Gai Yang — Thai Grilled Chicken Legs with Jaew

Ingredients

• 2½ lb Chicken Legs, butterflied or in large pieces
• 6 cilantro roots or 12 cilantro stems
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1½ tsp white peppercorns
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp toasted rice powder
• 1 tbsp chili flakes
• 3 scallions, sliced

Method

1. Pound the cilantro roots, garlic, and white peppercorns into a rough paste. Mix with the fish sauce, oyster sauce, half the palm sugar, and the coconut milk, then rub it into the Chicken Legs. Marinate 2 hours or overnight.
2. Set the grill up with a hot side and a cool side. Cook the Chicken Legs skin-side down over the cool side, covered, turning every 8 minutes, until nearly done.
3. Move it over the coals for the last few minutes to blister the skin, basting with leftover marinade. Pull at 175°F (79°C) for legs — dark meat wants to go past the safe minimum.
4. For the jaew, stir the lime juice, remaining palm sugar, a tablespoon of fish sauce, chili flakes, toasted rice powder, and scallions together. It should be aggressively sour and gritty with rice powder.
5. Rest the Chicken Legs 5 minutes, hack it into pieces, and serve with sticky rice and the jaew for dunking.