Gà Nướng Xả | Grilled Lemongrass Chicken
Gà Nướng Xả | Grilled Lemongrass Chicken
Gà = Chicken
Nướng = Grilled
Xả = Lemongrass
Lemongrass Chicken is a Vietnamese Staple
Lemongrass is a Vietnamese staple ingredient. It’s bright, citrusy, and when cooked it imparts a subtle, distinctive flavor without being overpowering. Pairing it with chicken breast livens up an otherwise boring cut.
This recipe is a Vietnamese Staple. It’s used in everything from traditional Vietnamese Sandwiches (Banh Mi), Vietnamese Cold Noodle Bowls (Bun Ga Nuong), and simply eaten over rice.
Lemongrass chicken is the perfect tasty, clean eating, weeknight meal.
Lemongrass chicken is a Vietnamese staple recipe. Whether eaten by itself or transforming a noodle bowl, it’s perfect for a weeknight, clean meal.
THE DO NOTS
Lemongrass chicken should be well marinated, juicy and tender. Here are some guidelines to set us up for success.
Do Not marinade for less than 2 hours
Do Not cook before resting
Do Not cut before resting
Do Not forget to preheat the grill first
SPECIAL TIPS
The Cut
The cut for chicken breast is important. It can change cooking times, how well your chicken absorbs marinade, and whether it stays juicy.
Whether you use a whole chicken breast or you decide to skewer them, the cut and size matters. It can make a huge difference in grilling time and how much time you should marinade.
If you have larger chicken breasts and want to make grilling easier, check out my butterfly post. Making your chicken more uniformed in thickness will allow it to brine properly. This technique prevents overcooked dry and stringy chicken breast.
Skewers are super easy to make. If this is your first time cutting breast meat for skewers, make sure to cut only to 1½ - 2 inches wide. They’re easier to handle when cut at this width and makes for consistent cooking times.
Marinade
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Unlike our gà nướng recipe, this one marinades for a minimum of 2 hours. It’s best overnight. This recipe does not have vinegar and because it’s chicken breast, we want to make sure that the salt has a chance to sit. It helps to retain moisture for grilling, making for a juicy breast.
Grilling
There are two things to remember when grilling. Rest your meat before and after cooking, and preheat your grill! There really isn’t anything worse than trying to control temperature after getting started.
Temperature
It’s important to know the cooking temperature and times for the different cuts of chicken breast.
Bone-in, boneless, and/or skewered breasts, require different temperatures and cooking times.
If you’re working with bone-in, full breast, work with medium heat, approximately 350 degrees. This will take about 25- 30 minutes. Flip it half way through. Make sure the chicken registers at 165 degrees.
If you’re working with a boneless, full breast chicken, work with higher heat at 400 to 425 degrees. This will take about 12-18 minutes. Flip it half way through.
Chicken skewers, because they’re boneless and cut we want to grill it at 375 degrees. This will take 10-15 minutes.
Chicken skewers, because they’re boneless and cut, we heat the grill to 375 degrees. These will take about 10-15 minutes depending on how thick you’ve cut your chicken and how you’ve thread them on the skewer.
These are optimum temperatures, but the most important aspect is resting to make for easy consistent grilling times, and then knowing what to look for when your chicken is done.
Your juices should run clear when you set them on a plate. If you cut the chicken you’ll end up releasing all of the moisture, so invest in a thermometer for ease.
When you set your chicken on a plate, the juices should run clear. The easiest way to gage temperature is with a thermometer.
HOW YOU SHOULD EAT THIS
This recipe is amazing over rice, in the typical bun, which is the cold noodle bowls. It’s amazing in a banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches), in a gua bao, or eaten with steamed rice. The flavors of this recipe, makes it easy to eat on it’s own.
FINAL THOUGHTS AND NOTES:
This chicken does well in the freezer. If you’re looking for easy bulk prep, marinade and set in the freezer. When you’re ready to cook, defrost in the refrigerator overnight and continue with the remainder of the recipe, once it’s thawed.
For boneless chicken breast, I will usually pull the chicken at 150ish degrees and then tent it. It will continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes. USDA food safety says 165 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature you want to cook it to, to kill off bacteria.
LET’S GET STARTED!
Gà Nướng Xả | Grilled Lemongrass Chicken
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes:
*If you’re working with bone-in, full breast, work with medium heat, approximately 350 degrees F. This will take about 25- 30 minutes. Flip it halfway through. Make sure the chicken registers at 165 degrees F.
**If you’re working with a boneless, full breast chicken, you can work with higher heat at 400 to 425 degrees F. This will take about 12-18 minutes. Flip it halfway through.
***Chicken skewers, because they’re boneless and cut, heat your grill to 375 degrees F. It will take about 10-15 minutes depending on how thick you’ve cut your chicken and how you’ve thread them on the skewer. Make sure to flip halfway through.
****If using chicken thighs, check out this post for cooking times.
*****This chicken can be frozen after marinating. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and proceed with the resting and the remainder of the recipe.
