Vietnamese · Lunch or dinner

Lemongrass Chicken Bowl

Name: Lemongrass Chicken Bowl
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces; 8 oz rice vermicelli noodles; 3 lemongrass stalks, tender white part finely minced; 5 garlic cloves, minced; 2 medium shallot, minced; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp honey; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 1 head butter lettuce, leaves torn into bite-size pieces; 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced; 1 medium carrots, julienned; ½ bunch fresh mint, leaves picked; ½ bunch fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems; 3 scallions, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 2 lime, juiced; 2 tbsp granulated sugar; 1 Thai chili, minced; ¼ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped (garnish)

Charred lemongrass chicken, cool vermicelli, butter lettuce, nuoc cham and peanuts.

Maui's an app that plans a whole week of dinners like this one. See how it works ↓

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 15 min
Makes: 4 servings
Skill: Beginner
Heat: Mild, adjustable

Halal Contains peanuts Contains fish

Maui says

Don't crowd the skillet - the marinade caramelizes into char only if the chicken has room to dry-sear. Two batches beats one steamy crowded one.

Ingredients

Everything below makes 4 servings.

1½ lbboneless skinless chicken thighscut into bite-size pieces
8 ozrice vermicelli noodles
3lemongrass stalkstender white part finely minced
5garlic clovesminced
2 mediumshallotminced
3 tbspfish sauce
1 tbspsoy sauce
2 tbsphoney
2 tbspneutral oil
1 headbutter lettuceleaves torn into bite-size pieces
1 mediumcucumberthinly sliced
1 mediumcarrotsjulienned
½ bunchfresh mintleaves picked
½ bunchfresh cilantroleaves and tender stems
3scallionsthinly sliced
2 tbsprice vinegar
2limejuiced
2 tbspgranulated sugar
1Thai chiliminced
¼ cuproasted peanutsroughly chopped (garnish)

In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.

Nutrition

Per serving, as written.

510calories
36gprotein
56gcarbs
14gfat

Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.

Instructions

Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.

Before you start

Mince lemongrass (tender white part only), garlic, shallot, Thai chili.
Slice cucumber, julienne carrot, tear lettuce, pick herbs.
Cook vermicelli per package - 3-4 min boil, drain, rinse cold, set aside.

Marinate

In a bowl, toss chicken with lemongrass, garlic, shallot, fish sauce, soy sauce, honey, and oil. Massage to coat. Let sit 15 min while you prep everything else.

15 min · hands off

Make nuoc cham

Whisk rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar, minced Thai chili, half the minced garlic (reserve a pinch - about 1 tsp - from the marinade quantity), and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Should taste sweet, sour, savory, and just-spicy.

3 min · hands on

Sear chicken

Heat the remaining oil in skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add chicken in a single layer, sear 4 min undisturbed for deep char, then stir-fry 3-4 min more until cooked through. The marinade should caramelize on the chicken - that's the whole point.

8 min · hands on

Build bowls

Divide vermicelli into 4 bowls. Top with lettuce, cucumber, carrot, mint, cilantro, and scallions on one side; pile hot chicken on the other side. Shower with peanuts. Pass nuoc cham - pour generously over before eating.

3 min · hands on

Make it yours

Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.

Instead of boneless skinless chicken thighs Pork shoulder strips (not halal)

Use thin-sliced pork shoulder; same marinade and sear time.

Instead of boneless skinless chicken thighs Shrimp

Use 1 lb peeled shrimp; marinate 10 min and sear 3 min total. Saves about 5 minutes.

Instead of boneless skinless chicken thighs Extra-firm tofu (cubed)

Press tofu 10 min, cube, marinate 15 min, pan-sear until golden all sides.

Instead of vermicelli noodles and lettuce and pickles Jasmine rice instead of vermicelli

Cook 1.5 cups jasmine rice; everything else stays the same. Adds about 5 minutes.

What keeps

Cooked chicken and nuoc cham keep 4 days separately. Cook vermicelli per bowl - they get gluey reheated.

Assemble bowls just before eating.

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