Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken with Vermicelli Noodle Salad

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

If I could only eat one dish throughout the summer, it would have to be my mother’s Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken with Vermicelli Noodle Salad.

Growing up in Queensland, Australia, where the weather is pretty much warm and sunny all year round, salads featured prominently on the dinner menu in our home. And noodle salads in particular were popular because, as a child, the only thing you could count on me eating was noodles.

If you put a bowl of chicken noodle soup or stir-fried noodles in front of me, I was a happy camper. You would not have had much luck with anything involving rice.

What is a Vermicelli Noodle Salad?

A vermicelli noodle salad is a classic dish in any Vietnamese home or restaurant. It is typically served as a noodle bowl, i.e., it is eaten in a big bowl mixed with salads and herbs, and dressed with a nuoc cham or Vietnamese dipping sauce.

For this dish, it is important that you use rice vermicelli noodles, which are the thin and round variety. Rice vermicelli noodles come in a variety of thickness, and you can use whichever size you like. I usually use either the thin or medium thickness vermicelli noodles for this recipe.

Vietnamese Salads

The salad component is also, of course, changeable depending on what you like and what is available near you. A Vietnamese salad is likely to include the following:

• green salad leaves
• shredded or pickled carrots
• pickled daikon
• sliced cucumbers
• bean sprouts
• crushed, roasted peanuts

Vietnamese salads are typically big on fresh flavours and textures, so you will often find a good number of herbs, including:

• coriander (cilantro)
• mint
• perilla
• Thai basil

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce – Nuoc Cham

What is essential to this dish is the Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham) which is used here to dress and season the noodles.

Most Vietnamese families will have a large bottle of nuoc cham in the fridge for use in a wide range of dishes, with the added bonus of it keeping well for several weeks. My son loves it so much that he practically drinks it!

How to Make Vermicelli Noodle Salads

This is one of those dishes which should be assembled at the last minute. I usually serve a Vietnamese vermicelli noodle salad as follows:

• The salad and herbs should be washed and spun dry, and placed in a colander or large salad bowl.
• I cook the vermicelli noodles ahead of time (about 1 hour) so that it has had time to dry before eating. It will start to stick after some time, but you can separate them again with some tongs or chopsticks. Avoid placing the noodles in the fridge as this will harden the noodles.
• The chicken should be grilled at the last minute so that it can be served hot. I like to slice and serve the chicken on a large wooden board, but you can also serve the chicken on a large platter.
• I place a big bowl of the Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham) on the table with a small ladle so that people can help themselves when pouring some sauce over their noodles.
• I also place small bowls for the Vietnamese dipping sauce as some people (including myself) like to the chicken into the sauce for extra flavour.
• I also serve finely chopped chillies or some Pickled Chillies for those who want their food spicy. This can be added directly to the noodles and/or the dipping sauce.
• To assemble, place some salad leaves on the bottom of the plate, top with a handful of noodles, add some meatballs, garnish with herbs, and drizzle over some Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham). Use your chopsticks to bring everything together.

Make-Ahead Tips

Something I love about making Vietnamese lemongrass chicken is that you can easily double or triple the recipe if you are entertaining.

The lemongrass chicken can (and should) be marinated the night before, the Vietnamese dipping sauce can be made well in advance, and the noodles and salad can be prepped at the last minute so they remain as fresh as possible.

For many years, I used to slice the chicken into strips before marinating, but I now find it easier to just marinate and cook the chicken breasts whole, and to slice them thickly before serving. The meat remains more juicy and succulent this way, plus it is easier to cook.

Make it with Beef or Prawns

I love this recipe with chicken, but it can also often served with beef. Simply use rump steak or a similar good-quality cut (I like entrecôte) in place of the chicken in the recipe below.

Grilled prawns (shrimps) are also delicious with this vermicelli noodle salad.

Make it Vegetarian

I have also made a vegetarian version of this dish for friends by simply grilling thickly-sliced firm tofu. You will need to brush the tofu with some oil before grilling.

A marinade for the tofu is usually not necessary because the Vietnamese Dipping Sauce adds a lot of flavour. But I sometimes marinate the tofu in a mix of soy sauce, Sriracha and honey, or you could even use a pre-marinated tofu from the supermarket.

Make it Child-Friendly

I often make a few changes to make this dish so that it is child-friendly.

Unless the children are old enough to have the dexterity to twirl the noodles onto their forks (mine still like to decorate the floor with the sticky noodles), steamed rice goes equally well with this lemongrass chicken, and the salad can be served Western-style in a large bowl with the nuoc cham dipping sauce used as a salad dressing.

Update

This recipe was first published on 17 May 2017. It has been updated with new photos and more comprehensive recipe notes.