In this pared-back version of Vietnamese-style lemongrass chicken, a blender nuoc cham does double duty as both a flavorful marinade and a final dressing. The blender makes quick work of fibrous, woody lemongrass, decimating it to a fine purée and justifying the use of heavy machinery in an otherwise simple recipe. Serve this atop rice noodles or steamed rice. Or for a lovely lunch, split a warmed hoagie roll in half and spread with butter or mayonnaise mixed with a spoonful of oyster sauce. Build the sandwich with cold or room-temperature grilled chicken, ribbons of carrot and cucumber, more cilantro, and some hot sauce, such as sriracha. Lacking a grill? Cook the marinated chicken under the broiler until charred in spots instead.
Recipe information
Total Time
40 minutes
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 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).
Step 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).
Step 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.
Step 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.
