Phad Phrik Grua Gai
Serves 2 Cooks in 20 minutes Difficulty EASY
This lovely dish came about through a special request from some of my cooking class guests here in Khao Lak! You know, the traditional version of this recipe uses crispy pork belly – it’s a real favourite in Thailand. But some of my students asked if we could make it with chicken instead.
Phad Phrik Grua Gai is what we call ahaan glang wan – that’s food for any time of day in Thailand. You might find this dish at street food stalls in the afternoon when people want something quick and satisfying, or families might make it at home for dinner. The name tells you exactly what it is – phad means stir-fried, phrik is chilli, and grua means garlic, whilst gai is chicken.
What makes this dish so special is the contrast of textures and the balance of flavours. The chicken becomes wonderfully crispy from the flour coating and deep frying, then we toss it with lots of fresh garlic and chillies that become fragrant and slightly caramelised. The coriander root adds this lovely earthy flavour that’s very Thai – if you can’t find coriander root, you can use the stems, but the root is much better if you can get it.
This recipe is perfect for when you want to make something authentic at home but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen. Everything happens quite quickly once you start cooking, so it’s important to have all your ingredients ready before you begin. The oil needs to be nice and hot for the chicken to get really crispy, and then we work fast to bring everything together.
I love teaching this dish because it shows people how Thai cooking is really about balancing flavours – we have the heat from the chillies, the aromatic sweetness from the garlic, a little sugar for balance, and that lovely herbal freshness from the coriander. It’s simple ingredients, but when you put them together the right way, it becomes something really special.
Even though this isn’t one of my regular Khao Lak Thai cooking class dishes, it’s exactly the kind of home-style Thai cooking that I’m passionate about sharing. When you make this at home, you’re cooking the same way Thai families have been cooking for generations – with love, with good ingredients, and with that perfect balance that makes Thai food so wonderful.
The best part is that once you master this technique, you can use it with other meats too. Some people like to make it with pork (the original way), others use beef, and I’ve even seen it made with fish. The method stays the same – crispy protein, aromatic stir-fry, beautiful flavours.
Please try this recipe at home and let me taste a little bit of Thailand in your own kitchen!
Ingredients
- 250ml oil
- 250-300g chicken breast
- 4 coriander roots, chopped
- 1 handful of coriander leaves
- 1-2 tsp sugar
- 10 chillies, sliced
- 15 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 1 tsp chicken stock
- 2-3 tbsp crispy or tempura flour
- A good pinch of salt
- 2 spring onions, chopped
Method
- Mix the chicken with the flour until it is evenly coated.
- Heat most of the oil in a wok, add the chicken and stir fry until the golden and crispy. Turn off the heat, remove the chicken and drain well. Leave to cool.
- Heat a little oil in a wok, throw in the coriander roots, chilli, garlic and stir fry.
- Add the chicken, stir then add the chicken stock, sugar, salt, spring onions and coriander leaves. Give a final stir and remove from the heat.
To Serve
Serve on a plate, top with coriander leaves and eat with steamed Jasmine rice.
Hope you enjoy my Phad Phrik Grua Gai, it is really quick and easy to make. Khop Khun Ka from Apple 🍎 Riverside Thai Cooking in Khao Lak.
