Lemongrass Chicken is a mouthwatering chicken thigh recipe that has the tastiest marinade and is quickly grilled or seared to perfection.
This recipe is a remake of the most delicious Lemongrass Chicken I’ve ever had. I was at my bestie’s family baby shower for her new baby, and her family made this amazing chicken to go with sticky rice.
Now, I’m positive my ratios are off, but I immediately asked what was in the marinade for the chicken and ran off to write it down – pretty great social skills huh?
No concern about catching up with everyone, but rather I race off to write-up a recipe. Sometimes I wonder how I get by in life, I’m truly awkward at the best of times.
My kids adore it, G was basically drooling over it, and I was desperate to go up multiple times for seconds, thirds, and so on for this chicken.
Who cares about cake when there’s chicken this good? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that everyone was goo-goo over the baby and I was all like “so that chicken …”.
My understanding is that each family member makes this chicken, but everyone has their own spin on it since no measurements are ever done making , it just a bit different every time. My remake here is from one of the sisters that made it for the shower I attended. She listed her ingredients and I guessed at their measurements and added one or two so it’s not verbatim what we ate at the shower, but it’s close.
We had the Lemongrass Chicken barbecued at the shower, whereas I pan seared it at home. G does most of our barbecuing and he was traveling for work the night I made this dish and I wasn’t into lingering outside to BBQ chicken while the 3 kids were asleep inside.
The recipe could easily be doubled or tripled if need be. It is a terrific recipe for the grill and for large gatherings; I have big plans for it this summer. It’s the first full summer we’re in our new home and have BBQ so we’re under the mindset that if it’s nice and we can BBQ we will 😉
Another great chicken recipe is this one with chickpeas and arugula, you can find the full recipe here. It’s a perfect warm Spring night kind of meal, topped with delicious peppery arugula.
What to serve with Lemongrass Chicken:
- Rice, rice noodles, vermicelli noodles, and even couscous would be delicious with this recipe.
- Chopped vegetable salad with a light rice wine vinegar dressing.
- Grilled or steamed broccoli.
- There’s no spiciness in this recipe. The chilies you see in the photo are garnish only. If you like spicy food either garnish with red Thai chilies or blend in one chili (seeds removed) into the marinade.
How to use lemongrass in cooking?
If you’re not familiar with cooking with lemongrass, the recipe in this post is a great tutorial on how to prep it.
Note that you only need it roughly chopped for this recipe so don’t worry about crushing or grating it.
Looking for more chicken thigh recipes?
- One Pot Chicken and Rice with Vegetables and Dill
- Easy homemade Fried Chicken
- One Pot Chicken and Barley with Vegetables
- Roasted Chicken Minestrone Soup
- Chicken with Arugula and Chickpea Salad
Lemongrass Chicken is a mouthwatering chicken thigh recipe that has the tastiest marinade and is quickly grilled or seared to perfection.
- 3 stalkes lemongrass
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mango juice*
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup coconut milk**
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, such as canola oil or avocado oil a higher heat oil works best here
- 8 medium boneless and skinless chicken thighs about 2 lbs
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Cut 2-3″ off the bottom of the lemongrass and remove the hard outside layers. Chop the soft interior into smaller pieces.
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Add all ingredients except for the chicken thighs into a blender (including the trimmed lemongrass pieces) and blend until smooth. Place mixture in a large sealable bag or airtight container. Add chicken and toss until chicken is well coated. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, overnight is best.
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Remove chicken from fridge and remove chicken pieces from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade.
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 5-7 minutes per side. This may need to be done in batches so the pan is not overcrowded. Chicken should be well browned on both sides and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F (check with a meat thermometer).
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Allow chicken to rest for 3-5 minutes. Serve whole or sliced.
* mango juice is the thickest and works the best in this recipe, however in a pinch, pineapple or orange juice would be fine substitutes.
** Leftover coconut milk can be used to cook rice or as sauce for noodles. In the past I have also frozen in ice cube trays and used for smoothies or other recipes when needed.
Enjoy! xo
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken (from frozen)
