Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Vermicelli Bowl
越式香茅雞肉撈檬
Recipe overview
Four irregular whole lemongrass chicken thighs are grilled on both sides, rested and sliced over cool vermicelli, herbs and crisp vegetables.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 600 g chicken thighs
- 300 g rice vermicelli
- 3 stalk lemongrass stalks
- 3 tbsp Fish sauce
- 2 piece limes
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 piece cucumbers
- 1 piece carrot
- 1 handful fresh mint
- 1 handful coriander
- 60 g peanuts
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
02
Tools
- knife
- cutting board
- mixing bowl
- small bowl
- ridged grill pan
- colander
- tongs
- food thermometer
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- serving bowl
03
Steps
Step 1
Finely chop the lemongrass
Remove the tough outer lemongrass layers, bruise the tender lower stalks and mince them finely.
Step 2
Mix fish sauce lime sugar and lemongrass
Stir all the lemongrass, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Pour one quarter into a clean bowl for serving before anything touches the raw chicken.
Step 3
Marinate the chicken thighs for ten minutes
Coat all 600 g boneless chicken thighs with the remaining three quarters of the lemongrass mixture, pushing it into every fold. Cover and marinate for 10 minutes at cool room temperature.
Step 4
Soak or cook the rice vermicelli
Fully immerse 300 g rice vermicelli in a large bowl of hot water for 5 minutes, loosening it with tongs once each minute, until pliable but still springy.
Step 5
Drain and cool the noodles
Cool the softened vermicelli under running water, loosen the strands and drain for at least 2 minutes; do not blot the noodles.
Step 6
Julienne cucumber and carrot
Cut the cucumber into 5 cm matchsticks and cut the peeled carrot to the same size; keep them separate.
Step 7
Wash and dry the herbs
Swish the mint and coriander in clean water, spin or shake them dry and remove the coarse stems.
Step 8
Preheat the grill pan for two minutes
Heat the empty ridged grill pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then brush it with all the oil. The oil should shimmer without smoking heavily.
Step 9
Grill the first side for four minutes
Lay the four whole, irregularly shaped boneless thighs flat in one layer. Grill without moving over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, until deep brown grill marks form on the first side.
Step 10
Turn and grill until the chicken reaches 75°C
Turn every whole thigh once and grill the second side for 5 minutes. Check the thickest centre reaches 75°C; move thinner pieces to a cooler edge as they finish.
Step 11
Rest then slice the cooked thighs
Transfer the same four whole thighs to a clean plate and rest for 5 minutes. Slice each irregular thigh across the grain into 1 cm strips, keeping the browned edges and clear juices.
Step 12
Build four vermicelli bowls
Divide all cooled vermicelli, cucumber, carrot, mint and coriander among four bowls. Top each with slices from one grilled thigh and one quarter of the peanuts, then evenly spoon over the reserved clean quarter of lemongrass fish-sauce dressing and the resting juices.
Common mistakes
- Skipping the 10-minute marinade leaves the lemongrass flavour only on the surface.
- Slicing the thighs before the 5-minute rest releases their juices and dries the meat.
Tips
Keep every thigh whole until after the five-minute rest.
Move thinner thighs to a cooler edge once they reach 75°C.
