 1 tsp. black pepper)
  • 2 tbsp. fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. soy sauce (dark)
  • 3 tbsp. sherry (or cooking sherry)
  • 1 tbsp. sugar (brown)
  • 1 tbsp. lime juice (fresh)
  • For the Easy Chili-Lime Sauce:
  • 1/4 cup lime juice (fresh)
  • 2 tbsp. sugar (brown)
  • 2 tbsp. fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp. shallot (or purple onion, finely minced)
  • 1 chili (red minced, or 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper)

How to Make It

  1. Stir all marinade ingredients together until well mixed and sugar has dissolved.
  2. Pour marinade over chicken pieces. Turn and stir the chicken in the marinade. Allow chicken to marinate at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours (covered and in the refrigerator).
  3. Barbecue chicken over a hot grill. Brush with some of the leftover marinade from the bottom of the bowl the first time you turn the chicken pieces.
  1. Continue grilling until chicken is well cooked (inner flesh should be opaque and juices should run clear).
  2. To make the chili-lime sauce: Simply stir all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl until the brown sugar dissolves. Note that this sauce does not need to be cooked or heated.
  3. Taste-test the sauce. It should taste tangy and spicy - a balance of sour and sweet, salty and spicy. If you prefer it sweeter, add more sugar. Add more fresh chili or cayenne if you prefer it spicier. If you'd like it saltier, add more fish sauce.
  4. Serve the barbecue chicken together with the sauce. Excellent with rice, but also good with potatoes or over salad greens. ENJOY!
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
Calories 248
Total Fat 8 g
Saturated Fat 2 g
Unsaturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 47 mg
Sodium 2,093 mg
Carbohydrates 27 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Protein 20 g
(The nutrition information on our recipes is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. Individual results may vary.)