Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken and Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken and Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce is what you need when craving Vietnamese food. Juicy chicken, crispy and charred chicken skin dipped in a tangy sweet and spicy dipping sauce. Yuhum! My kind of food.
The secret to this dish? Lemongrass. It adds that fresh, citrusy kick that makes the marinade so incredibly fragrant. I love how it pairs with the umami-rich fish sauce, a touch of sweetness from sugar, and a little heat from chili. Let the chicken soak up all those flavors for at least an hour (overnight if you’ve got the patience!), and you’ll be rewarded with the most flavorful, tender chicken.
Then comes the best part—getting that skin beautifully crispy and charred. Whether you grill it, pan-fry it, or throw it in the oven, the key is high heat to get those smoky, caramelized edges.
And of course, you can’t forget the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce. It’s the perfect balance of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy, tying everything together in that signature Vietnamese way. Drizzle it over the chicken, dip away, or even spoon some over rice—you really can’t go wrong.
Speaking of rice, I love serving this with fluffy jasmine rice and maybe a crunchy pickled salad on the side for extra freshness. Simple, packed with flavour, and seriously addictive. This one’s a keeper!
This dish is inspired by the lovely Marion Grasby, love her recipes!
Any leftover chicken? Then try these Vietnamese Banh Mi. Or looking for something else to dip into the irresistible Nuoc Cham? Then try my Cha Gio with Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken and Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Ingredients
- Lemongrass Chicken
- 1 medium shallot, roughly chopped
- 1 large lemongrass stalk, outer tough leaves removed, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 tsp sea salt
- Good amount freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- zest from 1 lime
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar or honey
- 4 chicken thighs & legs bone-in and skin-on
- Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 long red chili, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- To serve
- Small bunch koriander leaves
- Spring onions, finely chopped
- Lime wedges on the side
Instructions
Start by adding all the marinade ingredients into a blender and blend until a smooth paste. Add this to a large bowl together with the chicken and massage the marinade into the chicken. Let the chicken marinade for at least 1 hour and upto 24 hours.
When ready to cook preheat the oven to 220°C with the oven rack in the middle.
Place a wire rack on top of a foil lined baking tray and brush oil onto the wire rack to prevent sticking.
Place the chicken skin side down onto the wire rack and roast for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken skin-side up and rotate the tray 180 degrees. Bake for another 20-25 minutes until the skin is evenly browned, slightly charred and the meat is cooked through (the thickest part of the meat registers 72°C on a meat thermometer).
While the chicken is roasting make the dipping sauce: Mix everything together, taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Serve the chicken with the dipping sauce and sprinkle with the koriander leaves and spring onions.
