Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken and Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce!

Step 1

Let's make the marinade. Grab a large bowl and add the minced shallot.

Step 2

Trim the fresh lemongrass stalk and grate finely with a microplane rasp grater (my preferred method) or smash the stalk with a meat pounder and cut finely against the grain of the fibers. The finer the dice, the less lemongrass fiber you’ll be picking out of your teeth when you eat the chicken later.  Refer to this tutorial if you have more questions on how to trim lemongrass.

Step 3

Add 3 tablespoons of the finely minced lemongrass to the bowl, along with the garlic, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, ginger, black pepper, lime zest, extra virgin olive oil, fish sauce, and honey (sub 1 tablespoon of orange juice if doing a Whole30). Stir to combine well.

Step 4

Plop in the chicken thighs in the bowl and massage the marinade all over the bird parts.

Step 5

Cover the bowl and let it marinate for at least one hour and up to 24 hours in the fridge.

Step 6

When you’re ready to cook the chicken thighs, heat the oven to 400°F convection or 425°F non-convection, with the oven rack in the middle.

Step 7

Place the chicken skin-side down on a stainless steel wire rack placed on top of a foil lined baking sheet.

Step 8

Pop the chicken in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken skin-side up and rotate the tray 180 degrees. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the skin is evenly browned and the thickest part of the meat registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Step 9

Cooking in air fryer? Air fry the chicken in batches at 400°F for a total of 20 to 25 minutes, starting skin side down and flipping skin side up at the halfway point (~10-12 min mark). The chicken is finished when the thickest part of the thighs reach 175°F on a meat thermometer and the skin is golden brown.

Step 10

Serve the chicken with lettuce, pickled veggies, fresh herbs, and lime wedges. Want a dipping sauce? Make the Paleo Nuoc Cham below!

Step 11

In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, water, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Stir well to combine and adjust seasoning as needed. (If on a Whole30, substitute apple juice or pineapple juice for the maple syrup. Start with ¼ cup and add more to taste.)

Step 12

The dipping sauce can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.