Vietnamese Lemongrass Roast Chicken (Gà Nướng)
This post contains affiliate links which we are compensated for if a purchase is made. Using links costs you nothing and helps to support the ongoing creation of content. • Jump to Recipe
Vietnamese Lemongrass Roast Chicken (Gà Nướng)
Here is a Vietnamese chicken recipe that you can either grill for a charred smoky flavor on the weekend or quickly roast in the oven for a simple weeknight dinner.
Infused with the amazing flavor of Chinese five-spice powder and lemongrass, this simple chicken recipe goes well with steamed rice with a side of vegetables for a complete meal or in a classic Vietnamese sandwich (Bánh Mì).
Vietnamese Lemongrass Roast Chicken (Gà Nướng)
What You Will Need
Chicken — For this recipe, I’ll be using chicken thighs. Bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs provide the best flavor. You can also use skinless and boneless chicken thighs, which will cook up faster.
Chinese Five-Spice Powder — Chinese Five-spice powder is an Asian seasoning commonly used in Chinese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese cuisine. A five-spice blend varies by region and brand. The most common and traditional blend contains a mixture of ground star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds. Other varieties can contain ground ginger, annatto seeds, white pepper, cardamom, or galangal.
Lemongrass — Along with Chinese five-spice powder, lemongrass adds a wonderful floral aroma and flavor to the chicken. If you cannot find fresh lemongrass, you can use frozen pre-ground lemongrass. It is usually stored in the freezer section of Asian grocery stores.
If you opt to use fresh lemongrass, use only the bottom two-thirds of the lemongrass stalk where it is white and light green. Slice this part of the lemongrass into thin circles, then further chop it up into finer pieces.
Don’t discard the rest of the lemongrass stalk. Save them to flavor broth such as Vietnamese spicy beef noodle soup (Bún Bò Huế).
Seasonings and aromatics needed for Vietnamese Lemongrass Roast Chicken (Gà Nướng)
Garlic — Because who doesn’t love garlic?
Oyster Sauce, Regular/Light Soy Sauce and Fish Sauce — All three of these seasonings are used as the base of the marinade with oyster sauce being primary.
Shaoxing Cooking Wine — Sometimes spelled as Shaohsing, this is an essential ingredient to achieve that distinct aroma known in Asian cooking. It’s often sold with a large red label. If you don’t have Shaoxing wine, you can substitute with dry sherry or simply omit.
Honey and Sugar — Honey and sugar are needed for the balance of the three salty ingredients above.
Ground Black Pepper — Provides a tiny bit of kick.
How to Make It
Step 1: Make the marinade by combining all the seasonings and aromatics. Adjust to taste, if needed.
Step 2: Prepare bone-in chicken by using a pair of scissors or a knife to carefully cut the meat around the bone, allowing it to lay flatter. This step ensures faster and more even cooking. Marinate chicken with the mixture for one hour or overnight in the fridge for better results.
Butterfly bone-in chicken for faster and even cooking.
Marinating chicken for Vietnamese lemongrass roast chicken (gà nướng)
Step 3: Roast the chicken.
Place the marinated chicken, skin-side down if applicable, on a wire rack to bake in the oven. A wire rack is needed to keep the moisture away from the chicken, which caramelizes the chicken better. If you don’t have a wire or roasting rack, simply put it directly on a sheet pan lined with parchment or foil.
For boneless chicken thighs, bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 15 minutes. For bone-in chicken thighs, bake for 20 minutes per side. Baste with pan drippings on both sides and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until charred to your liking.
For that beautiful glossy finish, give it a final basting of that amazing pan drippings.
Grilling Instructions
For a smoky grilled flavor, you can also cook the chicken on a grill. Grill the chicken for 10 minutes per side. starting with skin-side down. For bone-in chicken, increase cooking time to 12 minutes per side.
Air Frying Instructions
If you use an air fryer, you will generally cook at a lower cooking temperature to prevent from charring too fast, and cook for a shorter period of time.
For this recipe, you will have to air fry in batches as it will not all fit. Add chicken in a single layer with skin-side down and air fry at 350°F for 10 minutes per side. For bone-in chicken, increase cooking time to 12 minutes per side.
Vietnamese Lemongrass Roast Chicken (Gà Nướng)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, sugar, cooking wine, five-spice powder, black pepper, garlic, and lemongrass in a bowl.
- For bone-in chicken, use scissors or knife to cut the meat around the bone so that it lay flat for faster and even cooking. Marinate chicken with the mixture for at least one hour or overnight in the fridge for best results.
- Line a roasting pan with foil to reduce clean up. Place a wire rack on top. Arrange chicken, skin-side down if applicable. For boneless chicken thighs, cook at 400°F for 15 minutes, then flip and cook for another 15 minutes. For bone-in chicken thighs, cook for 20 minutes per side. Baste with pan drippings on both sides at the time of flip for a beautiful and charred finish. See notes below for grilling and air frying instructions.
Notes
- Grilling instructions: Grill at 400°F for 10 minutes per side starting with skin-side down. For bone-in chicken, increase cooking time to 12 minutes per side.
- Air Frying instructions: Air fry in batches as it will not all fit. Add chicken in a single layer with skin-side down and air fry at 350°F for 10 minutes per side. For bone-in chicken, increase cooking time to 12 minutes per side.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
551Fat
38 gSat. Fat
10 gCarbs
13 gFiber
0 gNet carbs
12 gSugar
7 gProtein
38 gSodium
1107 mgCholesterol
222 mgThe values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.
