ไก่กอและที่อร่อยที่สุดในโลก
Located in the small sleepy town of Hua Sai (หัวไทร) in Nakhon Si Thammarat, is where you’ll find what is probably the best of the best of all southern Thai style coconut milk bbq sauce grilled chicken in all of Thailand (in Thai the type of grilled chicken is called ไก่กอและ gai galae).
My wife has been coming to this spot, which is called Gai Yang Galae Hua Sai (ไก่ย่างกอและหัวไทร) for years ever since she was a kid, because her father is from this city originally, and he even knows the family that owns it. It had been over 10 years since my wife had been back here, but she said that as a kid, her and her family would drive straight there, order at least 50 skewers and eat them all.
You’ll find this type of Thai coconut milk bbq sauce chicken all over southern Thailand, just look for someone grilling up some deep red colored skewers of chicken. And I’ve tried it at dozens of places throughout southern Thailand. But no other gai galae (ไก่กอและ) that I’ve ever had even comes close to this version. This is the best of the best, worthy of a food pilgrimage to this tiny local town in southern Thailand.
Ok, so what makes Gai Yang Galae Hua Sai (ไก่ย่างกอและหัวไทร) so unique, one of a kind, and the best?
There are 2 main reasons:
The coconut bbq sauce that they use is made from pure coconut cream. Some other vendors in Thailand that make this dish add flour to stretch out the coconut milk and make it cheaper, which in turns makes the bbq sauce less flavorful and more sticky, and not nearly as good.
They have a truly unique and one of a kind grilling technique where they coat the chicken in bbq sauce, then grill it and let it dry, and repeat this process three full times. It’s time consuming and takes lots of effort, but the results are spectacular.
The Thai coconut milk bbq sauce grilled chicken was insane. It’s one of the most richly densely packed coconut cream delights that I’ve ever had. The sauce is a little sweet and nutty, and so rich that it’s almost unbelievable. Also, somehow even through the grilling and drying process, the chicken remains and not dried out whatsoever.
It was one of those transcendent Thai food experiences and unseen Thai food in Thailand!
