Vietnamese Five Spice Grilled Chicken Recipe

Name: Vietnamese Five Spice Grilled Chicken Recipe
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 tsp Five spice powder; 1 tbsp Fish sauce; 1 tsp Soy Sauce; 1 tsp Honey; 2 cloves Garlic; 1 stalk Lemongrass; 6 oz Boneless skinless chicken thigh; 1 serving Brown Rice ((1/4 cup uncooked)); Salt and Pepper; Cilantro and red pepper flakes ((For garnish))

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Vietnamese grilled five-spice chicken is a simple yet delicious grilled chicken, marinated in delicious spices and fragrant lemongrass.

It’s super versatile and can be great paired with a side of rice or on its own. It’s a great way to dress up your average cut of chicken in your meal prep.

This is a great option to prep in advance and grill to serve with some rice bowls throughout the week.

Jump to:

💭 What is Vietnamese Grilled Five Spice Chicken?
🍎 Calories and Nutrition – How to Make It Healthy
📋 Ingredient Notes
🔪 Step by Step Instructions
🍽 What To Eat It With
🍳Ways To Cook
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
📖 Substitutions and Variations
🥡 Storage
🍳 Recipe
Ways to cook
FAQs

💭 What is Vietnamese Grilled Five Spice Chicken?

Vietnamese grilled five-spice chicken is a cut of chicken marinated in five spice, fish sauce, and fresh lemongrass, giving it a deliciously tangy, citrus, and sweet flavor. It is a staple in Vietnamese food and can be found served with a side of nuoc cham dipping sauce and a side of rice, or in bahn mis (Vietnamese sandwiches). It's super versatile, delicious, and a great option for lean protein that packs a delicious flavor. This is my go-to order at Vietnamese restaurants when I want an additional boost of protein.

If you like five spice chicken or Vietnamese food, check out the following:

🍎 Calories and Nutrition – How to Make It Healthy

A serving of Vietnamese five-spice chicken, with a serving of rice, is only 392 calories with 39 grams of protein, 16 grams of fat, and 42 grams of carbs. Given the high protein content from the chicken, low-calorie content from the seasonings, and a portioned side of carbs, this is a very healthy dish that is well-balanced with macronutrients.

For a detailed breakdown of each ingredient, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of this grilled chicken recipe, you may refer to the table below:

Ingredient	Quantity	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Carbs (g)
5 Spice Chicken Rice
Chicken Thigh	6 oz	195	33	15	0
Garlic	1 clove	4.5	0.2	0	1
Honey	0.5 tbsp	30	0	0	8.5
Soy Sauce	0.5 tbsp	5	0.5	0.5	0
Fish Sauce	0.5 tbsp	7.5	2	0	0
Brown Rice	0.25 Cup	150	3	0	33
Total		392	38.7	15.5	42.5

📋 Ingredient Notes

ingredients for the chicken and marinade

To make the Vietnamese five-spice grilled chicken, you’ll need the following key ingredients.

Marinade Ingredients

Five Spice – Give the dish its distinct rich and flavorful spice flavor
Fish Sauce – Gives the sauce a very umami and tangy funk with savory flavors
Soy Sauce – Adds to the saltiness of the dish
Brown Sugar – Balanced out the saltiness of the dish and gives it a delicious umami flavor. Traditionally, palm sugar is used, but I used brown sugar given it is harder to find. You can also use granulated sugar.
Garlic – A popular aromatic that gives the chicken a delicious garlic flavor
Lemongrass – A fragrant herb that gives the chicken a hint of citrus and freshness. You can get these at most Asian markets, or your local grocery store if you're lucky. You can also substitute with a tube of lemongrass paste, although the flavor won't be quite the same.

Chicken and Rice

Boneless chicken thighs – I opted for boneless skinless chicken thighs since it has enough fat for the flavor but not too much so that it would make the dish unhealthy.
Rice – I used Jasmine rice. Brown rice also would work well.
Salt and Black Pepper – Additional seasoning for the chicken
Garnishes – Garnishing the dish with some fresh herbs gives it a great freshness. I garnished it with cilantro. You can also add some lime juice and red pepper flakes.

🔪 Step by Step Instructions

Prepare the marinade – Mince the garlic and lemongrass. In a large bowl, mix together with give spice, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar.

Marinade the chicken – Trim the excess fat off the chicken. Mix in the marinade thoroughly and let marinade for at least an hour, or overnight for best results.

Cook the chicken – Heat a cast iron on the stove to about medium-high heat. Spray the cooking oil on the pan and add the marinated chicken thighs into the pan in a single layer for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until there is a tender white core on the chicken. Pour the reserved marinade over the chicken while it is cooking to baste it.

Garnish and serve – Serve the chicken with a side of rice and garnish with some fresh herbs and chili flakes. Serve and enjoy your Vietnamese chicken!

🍽 What To Eat It With

In this Vietnamese grilled chicken recipe, I paired the chicken with a side of white rice. This is a super versatile dish that can be paired with several other options including the following:

Garlic noodles
Rice Noodles or rice vermicelli, to make a Bun Cha (Rice noodle Bowl)
In a baguette to make a Vietnamese banh mi (sandwich)
Serve with a side of fresh vegetables

🍳Ways To Cook

I like to cook it in the cast iron to give it a delicious smokey flavor without having to fire up the grill. You can also use these alternatives.

Cook on a grill – Grill the chicken at 165F for around 8-10 minutes.

Cook stovetop with a cast iron – Cast iron is my favorite stove-top grill pan that allows me to achieve that smokey flavor without having to fire up a grill outside.

Cook in an air fryer – Follow the instructions for my air fryer lemongrass chicken for cooking directions.

Oven bake – Add the marinated chicken to a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160F. You can use a meat thermometer to gauge the temperature.

💭 Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prepare the lemongrass?

To prepare lemongrass, start by peeling it back a few layers to reach the white fleshy part. Then, cut the lemongrass into thin slices starting from the white, fleshy bottom until you reach the green woody part.
For more information about how to cook with lemongrass, check out this article from The Spruce Eats on How to Prepare Lemongrass.

What brand of fish sauce should I use?

I love the Three Crabs Brand fish sauce. For more information about the different fish sauce brands, check out this article about the Top Ranked Fish Sauce brands.

How do I make this in advance?

Prepare the chicken and marinade and put them in the Ziploc bag. Take it out to cook within 2 days and serve it your way.

📖 Substitutions and Variations

Swap soy sauce for oyster sauce – It has a thicker and sweeter consistency.

Replace the sugar with honey – Be sure to portion the honey mindfully

Whole Chicken breast or boneless chicken breasts instead of chicken thigh would also work well here.

Chicken skewers – Add these on some skewers for a great easy-to-eat snack.

Switch up the herbs – Garnish with Thai basil or spring onions

🥡 Storage

You can marinate the chicken in the fridge for up to 2 days. After cooking, it can last for about 3 days in an airtight container.

Alternatively, you can also store the raw marinated chicken in the freezer for up to 3 months.

🍳 Recipe