Grilled Lemongrass Chicken (39g Protein)

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This is the chicken from Vietnamese rice plates, the one with the charred edges and the smell that drifts across the food court. The marinade is just lemongrass, fish sauce, garlic, shallot, and a little brown sugar, and it delivers 39g of protein per serving at around 320 calories.

You do not need an outdoor grill. A grill pan or a broiler gets you 90 percent of the way there on a weeknight.

Why this works

Fish sauce is doing double duty. It seasons deeply, and its natural sugars plus the brown sugar caramelize fast over high heat, which is where the char comes from. Thighs matter here too. Breast dries out before it chars; thighs stay juicy long enough for the surface to catch color. The lemongrass tip is the one people skip: only the pale bottom third is tender, and it has to be minced fine or it stays fibrous no matter how long you cook it.

Ingredient notes

Fresh lemongrass is in most large supermarkets now, usually near the ginger. The frozen minced tubs work fine, use 2 tablespoons. For fish sauce, Red Boat or Three Crabs are the brands worth grabbing, but any will do the job. Skip soy sauce as a substitute; the dish loses its identity without fish sauce.

Grilled Lemongrass Chicken

Vietnamese style lemongrass chicken with a fish sauce and brown sugar marinade. Works on a grill pan, an outdoor grill, or under the broiler.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 14 minutes mins

Total Time 29 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 320

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs about 1.75 lb
• 3 stalks lemongrass bottom third only, finely minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced or 2 tbsp minced onion
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1.5 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tbsp lime juice plus wedges for serving
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 1 handful cilantro and sliced cucumber for serving

Method

 

1. Trim the lemongrass down to the pale bottom third, peel off the woody outer layer, and mince it as finely as you can. Big pieces of lemongrass eat like splinters.
2. Mix the lemongrass, garlic, shallot, fish sauce, brown sugar, oil, lime juice, and pepper. Coat the thighs and marinate at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in the fridge.
3. Heat a grill pan over medium-high until properly hot. Lay the thighs flat and cook 5 to 6 minutes per side until charred in spots and cooked through (74C or 165F inside). Work in two batches rather than crowding the pan.
4. No grill pan? Broil on a foil lined tray, 8 to 10 cm from the element, about 6 minutes per side.
5. Rest 5 minutes, slice against the grain, and serve with rice, cucumber, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Tips and storage

This is one of my favorite meal prep proteins because it reheats without going rubbery. Grill a double batch and you have lunches sorted for 4 days; slice it cold over salad or warm over rice. I use almost the same marinade on pork in these lemongrass pork meal prep bowls, and if you like grilled skewers in this flavor family, the chicken satay with peanut sauce is a natural next cook. Leftover sliced chicken is also a great shortcut protein for weeknight chicken pho.