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Grilled Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

Grilled Vietnamese lemongrass chicken with a sweet-salty caramelized marinade, charred edges, and tender, juicy thighs. Marinate for hours, then grill until cooked through and serve with rice, fresh herbs, and lime.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinating time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs
  • 2 lb chicken thighs, boneless
Lemongrass marinade
  • 3 stalks lemongrass, minced
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp black pepper
Serving
  • 1 Fresh herbs and lime for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 grill

Method
 

Make the lemongrass marinade
  1. Combine lemongrass, fish sauce, brown sugar, vegetable oil, garlic, shallot, soy sauce, and black pepper in a bowl until well mixed.
  2. Set the marinade aside while you prepare the chicken for marinating.
Marinate the chicken
  1. Place chicken thighs in the marinade and refrigerate for 4-24 hours, covered, to flavor the meat.
Grill
  1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
  2. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side until charred and cooked through, turning once for even browning.
  3. Let the grilled chicken rest briefly, then slice and serve with rice, fresh herbs, and lime wedges.

Notes

For the most char, remove chicken from the fridge 10 minutes before grilling and keep the grill at steady medium-high heat. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container up to 3 days; freeze cooked chicken up to 2 months. To make it lighter, use a reduced-sugar brown sugar substitute (or cut the sugar by 1 tablespoon) while keeping the fish sauce and soy ratio the same.