Vietnamese Inspired Grilled Lemongrass Chicken noodle bowl

My Vietnamese inspired grilled lemongrass chicken noodle bowl is based on Bun Ga Nuong. It’s kind of like a salad with grilled chicken thighs and rice noodles and inspired by both my trip to Vietnam and yet another restaurant that I used to love that closed.

This restaurant was a place that we would frequently order takeout from and I am still not sure why they closed because they were in close proximity to two college campuses in the heart of uptown New Orleans. In New Orleans there is a significant Vietnamese population, so lucky for us, we have many restaurants to choose from, but Bun Cha was the best. I would frequently order something like this or their delicious Pho. Now that they are gone and we have moved too, I will have to settle for my close second attempt at a copycat recipe.

One of the things I love about Vietnamese food is the simplicity that shapes the cuisine and allows the ingredients to shine. In this recipe, it’s the delicious, crisp chicken thigh marinated to perfection with lemongrass, combined with the fresh vegetables and rice noodles to soak up that spicy nuoc cham. The vegetables are served raw and all the rice noodles have to do is soak, so the meal comes together quickly, with only the chicken needing to be grilled.

These lemongrass chicken noodle bowls really have it all between fabulous flavor and painless preparation, this is a healthy alternative that rivals takeout in both speed and taste!

Serves 4

Tools:

A grill of any kind will do. You know I will be using my indoor version with tasty results.

Ingredients:

1 – 16 ounce package of rice noodles

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 lemongrass stock trimmed and bruised (for easy removal)

2 tablespoons oil

Juice of 1 lime

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 Thai red chili, minced

2 carrots, jullienned

2 cucumbers, jullienned

1/4 cup of cilantro, diced

3 scallions, sliced

1/4 cup peanuts

2 cups of lettuce, romaine or iceberg will work

For the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce:

1 clove of garlic minced

1 Thai red chili minced

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

1 tablespoon of water

1 scallion, chopped

Instructions:

1. Begin by marinating the chicken thighs in soy sauce, fish sauce, oil, lime juice, garlic, red chili, and lemongrass. Lemongrass is not edible unless it is cooked for a long time, so you will want to remove it from the marinade before cooking. To release it’s flavors into the marinade, remove the hard exterior and hit it with the back of a kitchen knife which will help split it. Allow the chicken to marinate for about 30 minutes. This is a great time to prep your veggies and make the Nuoc Cham sauce.
2. Soak the rice noodles in hot water for 10 or so minutes until they become softened.
3. Grill the chicken over medium high heat for about 12 minutes, or 6 minutes per side.
4. Assemble the bowls by dividing the noodles between them and then topping with each of the vegetables. Add 1-2 chicken thighs and top with scallions, cilantro, and peanuts. Serve with the Nuoc Cham as the dressing.

If you enjoyed this noodle bowl recipe, give my shrimp and mango noodle salad a try!