For those looking for the best grilled chicken in Bangkok, we can fairly say that Thailand’s capital has much to offer. There are restaurants to be found that are specialized in grilled chicken, fried chicken and deep-fried chicken and to our surprise, the variation in flavours is quite extensive. Some restaurants are typical Isaan restaurants, which serve food from the Northeastern region with popular dishes such as Som Tam (papaya salad) and Yum (sour and spicy salad) that pair perfectly with the crispiness and savoriness of grilled meats. In other words, there are many different types of grilled chicken in Bangkok to discover. Let’s jump to our recommendations.
The best grilled chicken in Bangkok are:
1. Grilled Chicken Half (130 THB) at Polo Fried Chicken
When it comes to fried chicken, there is of course Polo Fried Chicken, a family-run business that serves its famous fried chicken for over fifty years. The third generation is currently running the show, but flavour-wise, nothing changed much. Visitors can choose between two sizes, either half a chicken (130 THB) or a whole chicken (260 THB). The skin of the chicken is incredibly crisp while the meat is nicely succulent. The best part is the crispy fried garlic that the chicken is topped with, which gives that umami boost. We recommend you order one of the yum salads, which goes perfectly together with the juicy, crispy chicken.
2. Kai Yang – Grilled Chicken (180 THB) at Gun Kai Yang
Gun Kai Yang is a relatively unknown restaurant that’s specialized in Kai Yang (Grilled Chicken). This small roadside eatery has built a small rotisserie inside their shop where these small birds are roasted to perfection. The restaurant is located in Phra Khanong, far away from popular areas, so you have to drive through some alleys close to the highway. But in return, you get amazingly flavoured grilled chicken with crispy skin for the cheapest price possible: a whole chicken only costs 180 THB. The chicken is served with two sauces, namely sweet chilli sauce and so-called jaew-sauce. Pair this grilled chicken with either a spicy papaya salad or a spicy mango salad for optimal satisfaction.
3. Khai Yang – Roasted Chicken (160 THB) at Isan Rod Ded
This local eatery located near Victory Monument is a hugely popular place among Thai to enjoy no-nonsense Northeastern Thai food. Many families and even students come to dine here as the food comes in large portions, is cheap and most importantly: tasty! A quick glance at other tables and you see that the majority of these groups all order the Khai Yang (160 THB), which is the roasted chicken. What’s so different about the grilled chicken at Isan Rod Ded compared to other grilled chicken in Bangkok is that it has a strong smokey flavour. Again, combining it with something sour and spicy is recommended, such as their Som Tam Kung Sod (80 THB), which is a papaya salad with little prawns.
4. Pad Thai Gai Yang (190 THB) at Baan Pad Thai
This article is not only about the best grilled chicken in Bangkok, but also about other delicious poultry options. Pad Thai is usually served with prawns, but a version with chunks of chicken is common too. But Pad Thai with Grilled Chicken is something not so common and one of Bangkok’s Pad Thai experts serves this version at their popular restaurant. The combination of the greasy, savoury yet slightly sweet Pad Thai combined with the smokiness of the grilled chicken is outstanding. This is not your standard local restaurant, so prices a slightly higher than what you’re used to, but Baan Padthai has always been a restaurant we recommend to friends as the quality is just perfect.
5. Kai Yang – Grilled Chicken with JAEW Sauce (120 THB) at Lao Garden
When I was living in On Nut, I often visited this restaurant after work for my daily dose of Thai food packed with chillies. Aside from the food that’s been served here, the atmosphere is noteworthy too as you dine around a small canal and almost have the feeling that you’re not in a chaotic city like Bangkok. Lao Garden mainly serves Laotian and Isaan food, meaning that there are several grilled meat options available on the menu. In fact, the grilled meat section is labelled as their speciality. The grilled chicken is of decent size and served with homemade Jaew sauce. The skin is beautifully golden-brown crisp and the meat is nicely juicy. Often, I combined this with sticky rice and a Som Tam Thai (70 THB).
6. Grilled Chicken Small (90 THB) at Sabai Jai Gai Yang
Sabai Jai Gai Yang is a popular Isaan restaurant right in the middle of Ekkemai. The menu is divided into three sections: seafood, salads and grilled & deep-fried meats. One of the bestsellers is their grilled chicken, which costs either 90 THB or 180 THB, depending on the size. The chicken is nicely crisp and has a nice golden-brown colour as well as a smokey touch. The food is outstanding and well-prepared and the chicken itself comes with the two usual sauces. What we like about Sabai Jai Gai Yang is that there is also plenty of seafood to choose from instead of only the regular common spicy salads.
7. Grilled Chicken Half (130 THB) at Kai Yang Boran
Kai Yang Boran is quite the popular restaurant for both Thais and foreigners are this restaurant is located nearby the touristic area of Khao San Road and its surrounding neighbourhoods. With a quick search on the web, you can easily find this restaurant and it seems that’s how tourists found their way to this grilled chicken specialist. When it comes to crispy fried skin, Kai Yang Boran might have won that contest as the skin is what makes it so tasty. The chicken itself is flavoured with lemongrass.
8. Fried Chicken Wings (150 THB) at Tamnak Isan
As we try to inspire you to try out restaurants that serve tasty food, we recommend other dishes that you can compare with typical Thai grilled chicken. One of them is the Fried Chicken Wings (150 THB) at Tamnak Isan, a popular Isaan restaurant located in Ekkemai. These garlicky, crispy and super juicy Thai chicken wings are among the bestsellers as they are not as lean as regular Thai wings. The fried kaffir lime leaves that are served with it are edible and give the dish a unique touch. To be fair, they do serve grilled chicken as well.
9. Crispy Grilled Chicken (140 THB) at Sara-Jane’s
Sara-Jane’s is a nice restaurant with a cosy outside dining area that serves exciting Thai foods from different regions. You can combine cuisines such as the Northern and the Isaan, which makes it quite an interesting place to devour flavorful dishes. The food is well-presented and of good quality. That also applies to their Crispy Grilled Chicken (140 THB). Crispy skin, juicy meat, well-flavoured chicken and two sauces to dip in. Combine it with one of the many salads or go wild and pick one of the Northern Thai specialities.
10. Fried Chicken Large (115 THB) at Som Tam Nua
Some of the best papaya salad restaurants in the city often have grilled meats on their menu as well as this is simply a heavenly combination. One of them is Som Tam Nua, and although there are interesting dishes such as the Fried Northeastern Style Sausage (98 THB) and Crispy Fried Fish (105 THB) on the menu as well that are often ordered with one of their many salads, the absolute highlight is the Fried Chicken, which comes in two sizes. The bowl of fried chicken comes with both wings as drumsticks and is incredibly crisp.
11. Pik Kai Yang (19 THB) at Som Tam Jay So
Som Tam Jay So is an iconic local eatery that does not win the prize for the most hygienic place. What they might win a price for is their som tam (papaya salad) along with their grilled meats. It’s as authentic as it possibly can as if you’re eating somewhere in the middle of the Isaan. We recommend you go for their Pik Kai Yang, which only costs you 19 THB and comes with two sauces. Pair this with Som Tam Phon La Mai (60 THB), which is their signature Thai salad. We cannot come up with a more authentic and cheap restaurant of this quality.
12. Grilled Chicken (70 THB) at PaKaew Grilled Chicken
PaKaew Grilled Chicken is the busiest restaurant listed in this article. It’s located outside Bangkok, near Suvarnabhumi Airport, so for most travellers, it’s only a good option if you’re staying in this area. The restaurant itself has several areas where you can sit, of which two of them are air-conditioned. During the weekends, this place is crazy busy. Why? Because the food is seriously tasty and affordable. Unfortunately, the menu is completely in Thai, but if you visit the TopTravelFoods page of PaKaew, you can use the pictures of the food to order the dishes. The grilled chicken is by far the most popular option, but the idea behind this restaurant is to order all sorts of Northern Thai dishes, such as Som Tam, Nam Tok Moo (45 THB), Laab Goong (100 THB) and Isaan Sausage (50 THB). It’s easy to have a table full of dishes for a bargain. Combine this with ice-cold beer and we guarantee you have an amazing lunch or dinner.
13. Der Styled Deep-Fried Chicken Wings (85 THB) at Somtum Der
Somtum Der is among the most popular papaya salad specialist in the city and compared to its competitors, is slightly more upscale, yet still reasonably priced. The quality of the food, as well as the service, is outstanding and Somtum Der is recommended in the Michelin Guide for a few years now. Guests can choose between fifteen different papaya salads. What we recommend is to pick one of the papaya salads according to your taste and combine this with their Der Styled Deep-Fried Chicken Wings (85 THB). These special wings are slightly spicy, and super crunchy and come with a nice spicy dipping sauce.
14. Grilled Chicken (80 THB) at Hai Som Tam Convent
Another popular papaya salad specialist is Hai Som Tam Convent. Every day it serves countless customers which mainly are Thai. The menu consists of a wide variety of different Yum salads, Laab salads, Papaya salads and roasted and grilled meats. But the menu is even broader with different soups and classic dishes such as Pad Kra Pao and Pad Thai. All-in-all, it’s a complete restaurant that also serves delicious Grilled Chicken of which the smaller portion costs 80 THB while the larger portion costs 120 THB.
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There you have it, the best grilled chicken in Bangkok. We hope you enjoyed our recommendations and try at least one of the recommended restaurants that serve amazing grilled chicken.