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    Lemongrass Chicken Thighs

    September 16, 2024

    Seasoned with some of the defining flavors of Vietnamese cuisine—heady, citrusy, lemongrass, tons of fresh ginger, and fish sauce—these succulent chicken thighs are a true treat.

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    lemongrass chicken thighs with scallion oil and Asian bbq sauce on a plate with a serving spoon

    A Fragrant, Easy Weeknight Treat: Lemongrass Chicken Thighs

    These juicy chicken thighs aren’t overly fussy, but without a doubt this is a chicken dinner that’s elegant enough to call company-ready. Our lemongrass chicken recipe is a little different from others—rather than a marinade, we’ve opted to coat the chicken thighs in a lemongrass-ginger paste. This ensures that all of the key flavors—garlic, ginger, lemongrass and a bit of honey—thoroughly cover each piece of chicken, but saves you the prep-ahead time that a marinade would demand, meaning that this lemongrass chicken recipe comes together quickly! Start to finish, the whole thing takes less than 30 minutes.

    lemongrass chicken ingredients garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, green onions, brown sugar
    Ginger, garlic clove, Lemongrass, honey, vegetable oil, kosher salt
    green onions, Ginger, minced, Garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, vegetable oil in a small bowl
    green onions, Ginger, minced, Garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, vegetable oil mixed together in a small bowl

    Lemongrass Chicken: All About The Sauces

    Yep, that’s sauces, plural! In addition to the lemongrass paste that coats the chicken thighs before cooking, we serve this generously seasoned chicken dinner with not one, but two sauces drizzled over the top. Before you worry that making a paste AND two sauces is kind of a lot of work for a weeknight dinner, let us assure you that there’s a trick at play here—the trick is that the lemongrass paste, the brown sugar-sriracha sauce and the scallion oil all utilize a lot of overlapping ingredients. To make both the scallion oil and the sriracha-brown sugar sauce, here’s what you’ll need:

    • Brown sugar
    • Tamari, or soy sauce
    • Rice vinegar
    • Sriracha
    • Sesame oil
    • Ginger
    • Garlic
    • Scallions
    • Fish sauce
    • Vegetable oil
    chicken thighs in a mixing bowl with a lemongrass marinade
    brown sugar Asian bbq sauce with Sriracha, garlic, ginger and soy sauce
    brown sugar Asian bbq sauce with Sriracha, garlic, ginger and soy sauce mixed together in a sauce pan
    cooked lemongrass chicken in a pan

    How To Make Lemongrass Chicken Thighs

    All you’ll need to make this delicious lemongrass chicken recipe is about 30 minutes, and a few basic kitchen tools. It’s really as easy as:

    1. Make lemongrass paste.
    2. Coat the chicken thighs with that paste.
    3. Fry the chicken thighs! Do it in two batches, so that the pan stays nice and hot, and so that the thighs aren’t crowded in the pan—they’ll cook more evenly if you don’t crowd the pan.
    4. While the chicken cooks, you’ll have about 15 minutes of down time per batch of thighs. That’s perfect for mixing up the two delicious sauces that will dress the finished thighs. In one bowl, whisk together the scallion oil and set it aside. Next, make the sriracha-brown sugar sauce on the stove top.
    5. Put it all together! Top the cooked thighs with the two sauces and dig in!
    lemongrass chicken thighs with scallion oil and a sriracha-brown sugar sauce on a plate
    lemongrass chicken thighs with scallion oil and a sriracha-brown sugar sauce on a plate with a spoon

    What To Serve With Lemongrass Chicken

    Lemongrass chicken thighs are so deeply flavorful, they don’t need much help—simple sides are the way to go! We love to serve lemongrass chicken with:

    Tools You’ll Need:

    lemongrass chicken thighs with scallion oil and a sriracha-brown sugar sauce on a plate with a spoon


    Chicken For One Or Chicken For A Crowd?

    Whether you’re making this recipe just for yourself, and planning to enjoy the best ever leftovers for a few days, or frying these thighs up for a crowd, we’d love to hear how you liked the chicken! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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    Lemongrass Chicken Thighs

    Updated on September 16, 2024

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  40 min
    • Cook Time:  30 min
    • Calories:  389
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    Ingredients

    • 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
    • 2 tablespoon Ginger, roughly chopped
    • 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
    • 1 (5-inch) piece Lemongrass
    • 2 tablespoon honey
    • ¼ cup neutral oil, like vegetable oil
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

    Sriracha-Brown Sugar Sauce

    • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
    • ¼ cup tamari, or soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon Sriracha
    • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
    • 1 teaspoon Ginger, minced
    • 1 tablespoon Garlic, minced

    Scallion Oil

    • 1 bunch scallions, chopped
    • 2 teaspoons Ginger, minced
    • 2 teaspoons Garlic, minced
    • 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
    • 2 tablespoons neutral oil, like vegetable oil

    Method

    1. In a small food processor, blend all the ingredients for the lemongrass paste: 2 tablespoons Ginger, roughly chopped
      6-8 garlic cloves, lemongrass, honey, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
    2. In a large bowl toss the chicken thighs with the lemongrass paste until they’re well-coated.
    3. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet set on medium heat. Cook the chicken in two batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Place half the chicken thighs in the hot skillet and leave undisturbed for five minutes. Then, flip the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about eight more minutes. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs. Check for doneness with an instant read thermometer, they are ready when the internet temperature reaches 165°F.
    4. While the chicken is cooking, combine all of the ingredients for the sriracha-brown sugar sauce in a sauce pan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the sauce thickens slightly—about ten minutes—then remove it from the heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
    5. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the scallion oil.
    6. Serve the chicken drizzled with sriracha-brown sugar sauce and scallion oil.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 389
    • Protein 40 g
    • Carbohydrates 20 g
    • Total Fat 22 g
    • Dietary Fiber 1 g
    • Cholesterol 0 mg
    • sodium 857 mg
    • Total Sugars 17 g

    Lemongrass Chicken Thighs

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Laurie

      Could I use chicken breasts instead of thighs. Should I pound them to make them thinner?
      Thank you

      Absolutely you can. If you want to pound the breasts so they cook faster then feel free. Hope you enjoy Laurie!

    • Amanda

      Can these be cooked on BBQ? And can I make the sriracha sauce ahead of time the day before?

      That will all be fine! Hope you enjoy!

    • Stefan

      do you just chuck the whole, long piece of lemograss in the food processor?

      Yep! Hope you enjoy Stefan!

    • Goon

      I followed directions perfectly, or so I thought…but after turning the chicken after 5 minutes, the lemongrass/ginger/garlic crust was burned. I cooked in oil over medium low heat too. What did I do wrong?

      Hard to say exactly. I can edit the recipe to say "about 5 minutes". It all depends on the stovetop method, gas and electric can vary in "medium heat" and also the pan you use. I'm so sorry it got burnt.

    • Jenn

      Wondering how many people this feeds? I want to serve it for a family dinner.

      Serves 6. Hope you enjoy jenn!

    • Dani

      This is a “marry me” meal! The flavors are incredible. Absolutely delicious!! Thank you!

      Thanks Dani, glad you enjoyed it!

    • Kathy

      Love Love Love this dish. I've made it several times and it's always a hit. I prefer to bake the chicken thighs in the oven. I slice the chicken and add both sauces before serving so they are equally distributed. Great for company or anytime you want a fabulous meal.

      Thanks Kathy, so happy you love this one and keep coming back to it!

    • Colleen

      Outstanding flavor. Absolutely loved the layers and complexity. This is the 3rd time I have made it. The prep time is WAY off thought. It takes me (an experienced and efficient home chef) well over 60 minutes to make the 3 separate sauces and trim the chicken. Will make again, but it needs to be a weekend dish for us.

      Thanks Colleen, we are so happy you loved it! I will be sure to edit the times!

    • thien

      One of my favorite recipes I’ve made several times! A lot like a Vietnamese dish

      Thanks Thien, we are so happy you love it!

    • bettafrmdaVille

      This is so delicious we made it twice in two weeks. The second time we added a bit more lemongrass and marinaded the chicken in lemongrass paste for a while. It is SO delicious. Another winner from The Modern Proper.

      Thank you, we are so happy you love it!