Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl
Noodle bowls are a fun, easy way to explore culinary flavors that might be new to you, or enjoy flavors you've come to love in one delicious serving. This bowl combines classic flavors from Southeast Asia, like galangal and lemongrass, with crunchy vegetables for texture and freshness and a playful bed of noodles. We used rice vermicelli in our dish, but you could use cellophane noodles or even standard vermicelli if that's what you have on hand.
To make this dish vegetarian, feel free to substitute your choice of plant-based protein in this recipe.
This recipe is perfect for the summer, with its refreshing flavors and deliciously crisp ingredients. The contrast between the warm meat and the cooler temperature of the other ingredients is an interesting experience when eating this dish.
- For the Chicken:
- 1 Tablespoon Lemongrass Powder
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Thai Bird Chiles
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Demerara Sugar
- 1 - 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in 4 pieces
- For the Dressing:
- 2 Tablespoons Demerara Sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 6 Tablespoons water
- 1 Thai Bird Chile, minced or ground
- For the Bowl:
- 1 8-ounce package vermicelli rice noodles
- Baby lettuce leaves
- 1 cucumber, sliced into match sticks
- 2 carrots, sliced into match sticks
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Fresh mint leaves
- Make your marinade. In a food processor, combine Lemongrass Powder, garlic, Thai Bird Chiles, olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, and Demerara Sugar. Process until smooth. Add a small amount of water if it seems too dry.
- Place chicken breasts and marinade inside a freezer bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight if possible.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it come up to room temperature. Warm up a skillet or pan over medium heat.
- Pour cooking oil into the hot pan. Cook chicken thoroughly. Remove it from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, combine the ingredients for the dressing.
- While you’re waiting for the chicken to cool, cook noodles as directed on the package. This will take about 3 minutes in a pot of boiling water. Drain as soon as they are soft.
- When the chicken is cool, slice it on a bias.
- Assemble your bowls as follows: Place lettuce leaves in the bottom of the bowl. Place noodles on top of lettuce. Assemble the vegetables, chicken, and fresh herbs as desired and serve with dressing.
