Lemongrass, Chilli & Turmeric Chicken

May Ly

This Vietnamese lemongrass, turmeric & chilli chicken dish is another one of my mum’s recipes that I grew up eating. It’s quick and simple to make and you can easily marinade the chicken ahead of time or freeze them into portions to prepare for a meal later in the week. Once thawed it takes about 20 minutes to cook, making this a great option to plan for dinner during the week.

Lemongrass, Chilli & Turmeric Chicken
 Lemongrass, Chilli & Turmeric Chicken

 

Lemongrass and Turmeric are excellent herbs to include regularly for their anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer properties and are often used in herbal remedies for different ailments. They are a great source of various minerals and vitamins and taste fantastic paired together, this dish is traditionally cooked in a clay pot but any saucepan works fine (for a stir fry version check out the recipe here or try the same combination tea recipe here).

I used a whole chicken bone in cut into small pieces for this recipe as boneless chicken thighs are not readily available over here in Vietnam. We also like to use the whole animal so if you have organ parts, feel free to add them in also. If you choose to use the whole chicken bone in, start by cutting your chicken into 8 pieces (drumstick, thigh, wing, breast separated), then using a cleaver chop into smaller pieces. You can use boneless thigh fillets if preferred.

We occasionally have white rice and this is the perfect dish to serve it with. If you cannot eat rice, try cauliflower rice or with steam greens or sauteed Asian greens.

Lemongrass, Chilli & Turmeric Chicken
 Lemongrass, Chilli & Turmeric Chicken

LEMONGRASS, TURMERIC AND CHILLI CHICKEN

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Serves: 4

You will need:

  • 1.2 kg whole chicken cut into small pieces or 800gm boneless chicken thigh
  • 2 stalks lemongrass finely diced (white part only, use the green part for tea! I use my food processor to finely slice the stalks first before mincing)
  • 20 gm fresh turmeric julienned (thinly sliced into strips or 1/2 tsp powdered turmeric in addition to the 1/2 tsp powdered turmeric below)
  • 1-2 whole chilli thinly sliced (adjust to your heat preference
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1-2 tbsp coconut sugar (optional, true Southern Vietnamese dishes are quite sweet)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (this is for a boost of colour when using fresh turmeric, not an error in typing 😉
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Method:

  • If using a whole chicken cut into small pieces or dice the boneless chicken thich into inch sized pieces, place in a bowl
  • Combine the rest of the ingredients in with the chicken
  • Marinade for at least 15 minutes (if you are food prepping for later in the week, divide the chicken into preferred portions and freeze in a sealed bag or container, when ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight)
Combine all the ingredients and marinade for at least 15 minutes
  • Place all ingredients into a saucepan, cover and bring to boil (approx 5 minutes)
  • Stir the chicken mixture, keep covered and reduce heat to a medium simmer for another 10 minutes
  • Uncover the chicken, increase heat to high and simmer for 5 minutes approximately or until liquids have reduced
  • Serve with steamed rice (if you can have), steamed greens or Sauteed Asian greens
Lemongrass, Chilli & Turmeric Chicken
Lemongrass, Chilli & Turmeric Chicken

Hope you enjoyed this recipe 🙂

May xx
Love, create, explore & inspire <3

Lemongrass, Chilli & Turmeric Chicken
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1.2 kg whole chicken cut into small pieces or 800gm boneless chicken thigh
  • 2 stalks lemongrass finely diced (white part only, use the green part for tea! I use my food processor to finely slice the stalks first before mincing)
  • 20 gm fresh turmeric julienned (thinly sliced into strips or ½ tsp powdered turmeric in addition to the ½ tsp powdered turmeric below)
  • 1-2 whole chilli thinly sliced (adjust to your heat preference
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1-2 tbsp coconut sugar (optional, true Southern Vietnamese dishes are quite sweet)
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder (this is for a boost of colour when using fresh turmeric, not an error in typing 😉
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. If using a whole chicken cut into small pieces or dice the boneless chicken thich into inch sized pieces, place in a bowl
  2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in with the chicken
  3. Marinade for at least 15 minutes (if you are food prepping for later in the week, divide the chicken into preferred portions and freeze in a sealed bag or container, when ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight)
  4. Place all ingredients into a saucepan, cover and bring to boil (approx 5 minutes)
  5. Stir the chicken mixture, keep covered and reduce heat to a medium simmer for another 10 minutes
  6. Uncover the chicken, increase heat to high and simmer for 5 minutes approximately or until liquids have reduced
  7. Serve with steamed rice (if you can have), steamed greens or Sauteed Asian greens