Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl Recipe

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl Recipe With Nước Chấm Sauce 

I am thrilled to share another family favourite recipe – lemongrass chicken with a slight twist as this is a noodle bowl recipe AND instead of making it with chicken thighs which is more common we tried it with chicken breasts, yummy either way! However, you can make the lemongrass chicken and serve it with rice or just salad or whatever you want. It does not have to be a rice noodle bowl, it just one of my favourite ways to eat lemongrass chicken.

This is a simplified version of my mom’s recipe but just as delicious! You may be wondering what is the sauce that goes with the Vietnamese noodle bowl recipe? I will, of course, share how to make Nước chấm the sauce that is used for oh so many things in Vietnamese cuisine. It’s the sauce you’ll find served with foods like chả giò (crispy spring rolls), grilled meats and so much more. Don’t let the fact that it has fish sauce deter you. It’s amazing and not fishy!

Disclosure: I am participating in the Chicken Farmers of Canada campaign managed by SJ Consulting. I received compensation in exchange for my participation in this campaign. All opinions expressed here are my own.

One of the many things that makes this lemongrass chicken noodle bowl recipe so popular in my home is the fresh herbs and the amazing taste and fragrant odour of the lemongrass. On top of that, we can make it with chicken thighs or chicken breasts and everyone can add whatever veggies they want, heck you can skip the noodles and just veggies or rice, again it’s that versatile. Top it off with some Nước chấm and it’s amazing. Yes, I will explain and tell you how to make that sauce!I’m very excited to share that for the third year Powered by Mom will be a Brand Ambassador for Chicken Farmers of Canada! I couldn’t be more thrilled about this as chicken is our number one protein both in Canada and in my home. My family loves chicken and what’s not to love when you have chicken raised by a Canadian chicken farmer. It’s so versatile that you literally could not run out of new recipes to try or create yourself.

We like to support Canadian family-owned businesses and the majority of Canadian chicken farms are family run and owned. When I see the Canadian Chicken Farmers logo (below) I know that I’m getting that quality, we only buy chicken raised by a Canadian Chicken Farmer. So yes the chicken I buy ALWAYS has that logo, like the one below. If your store doesn’t use the “Raised by a Canadian Farmer” brand, you can ask them to – we think the pressure should be on retailers to deliver on what Canadians want.”

A few things to share that you might not know about the different “labels” for how chicken is raised. 

What types of chicken are there? 

Oh so many! You can learn more about the different ways chickens are raised here.

I’m sharing with you below a summary of the farming methods so you too can be informed on what you’re buying when it comes to chicken.

Free Range:  Free-range birds must have access to the outdoors, but it can vary from farm to farm.

Free Run: Free run chickens do not necessarily need to be raised outside, but they are required to be able to move around freely within the barn. Did you know that ALL chickens raised for meat in Canada are considered free run? YES, it’s true.

Grain Fed: This is more of a marketing tactic as all chicken in Canada is given grain-fed, but some might boast special types of grain, such as vegetarian grain.

Halal: Meat that comes from chickens that are well-rested and handled in a way that minimizes suffering

Hormone Free and/or Steroid Free: The use of hormones in raising chickens has been banned since the 1960s in Canada.

Organic Chicken: Chicken that is sold as “organic” is raised to a specific standard as laid out by the Canadian General Standards Board, in addition to the standards set by a reputable organic certification board.  In general, organic chicken must be raised with a certified organic feed that contains no animal by-products or antibiotics and any supplements, such as vitamins, must be approved by a certification body.

If you want to make sure that you’re buying only chicken raised by a Canadian chicken farmer, then make sure that your package of chicken has that logo. I never buy any chicken that is not from a Canadian chicken farmer. We have a regulating body to ensure the quality of our chicken, that gives me peace of mind.

How do you use fresh lemongrass?

You also have options if you can’t find fresh lemongrass. I have found that a few of the large chain grocery stores carry tubes of lemongrass paste in their product sections and this can work wonderfully as well. Lemongrass itself either has to be chopped up very fine as you don’t want to chew big chunks of it, not easy to do, or you can chop it in larger pieces and sweep it off after the chicken is cooked.

What part of lemongrass do you eat?

When using fresh lemongrass for this recipe there’s only about 1/3 of the stalk that is used.  Use the bottom 7-8 cms after peeling off the entire stalk the dried out layers. Then chop finely or pound to a pulp in a pestle and mortar. Alternatively, if you want to save time and/or can’t get fresh lemongrass you can use lemongrass paste. I’ve done it both ways and it’s a great substitute for fresh lemongrass. I have to admit I generally don’t measure ingredients when making lemongrass chicken or Nước chấm as I’ve grown up with it and have made both countless times. You can easily adjust to your own tastes. Like it spicier add more chili, tangier add more lime juice etc.. Don’t be afraid of the not so secret ingredient of both the Nước chấm and the lemongrass chicken marinade and that’s fish sauce. Yes, fish sauce is commonly used in Vietnamese food and NO it does not make your food taste fishy when it’s used in either the marinade or Nước chấm.

Make sure to check out our other tasty recipes like the ones below!

Vietnamese Pho Ga Recipe (Chicken Pho) In The Slow Cooker

Pesto Chicken Pizza Recipe

Now let’s get onto this tasty lemongrass chicken noodle bowl recipe, shall we?

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Yield: 4

Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl Recipe

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Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl Recipe that is a twist on a Vietnamese dish. Simple to make, light, refreshing and the perfect lunch for on the go.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Meat and Marinade

• 4 chicken breasts or 6–8 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 tbsp lime juice
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1.5 stalks lemongrass using only the white part which is about 1/3 of the stalk.

Nước chấm

• 6 tbsp. water
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1.5 – 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 Garlic Clove (optional) finely chopped
• 1 Chili (optional)

Noodle Bowl

• 1 package of Vermicelli Noodles (250g)
• 2 carrots julienned
• 1 cucumber, sliced or julienned whichever you prefer
• Iceberg lettuce sliced – One head for 4 bowls
• Thai Basil – to taste
• Mint Leaves – to taste
• Cilantro/Coriander (optional)
• Sliced chili (for garnish – optional)
• Lime wedges (to serve – optional)
• ¼ cup of crushed peanuts (optional)
• *Feel free to add whatever fresh veggies you like

Instructions

1. Combine Meat and Marinade ingredients and set aside for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. (See Note 1 below)
2. Combine boiling water and sugar to melt sugar. The add the rest of the Nước chấm ingredients and mix well. Adjust to your taste (spiciness, lime juice etc..) and set aside. Can top with garlic and chili seeds
3. Soak the vermicelli noodles in hot water for 3 minutes (or according to package instructions), then drain and rinse under cold water. This prevents the noodles sticking to each other.
4. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat (or heat a grill). Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off large bits of lemongrass (small bits should fall off during cooking).
5. Place chicken in the pan and cook each side until light golden brown for chicken breasts or darker golden brown for chicken thighs.
6. Remove from pan, shaking off any remaining bits of visible lemongrass and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Slice into pieces.
7. Individual bowls: Place noodles in bowl. Then either top or lightly toss through the vegetables and herbs, and top with chicken pieces. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of Nước chấm, crushed peanuts (optional), fresh herbs of choice (I prefer Thai basil and mint but many like cilantro as well).

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1 bowl
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 542Total Fat: 12.2ggSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2.5ggCarbohydrates: 58.2ggFiber: 3.8ggSugar: 16ggProtein: 39gg

Please note that we can not guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information. They are a best guess calculation.

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I personally top my lemongrass chicken noodle bowl recipe with Thai basil, mint and crushed peanuts. However, my daughter does not love peanuts and she doesn’t like hers quite as spicy as I do but that’s okay. That’s the beauty of this noodle bowl recipe, everyone can add the veggies they like, more chilis, no chilis, more lime juice, more or less Nước chấm and you get the idea. Everyone always loves the lemongrass chicken, it’s not overpowering yet it’s so flavourful at the same time. The chicken is tender whether it’s the chicken breasts or chicken thighs. I like both but the chicken thighs are my favourite and are the more common way lemongrass chicken is made. You have the choice though!

If you’d love to try this recipe make sure to PIN it for later. Let us know how you like it!