Featured Recipe
Vietnamese Grilled Chicken
By Kate
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Vietnamese grilled chicken with a tangy, spicy nuoc cham-inspired marinade. Uses boneless thigh meat marinated in a citrusy, lemongrass, and sambal-spiked sauce. Served over rice vermicelli with crunchy veggies and crushed peanuts. Balanced fat and acid, subtle sweetness, characteristic fragrance from toasted sesame oil. Quick grill for juicy, tender pieces. Textural contrast from fresh cucumber and iceberg lettuce. Adaptable to chicken breast or tofu. Emphasis on timing, aroma cues, and seasoning adjustments. Classic nuoc cham replaced fish sauce with tamari, sambal oelek swapped for gochujang for a milder heat and umami. Lemon zest stands in for citronella for accessibility. Practical tips on handling vermicelli and grilling with flare.
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Prep:
35 min
Cook:
7 min
Total:
42 min
Serves:
6 servings
grilling
Vietnamese food
chicken recipe
marinade
quick meals
Introduction
Back at it with something that cuts through the monotony. Vietnamese grilled chicken. Juicy thighs, bold marinade with that familiar salty, sour, sweet, spicy dance. But swapped the fish sauce for tamari—deep umami, less briny bite—and lemongrass out, replaced with zesty lemon peel. Gochujang softens the heat; still smoky but with softer chili. Marinate longer for flavor that settles in instead of just surface. The grill’s crucial—medium-high, good preheat, engaging sizzle. The vermicelli soak, not boil to death. Crunch and acid from raw cucumber and lettuce. Peanuts to bring in that contrast, texture essential. Simple but layered. Worth the patience. Skipping eggs, gluten-free, dairy-free, just pure flavor punch.
Ingredients
Nuoc Cham-Inspired Sauce
- 110 ml (½ cup minus 1 tbsp) tamari sauce (instead of fish sauce)
- 60 ml (¼ cup) cool water
- 65 ml (slightly more than ¼ cup) fresh lemon juice (instead of lime juice)
- 35 ml (2.5 tbsp) palm sugar or brown sugar
- 10 ml (2 tsp) gochujang paste (instead of sambal oelek)
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 2 stalks lemon zest, finely grated (instead of fresh lemongrass)
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) peanut oil
- 5 ml (1 tsp) toasted sesame oil
- 100 ml (0.4 cup) chicken stock or vegetable broth
- 700 g (just over 1.5 lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 pieces)
- 180 g (6.5 oz) rice vermicelli noodles
- ½ head iceberg lettuce thinly shredded
- ½ English cucumber julienned
- 100 ml (almost ½ cup) roasted salted peanuts roughly crushed
- Sliced scallions to taste
- Lemon wedges for serving
Chicken
Garnish and Serving
About the ingredients
Substitutions when you don’t have lemongrass or fish sauce can make or break balance. Lemon zest is sharper, fresher, but missing the herbal, lemony complexity. Adding a pinch of dried lemongrass powder can mimic if you have it. Tamari stands in for nuoc mam; slightly less salty but great depth. Gochujang for sambal oelek tones down fiery intensity but adds fermented sweetness and body. Peanut oil preferred for high heat stability; sesame oil just a flavor note. You can swap chicken stock for mushroom broth for vegetarian versions. Vermicelli can be swapped with thin rice noodles but watch timing — delicate. Crushing peanuts fresh keeps their aroma alive; salted is convenient but add more without overdoing it. Always adjust sugar and acid to taste; heat level can go up or down depending on your palate.
Method
Sauce Preparation
- Mix tamari, water, lemon juice, sugar, gochujang, and garlic in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Set aside for flavors to marry. This sauce doubles mainly for marinating and dressing later.
- Grate lemon zest finely into a bowl. Add peanut oil, sesame oil, chicken broth, and 110 ml of the prepared sauce. Stir vigorously to emulsify and distribute flavors evenly.
- Transfer marinade into a resealable bag or airtight container. Add chicken thighs, pressing to coat every surface. Refrigerate for 1.5 to 3 hours minimum or up to overnight. If freezing, freeze now before grilling.
- Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high. Oil grates thoroughly to prevent sticking—use peanut or vegetable oil here for neutral smoke point. Chicken should cling to the hot grates; if it sticks, give it another 30 seconds.
- Lift chicken from marinade, discard liquid (do not reuse; risk of contamination). Place thighs on grill; listen for instant sizzle—sign of proper heat.
- Grill roughly 3 to 5 minutes per side. Look for opaque, white edges, meat that springs back when pressed; juices running clear. Avoid moving pieces around excessively to develop nice grill marks and caramelization.
- Rest chicken briefly after grilling—5 minutes—critical to redistribute juices and keep moist. Slice against the grain into strips. Set aside.
- Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Drop vermicelli in, turn off heat immediately, cover. Let sit 4 to 5 minutes until noodles are tender but firm to bite. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking, drain well.
- On plates or shallow bowls, layer vermicelli, lettuce, cucumber. Arrange sliced chicken on top. Scatter crushed peanuts and sliced scallions liberally for crunch and bite.
- Drizzle remaining sauce over everything; balance acidity and salt to individual taste. Serve with lemon wedges to add freshness right at the table.
Marinade and Chicken Prep
Grilling
Vermicelli and Garnish
Technique Tips
Marinating is not a suggestion but a must. Longer infusion, better the bite, but don’t marinate longer than overnight or meat fibers can break down too much. Wring excess marinade before grilling or it will steam chicken and prevent that crisp char. Ripeness of citrus affects balance, taste first, add more sugar or water if too sharp. Grill marks matter—not just pretty but flavor layers from caramelization and slight char. No flipping every minute. Let it sit and sear, turn once or twice max. Listen to sizzle. Resting after grilling isn’t optional—it seals in juices, prevents drying out when sliced. Vermicelli texture is fragile; turn off heat as soon as noodle hits boiling water. Rinsing cools and stops cooking, avoids mush. Final assembly—arrange components to show contrast—color, texture, and flavors layering. Drizzle sauce at the last moment to keep noodles from sogging. Leftover sauce? Store refrigerated, not for marinade reuse but as salad dressing or drizzle for grilled greens next day.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Marinade protein long enough. Deep flavors mean better taste. Chicken must soak at least 1.5 hours. Overnight? Be careful; tends to get mushy. No longer than that.
- 💡 Oil grill grates well. Prevents sticking. Peanut or vegetable oil works well. Too much liquid on chicken can steam instead of grill. Dry off before hitting heat.
- 💡 Vermicelli soak method, not boil. Quick soak, turn off heat immediately to avoid mush. Let it sit just long enough. Rinse afterwards. Cool water stops cooking. Drain well.
- 💡 Listen for that sizzle when chicken hits grill. If you don’t hear it, too cool. Let them sear; don't move often for great marks. Flip once or twice.
- 💡 Rest chicken after grilling. Critical step. Juices redistribute. Cuts won't dry out. Wait five minutes then slice against grain for tender bites. Don't skip this.
- 💡 Adjust sauce to taste. If too sharp or sweet, balance with sugar, water, or acid. Lemon zest can change things up. Add bit by bit, taste as you go.
