The Best Vietnamese Style Lemongrass Chicken Wings
Looking for a delicious and easy-to-make chicken dish? Try these Vietnamese-style lemongrass chicken wings! Made with succulent chicken and fragrant lemongrass, they’re perfect for any occasion, especially on Super Bowl Sunday!
I love anything with Lemongrass. Lemongrass scent skin care products, aromatherapy candles, and any food with Lemongrass are amazing. I am salivating as I am writing this post. So today, I want to introduce to you how I make my version of Vietnamese-style Lemongrass Chicken wings. I picked Chicken wings because they are easy to make, and who can resist munching on crispy chicken wings? But of course, if you want to use pork chop or boneless chicken thighs, it is perfectly OK.
Recipe Snapshot
EASE: Easier to make than you might think.
PROS: It’s juicy, crispy, and very delicious.
CONS: Absolutely none.
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? Absolutely.
Lemongrass is a tropical herb from Asia. However, you might see this in essential oil, cosmetics, or soap ingredients. However, it is widely used in many Southeast Asian cuisines. It has a mild gingery citrus taste with a lemony aroma. It is one of the staples in many Asian dishes.
What is Lemongrass?
How to prepare lemongrass for this recipe?
- Firstly, cut the end of the stalk and the tip-off.
- Then, use a knife and carefully peel off and discard the outer layers.
- Cut the lemongrass stalk lengthwise into three segments.
- Bruise the lemongrass with a meat tenderizer to release its flavor.
- We use this as marinades only, so please do not eat it. The fiber is very tough and is not edible. Use a fork or thong to discard your lemongrass stalk before you cook your meat.
Ingredients that you need to make Vietnamese Style Lemongrass Chicken Wings
Chicken Wings – For this recipe, I have experience with frozen wings from Costco and fresh ones from the local Asian market. Either one is fine. Substitute it with other proteins, such as pork chops or boneless chicken thighs. They are equally yummy.
Fresh lime – I used a Microplane grater to grate the lime zest. Then I use a wooden citrus squeezer to squeeze out about two tablespoons of lime juice. You can use bottled lime juice instead of fresh lime. Just measure out two tablespoons of lime juice.
Lemongrass – I used just one stalk of lemongrass, cut it into three segments, and smashed them with a meat tenderizer to release their flavor to marinate my chicken wings. This can’t be substituted with other ingredients. This is the soul of this dish.
Fresh ginger juice – Get a fresh ginger root. Mine was about 1 oz. Peel the skin and use a Microplane grater to grate your ginger into a bowl. Squeeze out the juice and discard the ginger.
Fish Sauce – It is a liquid condiment made from fermented fish. It is a staple of all Southeast Asian dishes. It may smell weird initially, but it adds in-depth flavor to this recipe. You basically can’t make Southeast Asia food without fish sauce. It will be like eating pizza without tomato sauce.
Light Soy Sauce – To enhance the flavor of your wings.
Dark Soy Sauce – To help deepen the color of the chicken.
Light brown sugar – To add some sweetness to your wings.
Coriander seeds – To amplify the aromatic flavor.
Fresh Cilantro leaves – You can’t complete this SouthEast Asian dish without this staple garnish. But it is optional if you don’t have it in your kitchen.
Thai Chili pepper – This is optional. But if you like to add some spiciness, this is the pepper to go.
Don’t know how to use these Asian sauces & condiments?
Check Out My Chinese Pantry Essential Guide To Learn More
Tools that you would need to make this recipe:
- Meat Tenderizer
- Microplane grater
- Citrus squeezer
- Toaster oven
How to make Vietnamese-Style Lemongrass Chicken Wings
- Step 1 – Prep your Wings – Wash and pat dry your chicken wings with clean paper towels. Set them aside.
- Step 2 – Prepare the lemongrass – Clean your lemongrass, cut off the end and the tip of the stalk, and peel off the harder outer layer. Cut it lengthwise into three segments. Use a meat tenderizer to smash each segment to release the flavor. Set aside
- Step 3 – Zest and juice your lime – Wash your lime. Get a Microplane grater out. Zest the whole lime. You will end up with about one tablespoon of lime zest and put them in a small dish. Now cut your lime in half. Use a citrus squeezer to help you juice your lime. Discard any seeds.
- Step 4 – Grate and juice the ginger – Wash your ginger and then peel off the skin. Get a Microplane grater out again to grate your ginger into a bowl. Afterward, squeeze out as much ginger juice as you can. Discard the ginger pieces but keep the juice.
- Step 5 – Prepare your marinade – Put your chicken wings in a mixing bowl. Pour in your smashed Lemongrass stalks, lime zest, lime juice, ginger juice, fish sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, packed light brown sugar, and coriander seeds. Mix well, cover your bowl with plastic wrap, or transfer your mixture into a container or ziplock bag. Let them marinate for at least 4 to 5 hours. (I don’t suggest to marinate for overnight as a result was too salty)
- Step 6 – Cook and enjoy your chicken Wings – After a few hours of marinating your wings. Preheat your oven to 400F. Place your wings gently on a baking sheet. Discard all of the lemongrass stalks. Cook your wings for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden and crispy. Garnish with chopped cilantro and slices of lime. Enjoy.
Tips
Substitutions and Variations
- Instead of Chicken Wings, you can substitute with pork chops or boneless chicken thighs.
- If you don’t have dark soy sauce, you can omit it. The purpose of dark soy sauce is to enhance the color of your wings.
- For sugar, if you don’t have light brown sugar, you can use regular sugar or dark brown sugar.
- If you don’t have fresh lime, using a bottle of lime juice is also fine.
Handy tips and tricks
Do not ingest lemongrass
The fiber of the lemongrass stalk is quite tough. It can puncture the interior of your mouth. So I suggest that after you finish marinating your meat, you can just use a fork to fish out all the lemongrass stalks before you cook the wings.
It doesn’t take long to marinate your wings
You don’t need to marinate your meat overnight. I think the best marinating time length is 4 to 5 hours. So you can marinate it in the afternoon to be ready to cook it for dinner at night. I found that by marinating it overnight, the meat tends to be a bit too salty.
What will pair well with this dish?
I love having these wings with white steamed rice. I don’t suggest having it with anything too flavorful, such as Lo Mein or fried rice. Just eat it with something simple and plain to not overpower the taste of these wings.
Enjoy!!!
How do you store any leftover chicken wings?
In the fridge, you can store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. However, I don’t suggest you freeze-cooked chicken wings. However, you can marinate it ahead of time and freeze uncooked wings for up to 3 months.
FAQs about Lemongrass Chicken Wings
For even more delicious Asian cuisine recipes, you may like these:
Whether you’re hosting a game day party, a backyard BBQ, or a fan of Vietnamese cuisine, these finger-licking goodness will surely be the perfect crowd-pleaser. And the best part? You don’t need to travel worldwide to enjoy these flavorful wings – you can make them in your kitchen. So let’s fire up your oven, grab ingredients, and start cooking.
Have fun cooking!
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The Best Vietnamese Style Lemongrass Chicken Wings
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4
Description
Looking for a delicious and easy-to-make chicken dish? Try these Vietnamese-style lemongrass chicken wings! Made with succulent chicken and fragrant lemongrass, they’re perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
2 lbs of Chicken Wings (I used 10 drumsticks and 10 wings)
1 medium size lime – (Squeeze out the juice)
Lime zest from the whole lime (yield about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon depending on the size of the lime)
1 oz fresh ginger – peel and grate it. Squeeze the juice – yield about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup of fish sauce
1/4 cup of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
1/3 cup of packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon of coriander seed
Chopped Cilantro as garnish
Instructions
- Prep your Wings – Wash and pat dry your chicken wings with clean paper towels. Set them aside.
- Prepare the lemongrass – Clean your lemongrass, cut off the end and the tip of the stalk, and peel off the harder outer layer of the stalk. Cut it lengthwise into three segments. Use a meat tenderizer to smash each segment to release the flavor. Set aside
- Zest and juice your lime – Wash your lime. Get a Microplane grater out. Zest the whole lime. You will end up with about 1 tablespoon of lime zest. Put them in a small dish. Now cut your lime in half. Use a citrus squeezer to help you juice your lime. Discard any seeds.
- Grate and juice the ginger – Wash your ginger and then peel off the skin. Get a Microplane grater out again to grate your ginger into a bowl. Afterward, squeeze out as much ginger juice as you can. Discard the ginger pieces but keep the juice.
- Prepare your marinade – In a mixing bowl, put all of your chicken wings in. Pour in your smashed Lemongrass stalks, lime zest, lime juice, ginger juice, fish sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, packed light brown sugar, and coriander seeds. Mix well, cover your bowl with plastic wrap or transfer your mixture into a container or ziplock bag. Let them marinate for at least 4 to 5 hours. (I don’t suggest to marinate for overnight as the result was too salty)
- Cook and enjoy your chicken Wings – After a few hours of marinating your wings. Preheat your oven to 400F. Place your wings gently on a baking sheet. Discard all of the lemongrass stalks. Cook your wings for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden and crispy. Garnish with chopped cilantro and slices of lime. Enjoy.
Notes
Helpful tips/ Pro-Tips
Do not ingest lemongrass – The fiber of the lemongrass stalk is quite tough. It can puncture the interior of your mouth. So I suggest after you finish marinating your meat, you can just simply use a fork to fish out all the lemongrass stalks.
It doesn’t take long to marinate – You don’t need to marinate your meat overnight. I think the best marinating time length is 4 to 5 hours. So you can marinate it in the afternoon to be ready to cook it for dinner at night. I found that by marinating it overnight the meat tends to be a bit too salty.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Entreé
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: Vietnamese cuisine, chicken, chicken wings, lemongrass, baked, grilled, Asian style
