Chiang Mai Chicken (Gai Yang)

Chicken leg quarters and breasts were easy to buy at the grocer, but breaking down a whole chicken worked well, too, and ensured the parts were of similar size. You also can use four whole legs or four split breasts instead of a combination. While optional, lemon grass added bright, citrusy flavor that's characteristic of Thai food. We also found the lemon grass paste sold near the fresh herbs worked in a pinch; substitute 2 tablespoons of paste for the fresh lemon grass. If you can find it, Thai palm sugar can be substituted for the brown sugar; it adds a delicious earthiness. Cooking the chicken over a bed of salt prevented the marinade from burning as it dripped off the chicken. While a simple squeeze of lime was enough to dress the meat, we also liked dipping it in tangy tamarind or chili-lime sauces.