Lemongrass Chicken Wip
Submitted by Briones
Lemongrass chicken stir-fry marinated in fish sauce, rice vinegar, and scallions then wok-fried with chili peppers. Topped with peanuts, bean sprouts, and fresh cilantro for an authentic Thai flavor.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
40 minCOOK
20 minREADY
1This Thai-style lemongrass chicken is all about the marinade. Bruised lemongrass, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and scallions soak into the chicken pieces for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is where the real magic happens. That extra time lets the citrusy lemongrass and funky fish sauce penetrate deep into the meat.
Smashing the lemongrass stalks with the back of your knife before slicing releases the essential oils trapped inside. Slice the tender white base as thin as you can. If the pieces are thin enough, they’ll soften during cooking and become part of the dish rather than something you pick around.
The wok needs to be screaming hot before the oil goes in. That high heat sears the marinated chicken fast, locking in the aromatics while building some caramelized edges. The sugar in the stir-fry helps with that browning.
Kitchen Tips
- Marinate overnight if you can. Thirty minutes is the minimum, but the flavor difference after a full night is huge.
- Use a quality fish sauce like Tiparos. Cheap fish sauce can taste harsh and overly salty.
- If the lemongrass slices are thick, pull them out before cooking. Fibrous lemongrass pieces are tough to chew.
- Don’t crowd the wok. Cook in batches if needed so the chicken sears instead of steaming.
Variations
- Use chicken thighs instead of a whole cut-up chicken for juicier, more forgiving results.
- Swap chili peppers for a spoonful of Thai chili paste (nam prik pao) stirred in at the end.
- Serve over jasmine rice or alongside rice noodles for a more complete meal.
Ingredients
Directions
Notes:
A. Lemongrass, Remove outer leaves of the lemongrass and bruise or smash the white end with the back of the knife or a wine bottle.
Finely slice the tender white part at the base of the stalk, discard the tops or save for your chicken stock.
A cuisinart with a 1mm slicer will slice it just as well but sometimes smashing is good.
B. Fish Sauce, Nuoc Mam or Nam Pla. A good brand name is “Tiparos” from Thailand.
METHOD:
Mix the chicken pieces with the lemongrass, scallions, vinegar, Nuoc Mam salt and pepper.
Set aside for at least 30 minutes, overnite is better.
If the lemongrass is cut too thick you will have to remove the slices of lemongrass before you put it in the wok, if it is cut very thin it will cook well enough to eat it.
Heat the Wok, add the oil, when the oil is hot add the chiles and the chicken pieces, stir and cook for 3 or more minutes.
Stir and cook over medium heat until chicken no longer looks pink.
Season with sugar and green chiles or white pepper.
Add the chicken stock, toss over high heat to reduce fluid, and to cook the chicken.
Thicken if required. Serve in an oval shallow casserole.
GARNISHES: Garnish with Nuoc Mam, Peanuts, quartered or sliced banana blossom, bean sprouts, powdered chile powder, sliced green chiles, and Coriander.
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