Lemongrass Grilled Chicken

Lemongrass chicken is an easy and delicious Vietnamese dish that I absolutely adore. While it's typically deep-fried, I wanted to create a lighter version by grilling it instead. This grilled lemongrass chicken recipe is so fragrant and bursting with flavour, served with my quick pickle carrot salad, this will become an instant favorite.

Lemongrass is popular throughout Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam. Its delightful fragrance is used in curry pastes, teas, essential oils, cosmetics, and planted to repel insects. Besides its divine scent, lemongrass is renowned for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as its ability to induce feelings of relaxation through its aroma.

I've experimented with both chicken thighs and breasts for this recipe, and I must say that thighs with the skin on yield the best results. Personally, I prefer to sous vide the chicken thighs before grilling to enhance the marinade's flavor and ensure even cooking. Whether you use a sous vide system in a water bath or a precision oven with a sous vide function like the Anova precision oven, the choice is yours.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 chicken thighs, skin on

• Coriander to garnish

Marinade

• 2 birds eye chilis

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 2 tablespoon fish sauce

• 1 clove of garlic crushed

• 4 sticks of lemongrass, white part only

• Juice of 1 lime

Quick pickled carrots

• 1 carrot, shredded

• 2 tablespoons of rice or white vinegar

• 1 teaspoon of sugar

• 1 tablespoon of salt

Method

• First, prepare the lemongrass chicken, start by finely chopping the white parts of the lemongrass. Combine the chopped lemongrass with the other marinade ingredients in a pestle and mortar or food processor, creating a fine paste.

• Next, rub the marinade generously all over the chicken, ensuring it is well coated. Let the chicken marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator or 1 hour at room temperature if using a plastic bag.

• For optimal results, sous vide the chicken at 65°C for 1 hour. This technique ensures the chicken is cooked evenly and retains its moisture.

• After sous vide, preheat the grill to 220°C. Place the chicken on the grill and continue cooking until the skin becomes crispy, being careful not to burn it.

• Once cooked, serve the lemongrass chicken garnished with fresh coriander and accompanied by quick pickled carrots. Pair it with fragrant jasmine rice or a refreshing rice noodle salad for a complete Vietnamese-inspired meal.