This Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken recipe is made with the best citrusy lemongrass marinade and can be cooked on a BBQ plate, grill or in a pan. You could also make chicken kebabs with this recipe
Lemongrass, with its tangy, lemony, minty, slightly gingery flavour, is the starring ingredient here and somehow transforms a simple garlic-soy marinade into one that tastes fabulously fresh and light. And once it’s paired with lightly charred chicken, this slightly-sweet, savoury, citrusy combo is downright irresistible.
This dish is easy to cook – I served it for 16 guests recently alongside BBQ Pork Fillet with peanut sauce and Lemongrass, Lime Leaf and Chilli Baked Salmon
To accompany the chicken I served Coconut Jasmine Rice, a simple, fresh Vietnamese Salad and a very simple Cucumber and Mint Salad (recipe below)
Ingredients
1/4 cup lime juice, plus extra lime wedges for serving
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons avocado oil (or any neutral-flavored oil)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 small garlic cloves
Coriander root/stems – if you buy a bunch of coriander, simply keep the stalks, cutting off the very end (you will logically use the coriander leaves in your Vietnamese Salad)
6-8 lime leaves, very finely chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, tender white parts only, roughly chopped or lemongrass paste – 3 tablespoons minimum
1 medium shallot, peeled and halved
1 kg chicken tenderloins or boneless thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces. Note that if you use thighs, they will take longer to cook
Nuoc Cham dressing – refer below
Nuoc Cham dressing
1/3 cup of lime juice – try to use fresh if not too pricey
1/4 cup of fish sauce
1 red chilli (optional) – remove seeds and thinly slice
2 tbs soft brown sugar
1/4 cup of water
Combine the ingredients, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Taste and adjust flavours as you like
Cucumber and mint salad
3 or 4 Lebanese cucumbers, good handful of mint leaves and juice from 1 large lemon. Using a veg peeler, peel the cucumber into ribbons, add broken up mint leaves and squeeze in the lemon juice to taste. Mix and you are all done!
Cooking instructions
Serves 4 generously