Lemongrass Chicken Vermicelli

A fresh salad with herbs, vegetables, and rice noodles topped with juicy chicken flavored with lemongrass and other southeast Asian flavors.

I make vermicelli often for dinner.  It's a simple, fresh, and filling salad with bean sprouts, lettuce, rice noodles, carrots, mint, basil, cilantro, green onions (as many vegetables and herbs as you like), and some type of protein.  My usual favorite is Char Siu (BBQ pork) Vermicelli because I almost always have store bought Char Siu in the freezer which makes this salad super simple.  I've also used all types of meats/protein like leftover steak, chicken, tofu, shrimp, and I even used fish sticks once.  I love this salad because it makes a delicious, healthy, versatile, and simple meal.  With just a little prep work, this salad is ready to throw together in minutes.

This salad makes a deliciously healthy, versatile and simple meal [Tweet this]

When I made this version of vermicelli I wanted to try something new and thought of lemongrass chicken.  Lemon grass is easy to find in Chinatown and many grocery stores it's also easy to grow.  It's a grass that smells wonderfully of lemon.  What you usually find are just the stems.  When using it for cooking I just use the bottom thickest white part of the stalk and mince it.  There are instructions on how to prepare lemongrass in my How to Make Lemongrass Green Tea as well as instruction on many sites (just google it).

Lemongrass is a grass that smells wonderfully of lemon [Tweet this]

I used skin-on chicken breasts, marinated in a salty, sweet, and sour sauce flavored predominately with lemongrass.  The lemongrass added a lovely subtle lemony flavor to the chicken that you can't get from an actual lemon.  It's difficult to describe, but it was delicious.  The only criticism I have is that the marinade did not permeate the entire chicken breast.  It mostly stayed on the skin and outside flesh.  Maybe with a longer marinating time or I wonder if I could try poking holes in the chicken for some sauce to seep into.  No matter, it smelled great while cooking and it tasted great too.  This chicken made a great vermicelli and it was delicious to eat on its own too.

The chicken's great alone too [Tweet this]

Lemongrass Chicken Vermicelli

Lemongrass Chicken

Ingredients:

Marinade

2 Tbsp lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp minced lemongrass
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 chicken breasts (technically it's only one whole chicken breast but split down the breast bone)

Pound the garlic and lemongrass in a mortar and pestle (or with the flat of a knife) until oils are released and they are fragrant.

Mix the lemongrass, garlic, and other marinade ingredients together and pour over chicken in a sealable bag.  Refrigerate and let marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight might be better.

Preheat oven to 350F

Place the chicken on a rimmed baking dish and pour the rest of the marinade over.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165.

Allow the chicken to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.  Serve immediately or it even tastes great cold out of the fridge.

Ingredients continued:

Bean Sprouts
Lettuce
Mint
Thai basil
Cilantro
Vermicelli rice noodles, cooked
Carrots, julienned or shredded
Green onion
Jalapenos, sliced
Lemongrass Chicken
Nuoc cham

Place all the vegetables, herbs, noodles, and chicken in a big salad bowl (use as much of each as you like).  Then pour the nuoc cham over everything (I usually use a few tablespoons but use as much as you like).

Makes about 4-6 servings.

Enjoy.

For the recipes mentioned in this post and more vermicelli and lemongrass recipes check out:

Char Siu Vermicelli

Vermicelli Salad   --

Lemongrass Green Tea

Lemongrass Chicken Stir Fry

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Char Siu (Barbecue Pork) Vermicelli

A salad of crisp vegetables and lettuce with noodles and pork all brought together with a sweet, salty, spicy, and sour sauce.

Vermicelli is one of my go to quick meals.  I've written about it before in my Vermicelli Salad where I used slices of left over Prime Rib.  You can use just about any leftover meat, or even tofu, you have and like but Char Siu is my absolute favorite.  We have found a great brand of Char Siu at  CostCo and it comes in a big package that we split into 3 or 4 smaller packs and keep in the freezer.  I just pop one of these packs into the refrigerator the night before then slice it when thawed and we have enough for about 4 servings of vermicelli.

For the noodles I always try to keep some thin bean thread or rice noodles in the pantry.  These cook in no time.  I usually just put them in a big bowl, pour boiling water over them and let them sit for about 10 minutes.  Once the noodles have softened I drain and rinse them in cold water.  Leftover noodles are fine refrigerated for a day or two in a sealed container.

The vegetables are very simple.  Just wash them and cut them however you like.  I use sprouts, lettuce, carrots, sometimes cucumbers, and jalapenos (for my husband).  Then you have your herbs.  You can use them or not depending on your own personal tastes but I think they add a little something to the dish.  Thai basil is my favorite and what I usually use, but mint, cilantro, and green onions are also good options and/or additions.

Most important is the sauce Nuoc Cham.  It is a great combination of flavors salty, sweet, sour and spicy and it helps add flavor to the noodles and keeps them from sticking together.  I love this stuff and am so happy I now know how to make it.  I like to add my julienned carrots to the sauce and let them soak in it for even more deliciousness.  Making the Nuoc Cham is probably the most time consuming part of this meal but it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare.  Nuoc Cham can be made the night before and refrigerated until ready to use.  It tastes even better the longer it sits.  I've kept it refrigerated for about a week before (I don't know how long it actually lasts because we use it up rather quickly).

Char Siu Vermicelli

Ingredients:

Char Siu (barbecue pork), sliced
Lettuce, torn
Sprouts
Thin rice noodles (or bean thread noodles), cooked and rinsed
Carrots, julienned
Thai basil
Nuoc Cham
Cucumbers, sliced (optional)
Jalapenos, sliced (optional)
Green onions, sliced (optional)
Mint leaves (optional)
Cilantro (optional)

It's real simple just sit every thing out and let each person make their own salad.

I like to put sprouts and lettuce in first.  Then, noodles, pork (cold is fine but you can heat it if you prefer), carrots (and other veggies), and herbs.  Lastly I pour a few tablespoons of Nuoc Cham over everything.

The hardest part for me is getting everything to fit in the bowl.  I've been looking for some really big serving bowls but haven't been able to find any yet that I like.

Enjoy.

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Vermicelli Salad

This fresh salad uses leftover prime rib, rice noodles, and crisp lettuce and sprouts.  A great light and nutritious dinner.

 

About 5 years ago, when I lived in Houston, TX, I lived right next door to a great Vietnamese restaurant.  At least weekly (or maybe more often) my husband and I would have lunch there.  Almost every time I ordered the char siu (or barbeque pork) vermicelli.  It was a delicious rice noodle salad with lettuce, sprouts and carrots topped with char siu and an amazing fish sauce based sauce to pour over it.  Since leaving Houston I have tried desperately to remake this at home.  While my recipe may not be the same, it is very satisfying.

One part I have not mastered is making the barbeque pork.  I have a few recipes I want to try but usually I buy char siu ready made from Chinatown.  This time I topped my salad with leftover prime rib.  Any meat or tofu is good.

I get all of the ingredients ready and in individual containers so when ready to eat everyone can make their own salad.  This could be fun for a dinner party just set everything up as a salad bar and let friends just walk through and make their own salad just the way they like it.  You could even have different types of meat or meatless options.  Here is what I use.

Vermicelli Salad

Ingredients:

Meat (leftover prime rib), sliced
Lettuce, any type you prefer
Sprouts
Rice noodles, cooked
Nuoc Cham
Mint leaves, torn
Thai basil leaves, torn

In a bowl, (the wider and deeper the better) add a handful of lettuce and a handful of sprouts.  Next, top this with the cooked rice noodles (for most noodles boil enough water to cover, then add the noodles and turn off the heat.  Let the noodles sit for 10 minutes in the hot water until soft.  Then, drain and rinse with cold water) I use a handful.  Last, add the meat, pour on about 2 Tbsp of the Nuoc Cham, make sure to add plenty of carrots (the carrots absorb the flavors of the sauce and taste so good.  My favorite part) and sprinkle on some mint and basil.  Stir to mix everything together and eat.

 An important component that makes the vermicelli so good is the sauce.  I have tried all kinds of recipes and the closest I have found so far is Nuoc Cham from finecooking.com  (I made a few tweaks of my own).  It has a good balance of salty, sweet, spicy and sour.

Nuoc Cham:

1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 limes (2 Tbsp lime juice)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fish sauce (you can substitute soy sauce or Braggs liquid aminos for vegan/vegetarian option)
2-3 bird chilies, sliced small
1 tsp sriracha (a chili and garlic sauce)
1 carrot, julienned (about 1 cup)

Heat the water in the microwave for about 1 minute and add the brown sugar.  Stir until the sugar dissolves.  Then, squeeze in the juice from 2 limes (you could also just use bottled lime juice although, I think fresh tastes better).  Next, add the minced garlic, fish sauce, chilies, and sriracha (you could just use the srircha and use more or less based on your own preference, but I find it missing with out the separate garlic and chilies too.  I did not have any chillies so I just used more sriracha this time).  Finally stir in the carrots (you can also use cilantro or green onions and these lend their own flavors, but carrots are my favorite.  I actually bought a food processor just to julienne carrots. It makes the process much easier and I use them for a lot of recipes.  I use the processor for many other things, but this was the main justification for the purchase).  The sauce is best if made ahead of time and allowed to sit for a few hours or even overnight.



This is just a basic guideline.  You can use any meat you want or no meat at all.  You can use any vegetable you like sometimes I add cucumbers, dikon and even some crushed peanuts for crunch.  The variations are endless and it is a quick meal to prepare.

Enjoy.

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