Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Recipe
October 16th, 2007 | Vietnamese Recipes | 57 Comments
I told you about clearing out my fridge in my last post, so this is the second installment where I used the leftover lemongrass, shallots, and chicken breasts as the main ingredients.
I found this Vietnamese lemongrass chicken recipe on a recent copy of Food & Wine magazine–an article about Vietnamese recipes. I believe this is not the most authentic lemongrass chicken recipe around, but it worked out really well and I enjoyed it, especially the caramelized sweet taste of this dish…
I am not going to write a lengthy post because of some last-minute shopping that I have to do, but I shall leave you with this wonderful recipe of Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken.
Enjoy!
Related Recipes:
- Vietnamese Tau Hu Ky or bean curd skin with shrimp
- Vietnamese Cha Tom or Hue shrimp patties
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine, October 2007
“Simple, Tasty Vietnamese Cooking”
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast/thigh, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 fresh lemongrass stalks, tender inner white bulbs only, minced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
3 chilies, seeded and minced
1 scallion for garnishing
Method:
In a bowl, combine the fish sauce, garlic, curry powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar. Add the chicken meat to coat.
In a small skillet, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 tablespoon of the water and cook over high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Transfer to a bowl.
Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the lemongrass, shallot, and chilies and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chicken and caramel and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened. Transfer to a bowl and top with the scallion. Serve with steamed white rice.
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I wish I could get lemongrass here. This reminds me of the lemongrass chicken bahn mi I used to eat in Hawaii.
Hell!
Actually depending on where you are you can get lemongrass at the Chinese store all year around.
That looks lovely. My husband would love it…he is big on asian flavors! Thanks for posting :)
Your blog makes me hungry at the most inopportune hours! I could happily eat a bowlful of this right now…
That sounds incredible, I am saving the recipe, and am going to try it later this week!
Can I have a bowl of rice please!
I’ts a real pity that I don’t live where you are. I’d invite myself over everyday when you need to clear your fridge! Love your Lemongrass chicken, and your prawn balls with the wanton skin strips is a BLAST!Is there a lucky guy in particular that gets to savour all your Yummy stuff?
Hi, it sounds so good that I will try this recipe this week, that’s for sure! I will travel throught Asia with your food ;-) cheers
that sounds absoulety delicious. something for the weekend
i als overy much love how you created the 4 photo slide. any chance you could share the secret tool? i am obviously totally at the other extreme to tech savy :)
I love your picture (as always), and since I have all the ingredients on hand, I can’t wait to try this tonight. Thanks!
A friend just harvested some lemongrass from her garden, and I’ve been making a list of recipes that use it. I’ll definitely try this one!
Wow they just look superb.When i saw the pic i thought u deepfried the chicken but it is the caramel which gives it suce a nice colour.
I am for sure going to try this recipe.
I don’t like the fish sauce can i omit that.
Wonderful! My practicing my Asian food cooking skills and I love lemon grass chicken so I guess I know what I’ll be making soon!
Rasa, this looks really really good. I’ve never cooked with lemongrass, but I love it’s flavor.
Perfect! This is what I’ll make for dinner tonight :)
I love the flavor of lemongrass but I’ve never cooked with it much–my mum’s recipes always tend to be so complex. This is one I’m definitely going ot try!
This sounds and looks wonderful! A quick question–what kind of chilies do you use?
looks absolutely delish! ur blog inspires me to cook! will try this recipe over the weekend. loving ur work!
Wooo… I simply love lemongrass in anything. I made the so-called Baba coriander chicken before and it uses lemongrass too. YUMS!
Aiyoh…one of my fave Viet dishes!
I just found fresh lemongrass at the store and now I know how to use it! This sounds simple too :)
Recipe pretty much looks right on. The only thing that normally isn’t used is the curry powder =)
oohh…the picture is awesome!! The recipe is great! I love anything with lemongras!
Sounds tasty. Now if only it wasn’t so hard to find lemongrass.
Looks delicious! Nice pictures too!
Delicious recipe. Everything that I like is in it. Lemongrass, such a lovely ingredient.
RM – I made this last night and it came out beautfully! Thank you!
another gorgeous looking dish. i want you to come to my house when i’m cleaning out MY fridge! thanks for the awesome posts and recipes – you keep me Asian, woman :)
Rasa , the colour of this chicken is so rich and gorgeous.Just wondering if 2. half tbsps would be too sweet ! oe maybe the curry pwd will balance it out. Looks fab …defi worth a try !
I’ve had this dish at the home of some friends, the only thing is that they used chicken wings. It was soooooo good and was finished in no time :) No, No, not by me alone (lol)
lovely shot and yummy indeed
looks yum!!..i want to try this..but dis looks like i need to go for some grocery shopping
Wow, another post that makes me drool! ;-)
Lemongrass Chicken – It’s just one of those things you KNOW you’ll love.
Beautiful photos as always. Really, really beautiful.
Another great shot there! Your recipe sounds divine, and one thing I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time: Are you using a digicam or one of those SLR Digital cameras?
This sounds delicious! I think I will have to make it this week. :)
That sounds sooooo good! Love things that are both sweet and spicy :) Love lemongrass too! Over here we call lemongrass tanglad :)
my my…, somehow happened to stumble over this site, and trust me..have been sitting here in front of my monitor, and have gone thru all the posts, from Day 1 !!!
lov ur snaps, cud definitely see the quality rise in snaps from the initial to those now (from good to superb, i mean)…
the prawns balls, shrimp roll with popped out tail….got no words to say, except that i am just can resist tryin it out myself…
Oh, I love Vietnamese recipes! That chicken dish looks gorgeous and ever so photogenic!
Cheers,
Rosa
WOW this chicken must taste very delicous! I don’t mind eating chicken everyday.
I made this a few nights ago and it was absolutely delicious! I grated in some fresh ginger too. Mine didn’t turn out such a beautiful caramel colour, but it became an instant fave for me and I’ll be making it often – thank you!
I like to cook with lemon grass a lot – in soups, grills and stews. This one I must try. Thanks.
hi, how are you ? I’ve just publish your recipe on my blog ;-) Have a look!
Have a very nice day
Cheers
I’m Vietnamese, and I have to say this looks very similar to the way my family makes this dish-I’ll have to try it soon! We deal with lemongrass a lot, and though I don’t particularly like the flavor, it’s a great addition to marinating meats and to recipes like this :) And you can find lemongrass in just about any asian market (I fortunately live near more than five of them), so the ingredients are really easy to get as well.
Wow. I made this last night – and it was just as good as the pictures looked! Not too much work either! Yuuuummmmmmmmyyyy!
Thanks!
I was searching for recipes to use up my leftover lemongrss and this just might be it! Thanks :)
sounds good. will try it this weekend
Thank you for posting this lemongrass chicken recipe. My partner loves this dish.
i hv tried your recipe, and it works really well!! the lemongrass aroma is everywhere in my little apartment and my 2 boys just keep on asking me, “mama, wat is that smell? it sound so delicious!” Oh! Man….Thanks alot, u make up my day:)
I tried your vietnamese lemongrass chicken recipe for my husband and now vietnamese lemongrass chicken is a favourite in our house.
I tried this recipe yesterday and we all like it. It was yummy and i love lemongrass flavor. Definitely will be making it again.
Travelled around in Vietnam in 2003 and enjoyed the lemongrass chicken. Tried the dish tonight and loved it!
Martin & Emma, Sweden
I’ve tested the recipe!
I failed to add water at the end of making the caramel and it hardened.. But it still tasted fantastic without the caramel! Thanks for sharing!
‘Recipe pretty much looks right on. The only thing that normally isn’t used is the curry powder =)’
I agree with the comment above. There is another dish, which people use fresh Turmeric, it calls ‘Ga xao xa nghe’, which translates as ‘Stir-fried chicken with lemon grass and Turmeric’ in that case people use Turmeric instead of Caramel sauce to give the dish a yellow colour.The combination of the two herbs gives the dish a different taste. Added crush unsalt peanuts for garnishing to both dishes you’ll get the perfect taste. Anyway, I really enjoy your blog and have tried many other recipes, thank for sharing. Happy cooking. :-)
Why do people ask questions. It’s obvious that you never answer them.
Hi there – I receive hundreds of comments on a daily basis and I can’t afford to answer everyone of them.
Thanks for your understanding.
I tried this with cumin and turmeric as the curry powder; it was great. Thanks for the inspiration.