Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
This Grilled Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken recipe is incredibly quick and easy to prepare, loaded with flavor from the lemongrass chicken marinade and grilled to perfection to give you a delicious sweet and savory, juicy grilled chicken that can be served in many different ways.
What is Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken and How Does It Tastes?
Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken is a flavorful grilled chicken dish, marinated in garlic, shallots, lemongrass, fish sauce and sugar.
You can commonly find this popular dish in Vietnamese restaurants served with rice (or vermicelli noodles) and a side of sweet and tangy nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce).
This grilled chicken dish is not only easy to make at home, but also incredibly delicious and juicy and moist. In fact, it's one of the most flavorful ones I've ever tried and a favorite at BBQ gatherings.
If you're looking for a few delicious grilled meat recipes for a BBQ gathering, I also love making grilled Vietnamese lemongrass pork chops (Thit Heo Nuong Xa) which uses the same marinade but uses pork shoulder chops instead, and Vietnamese nem nuong sausages which is a sweet and savory sausage without the casing that has a lot of garlicky flavors and incredibly texture.
Ingredients for Lemongrass Chicken
- Chicken - For this Vietnamese lemongrass chicken recipe, I prefer using dark meat (my favorite is boneless chicken thighs or deboned chicken drumsticks) because it's juicier and has more flavor, but white meat such as chicken breast will also work but make sure you don't overcook it so that it stays moist and tender. I also like to go for boneless chicken as it cooks up faster. But if you do go with bone-in chicken, just make sure to grill it a bit longer to ensure it's cooked through.
- Lemongrass - This aromatic is the star of this recipe. You can find stalks of fresh lemongrass or pre-chopped (and frozen) in the freezer section at any Asian grocery store.
- Garlic - To make this lemongrass chicken incredibly flavorful, garlic is a must-have and should not be skipped.
- Shallots - I like to use shallots for extra flavor in the marinade. If you cannot find shallots, you can substitute it with a small onion.
- Fish Sauce - It's important to use fish sauce in this Vietnamese chicken dish, so it's not recommended to replace it with any other ingredient. You can find this at any Asian grocery store or online.
- Soy Sauce - I use dark soy sauce (or mushroom soy sauce) to give the chicken a bit more color. If you don't have it, you can substitute it with regular soy sauce but it might not have that brown color after it has been grilled.
- Sugar - Any type of sweetener (honey, brown sugar etc.) will work for this recipe.
What is Lemongrass and How Do I Buy It?
Lemongrass is a tall grassy herb that is native to Asia. It has a very mild citrus flavor but has more of a citrus aroma (once bruised) than strong citrus flavor.
It is a very woody and tough herb and is mainly used for its oils for flavor, which is why we need to bruise or chop it very finely before adding it to marinades, soups, and stews.
Lemongrass is very common in Asian grocery stores and when you are shopping for them, there 2 main forms they come in: fresh stalks and frozen pre-grounded.
If you are buying fresh stalks, look for firm stalks that are not dried out. You shouldn't be able to bend them easily. The lower half of the lemongrass stalk should be a creamy light yellow color and as you go up the stalk they become greener.
You want to avoid any lemongrass stalks with brown outer leaves because it means they are dried out.
You can store lemongrass in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or keep them in the freezer in an ziplock bag for up to 8 months.
How to Make Lemongrass Chicken
Preparing Vietnamese lemongrass chicken is a breeze as this recipe only requires four simple steps from start to finish. Lets start!
Prepare the Marinade
To make this lemongrass chicken marinade, we start by finely chopping or grating the garlic and shallots. You can also blitz this in a food processor with the lemongrass.
To prepare the lemongrass, remove the first outer layer of the stalk, then cut off the dry tips at the top and the thick hard base at the end. We only want to use the tender parts of the lemongrass.
You can finely chop it by hand or blitz it in a food processor with the chopped shallots and garlic.
If you use a food processor, you still want to make sure the pieces are finely chopped before adding in since the lemongrass stalks are still fibrous.
Marinate the Chicken
Once all the aromatics are finely chopped (or blended), add it to a bowl with the chicken and the rest of the marinade ingredients (fish sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and water) and marinade it for 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature or overnight for 24 hours for the best flavor.
If you want to make this spicy, you can add a tablespoon or two of sriracha or add 1 finely chopped Thai chili to the chicken marinade.
Remove the Aromatics from the Chicken Before Grilling
It's very important to remove as much as the aromatics from the chicken before you grill it so that it doesn't burn as easily. At this point, you won't need it because the marinade would have penetrated the chicken already.
Give the chicken a light coat of oil (I like to use vegetable oil or avocado oil) by drizzling oil over it and using your hands to rub it all over. This will prevent the chicken from sticking to the grill.
Grill the Lemongrass Chicken
Since there is a lot of sugar in the marinade, you only need to set the BBQ to medium heat, instead of high heat.
You will still get the char, but it will cook at a slightly slower pace so that the chicken doesn't burn before the center is down.
It takes about 12-15 minutes to fully cook a ¼ inch thick piece of boneless dark meat chicken. If you are using any other cut of chicken that is thicker, you may need to grill it for longer it.
After you cleaned the BBQ and oiled it, start by placing the chicken skin side down first and let it sear for about 2-3 minutes (lid up). Once the skin has charred nicely, flip the chicken and close the lid and cook it for about 5-8 minutes.
Open the lid again, and check if the chicken is done. If it's not, cook it for longer. If it's done but you want a bit more char on the skin, flip the chicken again so its skin side down for a minute.
Once the chicken is down, take it off the BBQ and let it rest for about 5 minutes before you slice them into small pieces. I like to use this time to make the nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce) for this dish.
Tips
- If you want a more flavorful lemongrass chicken dish, consider using dark meat like chicken thighs and drumsticks as they have more fat and is a lot more juicier, which makes it a lot more delicious.
- Use boneless chicken to so that it cooks more quickly and evenly.
- To prevent burning on the barbecue, it's best to remove the chunks of lemongrass and garlic from the chicken marinade before grilling. Scraping them off will do the trick. Don't worry about losing flavor as the marinade is still very flavorful and will penetrate the meat through the fish sauce.
- When grilling, it may be tempting to use high heat for that perfect char, but this marinade contains sugar, lemongrass, and garlic, which burn easily, so it's best to stick to medium heat to avoid burning. Don't worry, you'll still get those crispy, charred bits - just at a slower rate.
- Lightly coat the chicken with oil right before you grill it. This will prevent the chicken from sticking to the grill.
- If you don't have a grill, you can use a cast iron skillet (or frying pan) and do it over the stove as well.
- I highly recommend pairing this lemongrass chicken with nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce) to give it even more flavor.
How to Serve Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
Lemongrass chicken is incredibly versatile and can be eaten and served in many different ways. Here are a few ways we like to enjoy this at home.
- Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon) - You can add slices of lemongrass chicken into your fresh rice wrap spring rolls along with some fresh thinly sliced vegetables (like cucumber, carrots), vermicelli noodles and fresh Thai basil leaves and dip it with nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce), peanut satay sauce, or hoisin dipping sauce.
- As-is with Rice or Vermicelli Rice Noodles - The easiest and most delicious way is to have it fresh over some steamed jasmine or broken rice (Com Tam) or vermicelli noodle bowl with a few slices of cucumber and tomatoes with a small bowl of nuoc cham dipping sauce. You can add a fried sunny side up egg on top as well.
- Sandwiches like Banh Mi - If you like making banh mi at home you use a French or Vietnamese baguette, spread some pate and mayonnaise on it, add fresh cucumbers slices and pickled daikon and carrots and a few slices of lemongrass chicken.
- Salads - You can use it as a protein and top your fresh salads with it for a heartier meal.
- Stir-Fries - If you have leftover lemongrass chicken, you can slice it and add it to any veggie stir fry to make a brand new meal out of it.
FAQs
Yes, this marinade is so flavorful and versatile, you can use it on other proteins like pork or beef and is actually very common to be used in Vietnamese pork chops!
Yes you definitely can! You can use a cast iron skillet or a frying pan over a stovetop to make this lemongrass chicken if you don't have a grill or BBQ.
For this Vietnamese lemongrass chicken recipe, there is lemongrass, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and water. You can also add a bit of coconut cream as well if you want something creamier.
More Vietnamese Recipes You May Like
- Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops (Thit Heo Nuong Xa)
- Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)
- Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)
- Canh Chua (Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Soup)
- Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham / Nuoc Mam)
- Nem Nuong (Grilled Vietnamese Pork Sausages)
- Vietnamese Grilled Shrimp Vermicelli Noodle Bowl
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Recipe Card
Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 boneless chicken thighs
Lemongrass Chicken Marinade
- 1 stalk lemongrass (approx. 3½ tablespoons)
- 4 cloves garlic (approx. 2 tablespoons)
- 1 shallot (or small onion, approx. 2 tablespoons)
- 1½ tablespoons fish sauce
- 1½ tablespoons dark soy sauce (or mushroom soy, or regular soy)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce (Full Recipe Post Here)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (approx. 1 lime, or substitute with white vinegar)
- 6 tablespoons hot water
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- grated carrots (optional for color)
- 1 birds eye chili pepper (optional, for some spiciness)
Instructions
Prepare the Marinade
-
Finely chop or grate both the 4 cloves garlic and 1 shallot. (You can also blitz this in a food processor with the lemongrass.)
-
To prepare the lemongrass, remove the first outer layer of the stalk, then cut off the dry tips at the top and the thick hard base at the end. We only want to use the tender light yellow parts of the lemongrass at the thicker base. If the lemongrass is really fresh, you may be able to use some of the green parts as well like in the photo. You can finely chop it by hand or blitz it in a food processor with the chopped shallots and garlic.
-
If you use a food processor, you still want to make sure the pieces are finely chopped before adding in since the lemongrass stalks are still fibrous.
Marinate the Chicken
-
Once all the aromatics are finely chopped (or blended), add it to a bowl with the chicken and the rest of the marinade ingredients (1½ tablespoons fish sauce, 1½ tablespoons dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons water) and marinade it for 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature or overnight for 24 hours for the best flavor.
- If you want to make this spicy, you can add a tablespoon or two of sriracha or add 1 finely chopped Thai chili to the chicken marinade.
Remove the Aromatics From the Chicken Before Grilling
-
It's very important to remove as much as the aromatics from the chicken before you grill it so that it doesn't burn as easily. At this point, you won't need it because the marinade would have penetrated the chicken already.
- Give the chicken a light coat of oil (I like to use vegetable oil or avocado oil) by drizzling oil over it and using your hands to rub it all over. This will prevent the chicken from sticking to the grill.
Grill the Lemongrass Chicken
- Since there is a lot of sugar in the marinade, you only need to set the BBQ to medium heat, not high heat. You will still get the char, but it will cook at a slightly slower pace so that the chicken doesn't burn before the center is down.
- After you cleaned the BBQ and oiled it, start by placing the chicken skin side down first and let it sear for about 2-3 minutes (lid up).
- Once the skin has charred nicely, flip the chicken and close the lid and cook it for about 5-8 minutes.
- Open the lid again, and check if the chicken is done. If it's not, cook it for longer. If it's done, but you want a bit more char on the skin, flip the chicken again so its skin side down for a minute.
-
It takes about 12-15 minutes to fully cook a ¼ inch thick piece of boneless dark meat chicken. If you are using any other cut of chicken that is thicker, you may need to grill it for longer.
- Once the chicken is down, take it off the BBQ and let it rest for about 5 minutes before you slice them into small pieces. I like to use this time to make the nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce) for this dish.
Make the Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce (Full Recipe Post Here)
- Grate or finely chop the 1 clove garlic and place it in a small bowl.
- Squeeze the fresh lime until you get 2 tablespoons of lime juice into the same bowl with the garlic.
- Add the 6 tablespoons hot water and 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sugar to the bowl and mix it until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add 2 tablespoons fish sauce and do a taste test. Adjust it to your liking.
- (Optional) If you want it spicy, finely chop 1 birds eye chili pepper and add it to your sauce.
- (Optional) If you want to add a bit of color to the sauce, finely chop or grate some carrots and mix it into the sauce.
Serve and Enjoy!
-
Serve it the lemongrass chicken with vermicelli noodles or white rice, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, and nuoc cham, and enjoy!
Notes
- For this lemongrass chicken recipe, you can use any cut of chicken, but if you want a more flavorful dish, consider using dark meat like chicken thighs and drumsticks, as they have more fat and are juicier, which makes it a lot more delicious.
- Use boneless chicken so that it cooks more quickly and evenly.
- To prevent burning on the barbecue, it's best to remove the chunks of lemongrass and garlic from the chicken marinade before grilling. Scraping them off will do the trick. Don't worry about losing flavor as the marinade is still very flavorful and will penetrate the meat through the fish sauce.
- When grilling, it may be tempting to use high heat for that perfect char, but this marinade contains sugar, lemongrass, and garlic, which burn easily, so it's best to stick to medium heat to avoid burning. Don't worry, you'll still get those crispy, charred bits - just at a slower rate.
- If you don't have a grill, you can use a cast iron skillet (or frying pan) and do it over the stove as well.
Nutrition
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