Easy & Simple Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
Tender chicken thighs seasoned in a sweet, savory lemongrass marinade and served with a tangy Vietnamese dipping sauce. This quick and easy Vietnamese lemongrass chicken is made with simple ingredients and great for the family!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 6 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1.25 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs (or substitute with chicken breast but see Notes below)
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1 stalk lemongrass (use white parts only and do not use the green parts)
- 1 shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar (or palm sugar/coconut sugar/cane sugar)
- 2 tbsp lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce (not dark soy sauce)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup water (room temperature or cold)
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 red chili pepper (finely chopped)
Instructions
- 1
Into a blender or food processor, blend marinade ingredients until it's a smooth paste. There shouldn't be any large pieces of lemongrass or it'll be unpleasant to eat.
- 2
Transfer skinless boneless chicken thighs to a large bowl or a resealable bag. Pour marinade over the chicken thighs and marinate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- 3
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan on medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade shaking off any excess marinade. Fry chicken in small batches in a single layer giving each piece enough space. Cook chicken on the first side for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and charred in some areas.
- 4
Reduce to medium heat and flip chicken over and fry on the other side for 2 minutes until browned and juices run clear or an internal temperature of 165 F. Immediately remove cooked chicken from pan. Make sure to clean the pan of the burned marinade between batches and add another tablespoon of vegetable oil to fry the next batch.
- 5
In a small bowl, combine Nước Chấm ingredients as listed together. Serve as a dipping sauce with chicken.