Vietnamese Noodles with Lemongrass Chicken

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken and Marinade

600 - 800g / 1.2 - 1.6lb chicken thigh fillets (, skinless and boneless or breast (or pork, beef or any seafood))

1 stalk lemongrass (, white part only, bruised them sliced into pieces easy to pick out later (Note 1))

2 garlic cloves (, finely chopped or minced)

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp fish sauce ((Note 2))

1 tbsp soy sauce ((all purpose or light, NOT dark soy))

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Sauce)

1/4 cup fish sauce ((Note 3))

4 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp white sugar

1/2 cup water

2 garlic cloves (, finely chopped)

1 red birds eye chilli (, finely chopped (Note 4))

3 tbsp lime juice

Noodle Bowl

1/2 tbsp oil

200 g / 7 oz vermicelli noodles (, dried)

2 carrots (, julienned)

2 cucumbers (, julienned (optional: remove seeds))

5 cups iceberg lettuce (, finely sliced)

3 cups bean sprouts

Handful of mint leaves

Handful of cilantro/coriander

Sliced red chilli ((for garnish - optional))

Lime wedges ((to serve - optional but recommended))

Directions

Lemongrass Chicken

Combine Chicken and Marinade ingredients and set aside for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. (Note 4)

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a fry pan over medium heat (or heat the BBQ). Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off large bits of lemongrass (small bits should fall off during cooking).

Place chicken in the pan and cook each side until dark golden brown and chicken is just cooked through - about 6 to 8 minutes in total.

Remove from pan, shaking off any remaining bits of visible lemongrass and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Then slice into thin pieces.

Nuoc Cham Sauce

Combine the Nuoc Cham ingredients and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Adjust to your taste (spiciness, lime, sweetness) and set aside for at least 20 minutes.

Assemble

Soak the vermicelli noodles in hot water for 3 minutes (or according to packet instructions), then drain and rinse under cold water to stop the noodles from sticking together.

Individual servings: Place noodles in bowl. Top with vegetables and herbs, and sliced chicken pieces. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of Nuoc Cham Sauce (be generous, ~ 4 tbsp per serving) and serve with lime wedges.

DIY (my preferred way): Place chicken, vegetables, herbs, noodles and sauce in separate bowls / piled on platters. Then let everyone make their own bowls!

Notes

Kesa 2023:

-Kesan suosikki kanaruoka

-Laitettu riisin, ei nuudeleiden, kanssa. Vihannekset on laitettu kuorimaveitsisiivuiksi

-Tällä marinoidut broilerit ei pala kovin helposti kuumassakaan grillissä (suht pienen sokerimäärän takia)

2024-07-01: Edelleen hieno marinadi ja kastike. Monessa kanamarinadissa tulee valmista tuotetta maistellessa olo että kannattiko nyt marinoida kun liemestä ei mitään erikoista makua kanaan tullut - tällä marinadilla todellakin tulee. Sitruunaruohon tilalla olen tänä vuonna käyttänyt sitruunamelissaa saatavuusasianhaarojen vuoksi eikä varmaan paljoa vaikuttaisi jos jättäisi kokonaan pois. Urputus kalakastikkeen hajusta jatkuu.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 653 g
• Calories: 540 kcal
• Total Fat: 13.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
• Cholesterol: 75 mg
• Sodium: 1963 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 65.2 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.9 g
• Total Sugars: 16.9 g
• Protein: 39.9 g