Lemongrass Chicken

Greetings LIFEers! We were joined this week again by Librarian Jill Vu and Library Staffer Huyen Doan. We have enjoyed their classes before as they taught us how to cook Vietnamese chicken soup and other dishes. Today they taught us how to make Lemongrass chicken. Check out the two recipies below, and enjoy this delicious dish!


Ga Xao Xa Ot - Chicken with Lemon Grass (RECIPE #1)
Ingredients:
500 g chicken thigh/breast fillets, cut into bite size pieces
3 tbsp fish sauce
1.5 tbsp sugar
2 lemon grass stalks, white part only, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 long red fresh chilli, finely diced
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
1 cup young coconut juice or chicken broth (optional)
Coriander/cilantro for garnish
Preparation: In a mixing bowl combine fish sauce, sugar and mix until sugar has dissolved. Add half of the lemon grass, half of the garlic, half of the chilli and all of the chicken. Coat the chicken then marinate it covered and refrigerated for 1 hour or over night for a better result. Bring a large saucepan or wok to medium heat, add oil and remaining lemon grass, garlic, chilli, and fry until fragrant and slightly brown. Turn heat to high then add the chicken sealing all sides until browned, around 2 minutes on each side. Now add coconut juice, onions and cover with a lid, then cook on medium heat for a 5 minutes or until sauce has reduced by half. Transfer to a bowl, garnish with coriander and eat with jasmine rice.

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LEMONGRASS CHICKEN (RECIPE #2)
Ingredients:
1 tbs peanut/olive/vegetable oil
600g single chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
1 long fresh red chilli, thinly sliced diagonally
2 stems lemon grass, pale section only, finely chopped
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs brown sugar
3 shallots, ends trimmed, thinly sliced diagonally
55g (1/3 cup) roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Steamed rice, to serve
Preparation: Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until just smoking. Add one-third of the chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a large plate. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with the remaining chicken, reheating the wok between batches. Add the chilli and lemon grass to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the chicken, fish sauce, sugar and half the shallot to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute or until the chicken is heated through. Divide the chicken mixture among serving plates. Scatter the peanuts and remaining shallot over the chicken. Serve with steamed rice.