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Stir-Fried Lemon Grass Chicken

Stir-Fried Lemon Grass Chicken

By Courtney HillAugust 9, 2021

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    40 minutes
  • Rating

Vietnamese stir-fried lemon grass chicken, called gà xào sả ớt, is a quick, flavor-packed dish that comes together quickly. To create our recipe, we looked to two of our favorite Vietnamese cooks, Andrea Nguyen and Charles Phan, borrowing elements from each of their versions to create our own. Like Nguyen, we briefly marinate pieces of boneless chicken thighs before cooking. And like Phan, we add sliced red onion to the mix. The spicy heat in the stir-fry comes from two sources: sambal oelek, an Indonesian-style chili paste with a bright, sharp flavor (Asian garlic-chili sauce works, too) and jalapeños sliced into thin rings. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Tip

Don’t stir the chicken too often as it cooks. Infrequent stirring allows browning and caramelization to occur, which develops complex flavors in the dish.

Ingredients
  • 2

    pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1½-inchpiece

  • 4

    medium garlic cloves, minced

  • 3

    stalks lemon grass, trimmed to the bottom 6 inches, dry outer layersdiscarded, bruised

  • 1

    tablespoon fish sauce

  • 1

    tablespoon sambal oelek or Asian chili-garlic sauce

  • 2

    teaspoons white sugar

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 3

    tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil

  • 1

    medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced

  • 1

    medium red onion, halved and sliced about ½ inch thick

  • 2

    jalapeño chilies, stemmed and sliced into thin rings

Step 1

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the garlic, lemon grass, fish sauce, sambal, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper.

Set aside at room temperature for about 15 minutes. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until barely smoking.

Add the chicken mixture and cook without stirring until browned on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned all over

Step 2

Stir in the onion, jalapeños and ½ cup water, scraping up any browned bits. Cook, stirring often, until the chicken is lightly glazed and no longer pink when cut into, 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove and discard the lemon grass, then taste and season with salt and pepper.