bonappetit
Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Thighs
A blender dressing does double duty as both a flavorful marinade and a final dressing in this pared-back version of Vietnamese-style lemongrass chicken.
👥 6 Servings👤 Shilpa Uskokovic📖 bonappetit
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●bowl
- ●blender
- ●baking sheet
- ●whisk
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Blend 4 lemongrass stalks, bottom third only, tough outer layers removed, cut into 1" pieces, 4 garlic cloves, ⅔ cup distilled white vinegar, ⅓ cup fish sauce, and 1–2 serrano chiles, depending on their spiciness and your heat preference, in a blender until a fine purée forms, about ⏱️ 1 minute. Strain lemongrass purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Transfer ¼ cup to a small bowl and set aside (this will be used as the base for making the dressing later).
lemongrass stalks, bottom third only, tough outer layers removed, cut into 1" pieces4–2 serrano chiles1
2
Add 2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs and 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt to lemongrass purée in large bowl and massage until salt is dissolved. Cover and let chicken sit at least ⏱️ 20 minutes and up to ⏱️ 12 hours (chill if marinating longer than ⏱️ 30 minutes; no need to bring to room temperature before grilling).
. skinless, boneless chicken thighs2 lb. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt1 Tbsp
3
Prepare a grill for high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off); oil grate with vegetable oil. Remove chicken thighs from marinade and grill over direct heat, moving to indirect heat as needed if browning too quickly, and turn halfway through, until grill marks appear and chicken is browned on both sides and cooked through, 8–⏱️ 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and let sit ⏱️ 10 minutes.
Vegetable oil (for grill)
4
Arrange chicken thighs on a platter. Whisk zest and juice of 2 large limes and 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar into reserved lemongrass purée. Taste dressing and add more sugar if needed. Pour over chicken and scatter 1 mini seedless cucumber, cut into matchsticks, and ½ bunch cilantro, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped, on top. Serve with cooked rice noodles, steamed rice, or grilled bread if desired.
Zest and juice of 2 large limesmini seedless cucumber, cut into matchsticks1Cooked rice noodles, steamed rice, or grilled bread (for serving; optional)
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