This Grilled Thai Chicken with Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce is an ideal quick and flavorful dinner. Using ready-made pesto speeds preparation and delivers bright, fresh flavor.
This Grilled Thai Chicken with Sweet Chili Sauce came together one evening when dinner started late. As the school year winds down our schedule becomes looser, and I often find myself improvising with what’s on hand. Grilling makes those last-minute dinners easy, with minimal cleanup and big flavor.
On many nights we usually eat around 6 PM, but recently dinner stretched to near 8 PM. Grilling season is a lifesaver—simple, fast dinners are possible even with a late start. When time allows I love making other family favorites like Grilled Salmon with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce and Thai Coconut Curry Chicken with Peanut Sauce, but this chicken is a reliable go-to when time is short.
Garlic scapes are one of the first spring finds at the farmer’s market, and I like turning them into pesto early in the season. While pesto tossed with pasta is a staple for spring and summer, this grilled chicken is a great way to use Garlic Scape Cilantro Swiss Chard Pesto. The pesto is combined with gluten-free soy sauce and spread over thin-sliced boneless chicken cutlets before grilling.
This recipe riffs on a traditional Thai grilled chicken that uses cilantro paste. Here, the pesto-based marinade adds depth and herbaceousness, while a homemade Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce provides sweet, tangy heat. Serve the chicken with the sauce, a simple salad and steamed rice for a quick, satisfying meal.
Grilled Thai Chicken with Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
Grilled Thai Chicken
-
1/3
cup
Garlic Scape
Swiss Chard and Cilantro Pesto -
2
tablespoons
gluten-free soy sauce -
6
chicken cutlets
thin sliced
Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce
-
1/4
cup
organic sugar -
2
tablespoons
water -
2
tablespoons
rice vinegar -
2
teaspoons
minced garlic -
1/4
teaspoon
salt -
1
teaspoon
chili-garlic sauce
Instructions
-
Combine the pesto and soy sauce in a bowl. Rub the mixture evenly over the chicken cutlets. If time allows, let the chicken marinate for 1–2 hours for deeper flavor; if not, you can grill immediately.
-
Preheat the grill to medium-high and cook the chicken until fully cooked through and nicely charred on the edges, about 3–5 minutes per side depending on thickness. Internal temperature should reach 165°F (74°C).
-
To make the Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce, combine the sugar, water, rice vinegar, minced garlic and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the mixture reduces and thickens slightly, about 3–5 minutes. Stir in the chili-garlic sauce to taste and remove from heat.
-
Serve the grilled chicken with the warm Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce alongside rice and a simple salad. Leftover sauce keeps well refrigerated for several days and is great as a dipping sauce or glaze.