Lemongrass Chicken
Defined by the bright, citrusy flavor of fresh lemongrass, this 30-minute Vietnamese chicken dish is further complemented by punchy black pepper, spicy red chile, salty fish sauce and a dash of sugar for sweetness. The recipe builds intense flavor in minimal time, so using boneless chicken thighs is ideal because they’ll stay moist throughout cooking. This recipe is adapted from a dish by Vicky Pham, a blogger who writes about Vietnamese home-cooking dishes that aren’t typically found in Vietnamese restaurants in the United States. “I wanted to replicate those recipes with precise measurements instead of relying on the traditional ‘pinch of this’ and ‘just add enough until it tastes right’ so that one day my kids wouldn’t have too much trouble replicating their favorite childhood dishes,” Ms. Pham said. She whittled this dish down to three simple steps: Sear the chicken until golden, push it aside to make room to bloom the lemongrass, garlic, shallot and chile, then toss with fish sauce and sugar until caramelized. Spicy, salty and sweet, this dish is deeply satisfying served simply with a bowl of rice.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 2 persons
Ingredients
- 1pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 2tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- ¼cup minced fresh lemongrass, from 2 to 3 stalks (see Tip)
- 1small shallot, minced
- 1tablespoon minced garlic
- 1Thai red chile, thinly sliced
- 2tablespoons fish sauce
- ½teaspoon granulated sugar
- Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
Instructions
Step 1
In a medium bowl, season the chicken with pepper and toss to coat.Step 2
In a medium wok or skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the chicken and toss until golden all over, about 5 minutes.Step 3
Push the seared chicken aside, making space in the pan, reduce heat to medium-high and add the lemongrass, shallot, garlic and chile. Stir the aromatics together until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then stir to combine them with the chicken.Step 4
Add the fish sauce and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through and caramelized, about 3 minutes. Serve over rice.