Lemongrass Chicken Bowl Recipe from Country Grocer


Lemongrass Chicken BowlRecipe by Chef Heidi Fink Prep time 1 hour 15 mins Cook time 15 mins Ready in 1 hour 30 mins Yield Serves 4 One of our favourite meals, these Vietnamese-inspired bowls are refreshing, flavour-packed and so satisfying! A very healthy and delicious dinner, perfect for meal prep. Ingredients Chicken Marinade 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 2 stalks lemongrass, bottom light-coloured bulbous part only, sliced 4 cilantro roots, OR 1/3 cup thick bottom stems from fresh cilantro 2.5 ml (½ tsp) white peppercorns OR freshly ground white pepper 2.5 ml (½ tsp) black peppercorns OR freshly ground black pepper 2.5 ml (½ tsp) coriander seeds OR ground coriander 1 ml (¼ tsp) salt 15 ml (1 Tb) fish sauce 10 ml (2 tsp) soy sauce 22 ml (1-1/2 Tb) light brown sugar (or palm sugar) 15 ml (1 Tb) vegetable oil Chicken 454 g (1 lb) boneless skinless chicken thigh Dipping Sauce 75 g (6 Tb) sugar 90 ml (6 Tb) water 90 ml (6 Tb) fish sauce 60 to 90 ml (4 to 6 Tb) freshly squeezed lime juice 1 clove garlic, minved very fine 1 red THai chili, minced very fine Salad Ingredients 1 head of lettuce, rinsed, dried, and torn into bite-sized pieces 1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks 1/2 long English cucumber, sliced into half moons 4 radishes, cleaned, trimmed and sliced thin 250 ml (1 cup) bean sprouts, rinsed and drained 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves 60 ml (1/4 cup) packed mint leaves Noodles 300 g thin rice vermicelli noodles Directions Marinade, Option 1, Mortar and pestle method: Combine the garlic, lemongrass, cilantro root or stem, white & black peppercorns, coriander seeds and salt in a mortar and pestle. Smash to a rough paste. Scrape out into a bowl, add fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and oil and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Marinade, Option 2, Food processor method: for this method, use pre-ground spices (white pepper, black pepper, and coriander), OR grind the spices first in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Combine the garlic, lemongrass, cilantro roots or stems, the ground spices and the oil in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until very finely chopped, almost pureed. Scrape out into a bowl and stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Chicken: flatten the chicken thighs, either by butterflying the thick end, or pounding the thick end with a mallet. Add flattened chicken to bowl with the marinade and mix well. Set aside to marinate at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. TIP: If marinating longer than two hours, cover the chicken and keep it in the fridge. While the chicken is marinating, prep the dipping sauce, salad ingredients, and noodles. Dipping sauce: combine the water, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice, stirring well to dissolve. Add the optional garlic and/or chilis. Salad Ingredients: Prep all the salad ingredients according to ingredient list and have them ready, each ingredient in its own bowl. Noodles: bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and stir while the water comes back to a boil. Keeping the water at a boil and stirring frequently, cook the noodles 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodles. They should be fully cooked but still have some “chew”. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water, lifting and separating the noodles with your fingers as you rinse. Let drain well (as long as half an hour). Transfer noodles to a bowl. TIP: If they are sticking together, toss them with a bit of the dipping sauce to help them separate. Set aside until ready to use. TIP: The noodles, dipping sauce, and salad ingredients are all served cold or at room temperature, so they can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use. Cooking Chicken, Option 1, To grill chicken: preheat a grill on high heat for at least 5 minutes. Use oil or pan spray to grease the grill grate. Place chicken on grill at an angle and grill for 1 minute on high. Rotate pieces 90 degrees and grill for another minute, until you have nice cross hatch pattern. Spray the chicken with pan spray and flip the chicken to the other side. Turn grill to low and cover. Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes, until chicken registers at least 165 on an instant reading thermometer – it’s Ok if the temp goes as high as 190 for dark meat, but you don’t want to burn all the seasonings. Cooking Chicken, Option 2, To oven-cook the chicken: move oven rack up to second-from-highest position. Preheat your broiler on high for 5 minutes. Cover a baking sheet with foil (not parchment), and lay your chicken out in one layer, making sure to spread all the pieces flat. Place baking sheet on highest rack and broil for about 5 minutes, rotating pan as necessary, until there is nice charring in spots all over. Turn oven to BAKE now, at 350, and continue cooking chicken until meat registers 165 to 190 on an instant reading thermometer. TIP: Do not flip the chicken at any point. For either cooking method: remove chicken from heat, tent lightly with foil, and let rest at least 5 minutes. Once they have rested, slice chicken into 1-inch slices, transfer to serving platter and serve. Assembly: Every person at the table can make their own bowl by piling salad ingredients, noodles, sliced chicken, and dipping sauce in a bowl and eating it up.

Directions

Marinade, Option 1, Mortar and pestle method: Combine the garlic, lemongrass, cilantro root or stem, white & black peppercorns, coriander seeds and salt in a mortar and pestle. Smash to a rough paste. Scrape out into a bowl, add fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and oil and mix well to dissolve the sugar.
Marinade, Option 2, Food processor method: for this method, use pre-ground spices (white pepper, black pepper, and coriander), OR grind the spices first in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Combine the garlic, lemongrass, cilantro roots or stems, the ground spices and the oil in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until very finely chopped, almost pureed. Scrape out into a bowl and stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
Chicken: flatten the chicken thighs, either by butterflying the thick end, or pounding the thick end with a mallet. Add flattened chicken to bowl with the marinade and mix well. Set aside to marinate at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. TIP: If marinating longer than two hours, cover the chicken and keep it in the fridge.
While the chicken is marinating, prep the dipping sauce, salad ingredients, and noodles.
Dipping sauce: combine the water, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice, stirring well to dissolve. Add the optional garlic and/or chilis.
Salad Ingredients: Prep all the salad ingredients according to ingredient list and have them ready, each ingredient in its own bowl.
Noodles: bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and stir while the water comes back to a boil. Keeping the water at a boil and stirring frequently, cook the noodles 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodles. They should be fully cooked but still have some “chew”. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water, lifting and separating the noodles with your fingers as you rinse. Let drain well (as long as half an hour). Transfer noodles to a bowl. TIP: If they are sticking together, toss them with a bit of the dipping sauce to help them separate. Set aside until ready to use.
TIP: The noodles, dipping sauce, and salad ingredients are all served cold or at room temperature, so they can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.
Cooking Chicken, Option 1, To grill chicken: preheat a grill on high heat for at least 5 minutes. Use oil or pan spray to grease the grill grate. Place chicken on grill at an angle and grill for 1 minute on high. Rotate pieces 90 degrees and grill for another minute, until you have nice cross hatch pattern. Spray the chicken with pan spray and flip the chicken to the other side. Turn grill to low and cover. Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes, until chicken registers at least 165 on an instant reading thermometer – it’s Ok if the temp goes as high as 190 for dark meat, but you don’t want to burn all the seasonings.
Cooking Chicken, Option 2, To oven-cook the chicken: move oven rack up to second-from-highest position. Preheat your broiler on high for 5 minutes. Cover a baking sheet with foil (not parchment), and lay your chicken out in one layer, making sure to spread all the pieces flat. Place baking sheet on highest rack and broil for about 5 minutes, rotating pan as necessary, until there is nice charring in spots all over. Turn oven to BAKE now, at 350, and continue cooking chicken until meat registers 165 to 190 on an instant reading thermometer. TIP: Do not flip the chicken at any point.
For either cooking method: remove chicken from heat, tent lightly with foil, and let rest at least 5 minutes. Once they have rested, slice chicken into 1-inch slices, transfer to serving platter and serve.
Assembly: Every person at the table can make their own bowl by piling salad ingredients, noodles, sliced chicken, and dipping sauce in a bowl and eating it up.

Lemongrass Chicken BowlRecipe by Chef Heidi Fink

Ingredients

Directions