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There’s a lot going on with this Lemongrass Chicken, and I mean that in the best way. It’s bold, spicy, a little smoky, and totally fragrant from the first chop of lemongrass to the last bite. The marinade clings to the chicken, forming a crust that crisps in the oven and traps all that flavor inside.
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I love this dish because it delivers such a powerful mix of flavors, but it’s really easy to make. Citrusy fresh lemongrass, aromatic curry leaves, and warm spices like turmeric and coriander all work together to bring serious personality to what’s really just a very simple baked chicken dish. There’s no fancy technique, no searing, no standing over the stove—just a solid marinade and some oven time.
Plus, it makes my kitchen smell like a spice shop—pungent in the best way, and comforting too. I love to make this on a weeknight chicken and serve it over rice with a simple salad. If you want it low carb, slice it and toss it with greens or slaw.
You can easily adjust the heat by playing around with the amount of dried chili. I like it hot, but if you’re cooking for someone who doesn’t, it’s easy to dial it down without losing the flavor.
Ingredient Notes
Most of the ingredients you need to make these lemongrass chicken thighs are easy to find in most grocery stores, but for the lemongrass and curry leaves, you might want to swing by an Asian market or order online.
- Chicken: For the chicken, I use bone-in, skin-on thighs becasue they stay nice and juicy and develop a nice crust. You can substitute drumsticks or wings if you like. I prefer not to use chicken breasts here because they can get dry when they’re baked and they don’t tend to soak up as much of the flavor of the marinade.
- Fresh shallots, ginger, and garlic: Using fresh aromatics is key to creating the vibrant flavor of this chicken. If you don’t have shallots, you can substitute red or yellow onion.
- Lemongrass: Lemongrass is the star flavor here, so you definitely want to use fresh. It brings citrusy brightness that cuts through the richness.
- Curry leaves: If you’ve never used curry leaves before, you’re going to love the earthy, citrus-y flavor they add. You can usually find them at Indian or other South Asian grocery stores. You can even buy dried or fresh curry leaves online.
How to Make Lemongrass Chicken
This marinade is bold and flavorful, and once the chicken hits the oven, your work is basically done. Here’s how:
- Poke the chicken thighs with a fork to help the marinade soak in.
- In a food processor or blender, combine the shallot, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and water until they form a rough paste. Add the cornstarch, chili powder, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, fennel powder, salt, sugar, and chile and pulse to mix into the paste.
- In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the blended mixture.
- Add the curry leaves and mix again to coat thoroughly.
- Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Overnight is even better.
- Arrange the chicken on a lined baking sheet and spray lightly with oil.
- Bake, flipping once, until golden, crispy, and cooked through.
Expert Tips for Success
This dish isn’t hard to make, but a few small tricks can really help it turn out great.
- Marinate overnight if you can—the flavor payoff is worth it.
- Use a food processor or high-speed blender to make the marinade—you need the extra power to process all ingredients well.
- Don’t skip the light spray of oil before baking. It helps form that crisp edge that seals in the flavor.
- Want extra heat? Add chili flakes or a spoonful of chili paste to the marinade.
What to Serve With It
I usually serve this lemongrass chicken with plain steamed jasmine rice. The chicken has so much flavor that it needs something mellow to balance it out. A fresh cucumber salad, like this Japanese Cucumber Salad, works great on the side, too. If you want to turn it into a wrap, slice the chicken and roll it up in lettuce leaves or Naan with a bit of rice and some quick pickles. You could also serve it over Coconut Rice. The leftovers can stand in for pork belly in these Banh Mi or be used as the meat for Chicken Kathi Rolls.
Lemongrass Chicken
Robin Donovan
Ingredients
- 1 shallot medium
- 2-inch piece ginger peeled and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 5 lemongrass stalks (bottom parts only, cut into 2-inch pieces)
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons fennel powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri chili dried
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh bone-in, skin-on, (about 8)
- 6 curry leaves, optional fresh
- oil spray for baking
Instructions
- Place shallot, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and water in a blender or food processor. Blend into a rough paste. Add the cornstarch, chili powder, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, fennel, salt, sugar, and chile and process to combine well.
- Use a fork to lightly poke holes in the chicken thighs. This helps the marinade absorb better.
- In a large bowl, toss the chicken thighs with the spice paste until the thighs are all evenly coated. Add the curry leaves to the bowl, if using.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or as long as overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the chicken in a single layer and spray lightly with oil. Bake for 8 minutes, flip, then bake another 4 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken drumsticks or wings if preferred.
- No food processor or blender? Finely chop the aromatics by hand and mix well.
- If you can’t find it fresh, use a lemongrass paste. I like the one from Gourmet Garden.
- Adjust heat level by using fewer chilies or removing the seeds.
I made this and it was amazing. Everyone loves it! The chicken was juicy and flavorful. Thank you