Grilled Vietnamese Lemongrass Cilantro Chicken is delicious in salads, sandwiches, summer rolls, or as a main course. I love summer grilling, and am always looking for new ways to grill chicken. Grilled food is popular in Southeast Asia, and the fragrant flavors are a nice change from the typical American barbecue.
I visited Vietnam many years ago as part of a corporate incentive trip, and I still remember how hot it was. Lunch was a cold buffet, nothing too memorable. It wasn’t until I met a local Vietnamese American woman that I tasted delicious pho and a cool Vietnamese noodle salad served with fresh herbs and fried Vietnamese spring rolls for the first time. I’ve been intrigued ever since. There are similarities between Vietnamese and Thai cuisine, but I find Vietnamese food more subtle in flavor.
Vietnamese Lemongrass Cilantro Chicken Marinade
The marinade for Vietnamese Lemongrass Cilantro Chicken is rich and flavorful. Lemongrass can be found at Asian grocers, but can also sometimes be found in the fresh herb section of supermarkets. Fish sauce is more readily available in the Asian section of supermarkets these days.
It’s important to marinate the chicken for several hours for best flavor. Marinating overnight in the refrigerator is even better. You can use either chicken on the bone, or boneless chicken.
To prevent sticking when grilling this chicken, drizzle oil on a piece of foil placed on a baking sheet and lay the chicken on top. Drizzle a little more oil on top of the chicken, and slide the whole piece of foil onto the grill. This is my favorite trick when grilling chicken and fish for non-stick cooking and easy cleanup.
This Vietnamese grilled chicken would be delicious served with a cool salad of cooked Asian rice noodles, salad greens, and fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, Thai basil), tossed with Vietnamese dipping sauce, and chopped roasted peanuts.
Vietnamese Lemongrass Cilantro Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
Marinade
- 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon organic sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves
Instructions
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Mix marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
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Grill until cooked through.
O wow, this would make an amazing chicken sandwich :O Yum!
This would definitely make a delicious sandwich – great idea!
this sounds like such a flavorful way to grill the chicken. i will think of this 🙂
This is very flavorful – hope you have a chance to try it!
This grilled chicken would be great with so many things..yum!
I agree Angie – I’ve had it with salad and in summer rolls lately.
Mmmm gorgeous and looks delicious!
Thank you Lauren! 🙂
Could you also cook these in the oven?
Yes, you should be able to roast this in the oven.
Awesome thank you!
This recipe looks amazing – I’ve been looking for a lemongrass chicken recipe for an upcoming dinner party! If I wanted to make this recipe, but with skewers, would I just cut the chicken into thinner,smaller pieces before marinating and then put the chicken on skewers before grilling? Thank you so much!
Yes – I would cut the chicken into strips and marinate them. Soak the skewers in water if you’re using bamboo ones so they don’t burn too easily.
Thank you so much, Jeanette! I made this for my dinner party and they were a HUGE hit! Very delicious and full of flavor;everyone ate at least 3 skewers! Although it was cold and dark, we braved the weather and grilled them outside. So glad we did because it gave them the perfect, fresh-off-the-grill punch. I also added in coconut sugar instead of cane sugar to make it Paleo. So happy I discovered your blog! Keep up the good work!
Hi Rachel – I’m so glad these turned out – thanks so much for coming back here and letting me know!