Grilled Lemongrass Chicken

• portions: 4 servings
• temps actif: 10 minutes
• temps total: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingrédients

2 stalks lemongrass

2 tsp cilantro (coriander) (stems, minced)

2-4 Thai chilies

½ tsp white pepper powder

3 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp Thai palm sugar (or use light brown sugar)

6-8 chicken thighs

2 Japanese or Persian cucumbers

1 Tbsp red chilies (finger-length; minced)

½ Thai chili (minced)

½ Tbsp garlic (minced)

¾ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt

¾ cup sugar

1 Tbsp fish sauce

6 Tbsp distilled white vinegar

¼ cup water (4 Tbsp)

Instructions

Gather all the ingredients.

To Marinate the Chicken

Remove the outer skin of lemongrass till you see the tender inner part. We only need the bottom third and slice it thinly. Mince cilantro stems.

Rinse and score the chicken pieces, at the thickest part, lightly with a knife.

Chop Thai chilies and Thai palm sugar into small pieces.

Make a coarse paste with the lemongrass, cilantro stems, chilies, and peppercorns using a mortar and pestle (or a mini-food processor).

Mix in the fish sauce and palm sugar until the sugar dissolves.

Coat the chicken with this spice paste. I put the spice paste and chicken in a Ziploc bag. Marinate in the fridge for at least one hour. Marinating chicken overnight always improves the flavor and tenderization.

To Grill the Chicken

Preheat the grill to medium-low heat. Slowly grill the chicken, turning often until cooked through and golden brown all over. Alternatively you can rotisserie, bake, or broil this chicken until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165ºF (75ºC). We have a gas grill, but we also like cooking on a grill over charcoal so the flavor is good.

To Make Homemade Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Boil over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the mixture has reduced to 1 cup (240 ml). It might be still runny and not syrupy, but it will thicken further as it cools. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 months.

To Serve

Serve with wedges of cucumber to snack on and a bowl of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping.

To Store

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.

Nutrition

• Calories: 484 kcal
• Lipides Totaux: 28 g
• Lipides Saturés: 8 g
• Lipides Insaturés: 18 g
• Acides Gras Trans: 1 g
• Cholestérol: 166 mg
• Sodium: 952 mg
• Glucides Totaux: 28 g
• Fibres Diététiques: 1 g
• Sucres Totaux: 23 g
• Protéines: 29 g