Skillet Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken. Tender juicy chicken thighs marinated in a sweet and savoury lemongrass marinade with fish sauce. Aromatic, delicious and super easy to make! No grill or oven, just a skillet or non-stick pan! Fantastic for dinner, lunch, or leftovers.
There is something so special and tasty about lemongrass chicken. The sweet and salty flavour profile of this Vietnamese meat dish always keeps me and my husband coming back for more. It became an addiction and I’m sure our local Vietnamese takeaway was very thankful for our weekly orders. Vietnamese chicken is one of my husband’s favourite ways of eating chicken. He loves it so much he could have it every single day and this is coming from someone who isn’t a huge meat eater.
The key ingredient to this flavourful chicken dish is the lemongrass as the title suggests. There’s a wonderful distinct flavour to lemongrass that you can’t get in other aromatics thanks to it’s taste and smell. Lemongrass is a popular ingredient used in South-Asian cuisine.
What does lemongrass taste like?
It has a lovely citrus smell with a hint of mint. It comes in a long form of a hard stalk and the most flavour and scent comes from the white part. It’s also used in dips, meat marinades and much more in Vietnamese cuisine.
Easy to make!
My easy lemongrass chicken is simple to make at home. You’re simply bruising and chopping the white part of the lemongrass into finer bits. Then squeeze the juice of a lemon into a measuring cup or bowl. Next, you’ll tenderize your boneless skinless chicken thighs with the back of a knife until it’s thinner. Transfer to the chicken thighs to a medium size bowl.
Into your measuring cup with the lemon juice, add your lemongrass, soy sauce, fish sauce, minced garlic, and brown sugar. Give it a mix and pour that goodness over your chicken to marinate for 30-60 mins in the fridge. You could get away with 30 minutes, but it just won’t be as flavourful as 60 minutes.
Lastly, in a non-stick skillet or pan set over medium heat (this is important, not low, or high) add avocado oil. You can use any neutral oil. Swivel that oil all over your pan. Then carefully lay your chicken thighs down and fry for 4 minutes on each side until they’re browned, 8 minutes in total. Serve with some jasmine rice, cucumbers, tomatoes and enjoy your authentic Vietnamese lemongrass chicken!
Now there are many Vietnamese lemongrass chicken recipes on the web but mine is super simple, made in a pan, doesn’t require long marinating time, and uses lemon which is an acid most of us have at home! A lot of recipes call for lime juice or rice wine vinegar.
Tips for making lemongrass chicken in skillet
Below are tips on cooking lemongrass chicken:
- Use fresh chicken thighs. I know this goes without saying but honestly it makes a big difference. Sometimes when chicken isn’t fresh, you can smell it. As my husband would say, it smells “rank!” lol. Now let’s say if you are using chicken thighs that aren’t as fresh but not past expiry and you can’t bear to throw it away, soak the chicken thighs in vinegar for 10 minutes and strain the vinegar to remove that smell. Then rinse under cold water to remove the vinegar.
- Use fresh lemongrass and only the white part. This is incredibly important as all the flavour and aroma is locked in this white part. The hard part of the lemongrass will not be used in this recipe.
- Tenderize, tenderize, tenderize! This part is also key. You want to get that chicken thigh thin but not too thin, about ½ inch thick.
- The longer you can marinate the more flavourful but if you’re in a time crunch, 30 minutes will suffice.
- Before adding chicken to the pan, shake it off so the lemongrass bits fall off. You won’t want to be chewing on that.
- When frying your chicken, make sure the pan is hot enough before you add the oil and the chicken. If you pan is just warm, the chicken will not properly brown on each side.
- Cook on each side for 4 minutes and you’ll know when the chicken is browned in certain areas.
FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about this Vietnamese lemongrass chicken recipe:
What to serve with lemongrass chicken?
Steamed jasmine rice, fresh lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes with a squeeze of lime juice. Or over some rice noodles! There are many ways to serve this dish but these are two popular ways.
How can you tell if lemongrass is bad?
The lemongrass will not look white/yellow, in fact it’ll start to look discoloured and will form mould at the base.
How long do lemongrass stalks last?
About 10 days or you can seal them in a reusable container or bag and freeze them for a few months.
Should lemongrass be refrigerated?
Yes, store wrapped loosely in a damp paper towel.
Other recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed my lemongrass chicken thighs, you may enjoy these other Vietnamese recipes:
VIETNAMESE GARLIC BUTTER CHICKEN WINGS
RAINBOW FRESH ROLLS
VEGETARIAN SPRING ROLLS
Watch how I made it!
For this Vietnamese recipe
You will need the following lemongrass chicken ingredients:
500 grams chicken thighs, boneless skinless
4 tsp avocado oil
Lemongrass chicken marinade:
Juice of 1 lemon
1 stalk lemongrass, white part only
2 tsp garlic
1.5 tbsp brown sugar
½ tbsp regular soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
How to make Lemongrass Chicken
- On a chopping board, slice off the hard ends of the lemongrass reserving the white part only. Bruise it with the back of your knife. Then finely chop lemongrass.
- Next tenderize the chicken thighs on both sides with the back of a knife until it’s about ½ inch thick. It’s okay if there are some areas that are less thick than ½ inch.
- In a bowl or measuring cup, squeeze lemon juice. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, minced garlic, and finely chopped lemongrass. Mix.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken thighs and mix until thighs are covered in the marinade. Store covered in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. The longer you marinate the chicken the more flavourful.
- Heat a non-skillet or pan set over medium heat. Once hot enough, add avocado oil. Shake the chicken thighs of any remaining lemongrass bits before laying it flat into the pan. Fry on each side for 4 minutes (8 minutes in total) until they’re browned in certain areas and the juices run clear. Enjoy!
Give it a try!
Well, I hope you give my Skillet Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
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Take care,
Christie
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Easy Skillet Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
Ingredients
- 500 grams boneless skinless chicken thighs boneless skinless
- 4 tsp avocado oil
Lemongrass chicken marinade:
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 stalk lemongrass white part only
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 1.5 tbsp brown sugar (for less sweet: use 1 tbsp)
- ½ tbsp regular soy sauce not light or dark!
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
Instructions
- On a chopping board, slice off the hard ends of the lemongrass reserving the white part only. Bruise it with the back of your knife. Then finely chop lemongrass. Set aside
- Next tenderize the chicken thighs on both sides with the back of a knife until it’s about ½ inch thick. It’s fine if there are some areas that are less thick than ½ inch.
- In a bowl or measuring cup, squeeze lemon juice. To the bowl, add brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, minced garlic, and finely chopped lemongrass. Mix.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken thighs and mix until thighs are covered in the marinade. Store covered in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. The longer you marinate the chicken the more flavourful.
- Heat a non-skillet or pan set over medium heat. Once hot enough, add avocado oil. Shake the chicken thighs of any remaining lemongrass bits before laying it flat into the pan. Fry on each side for 4 minutes (8 minutes in total) until they’re browned in certain areas and the juices run clear. Enjoy!
NOTES
Love love lemongrass chicken!! Your skillet chicken looks awesome Christie! The ingredients are so simple too!
I found your suggestions for prepping the lemongrass really helpful. I have never worked with it before, but your tips make it sound so easy!
oh now this is exactly what I was looking for! Chicken and lemongrass! What could I use instead of brown sugar?
Thos is a wonderful recipe! I added a bit of red pepper flakes and used chicken breast as I didn't have the other. Will be making this again! Thanks for sharing this with us!
Thank you so much Mary! I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe. Have a lovely day! 🙂