Disclosure: This post is sponsored by FoodSaver®. Thank you for supporting the brands I love, as they help me keep my blog running. The opinions in the post are entirely my own.
Easy Lemongrass Chicken Recipe
Learn to make an incredibly juicy and flavourful Vietnamese-style lemongrass chicken that is easy to prepare and cooks quickly in the oven. The chicken is marinated with aromatic ingredients including lemongrass and garlic, as well as umami-packed soy sauce and fish sauce. With the help of the FoodSaver®, I was able to concentrate the flavours by vacuum sealing the marinated chicken, resulting in an extremely scrumptious dish.
The colder months are all about batch cooking and the FoodSaver® is perfect – it keeps food fresh up to five times longer compared to other storage methods. For this dish, I can vacuum seal the marinated chicken, raw or cooked, and defrost it when I’m ready. More details to come about the Food Preservation System with a video below on how the FoodSaver® works! You need to see it in action!
I have been making the lemongrass chicken recipe for my family for many years and it also adapts well to the grill. I am confident you will love this dish as it has been tried, tested and true, and tastes amazing!
Why you need a FoodSaver®!
What is it?
FoodSaver® is the number one vacuum sealing brand, and I can understand why. The FoodSaver® Multi-Use Food Preservation System keeps food fresh longer by vacuum sealing the air out and sealing flavour in – this is an essential tool to have in the kitchen.
With the air vacuumed out, food stays fresher longer than other storage methods and prevents freezer burn. Store fish using the FoodSaver® system and you can keep it up to two years in the freezer versus three to six months using ordinary food storage. Cheese that uses the FoodSaver® system keeps up to six months in the fridge versus only one to two weeks using zipper bags, foil, or plastic wrap.
Benefits of using the FoodSaver®!
The FoodSaver® Multi-Use Food Preservation System makes our busy lives easier by saving on FOOD, MONEY, and TIME! With food staying fresher much longer using this system, we can all feel good about not wasting food. We save money by buying in bulk, buying items on sale, and preventing waste.
Entertaining is also easier as food can marinate in minutes instead of hours. This is also perfect for meal planning and make-ahead batch cooking! With the colder weather, many of us are staying indoors much longer and having the FoodSaver® will minimize grocery shopping trips!
I also find it therapeutic to watch food items get vacuumed sealed! I had a ton of fun vacuum sealing various items to keep in the fridge and freezer.
See the FoodSaver® in action!
Check out my YouTube video to see the sleek FoodSaver® Multi-Use Food Preservation System where I showcase the functions including the dry and moist settings and the handheld sealer. Seeing it in action is the best way to understand how it works.
Please note that for some browsers, my video does not show up. Please head to my FoodSaver® video link here.
As for the bags, this model comes with one 11″ x 8′ vacuum seal roll, two-quart vacuum seal bags, two-gallon vacuum seal bags, two-quart vacuum zipper bags and two-gallon vacuum zipper bags.
Check out all the various models of the FoodSaver® Preservation Systems on the FoodSaver® website or shop online.
Marinating the lemongrass chicken!
Now let’s talk about the incredible marinade. The stand out is lemongrass with its bright citrusy aroma and taste. It’s not only great as a marinade but it can be eaten by removing the harder shells of the stalks. It provides a lot of texture to dishes as well.
I like to buy lemongrass in bulk and use the FoodSaver® Multi-Use Food Preservation System to vacuum seal it before freezing. Leaving it uncovered in the fridge will dry it out and make many parts inedible.
As for tools, I used a mortar and pestle to pound the ingredients in the marinade which helps to release juices from the garlic, shallots and lemongrass. If you don’t have one, use the flat part of your knife to flatten the ingredients such as lemongrass.
I will talk about how I used the FoodSaver® to vacuum seal the marinated chicken shortly.
The chicken cooks quickly in the oven for about thirty minutes which makes the dish perfect for a weeknight. Make sure to scrape off all the fond from the bottom of the pan, as the cooked lemongrass mixture is extra concentrated and packed with umami flavour and texture. The versatile dish is great on its own. In our household, we enjoy the lemongrass chicken Vietnamese-style with vermicelli, fresh vegetables, and fish sauce dipping sauce (nuoc cham).
Marinating tips using the FoodSaver®
How I did it?
I used the FoodSaver® Zipper Bags with a resealable top and added the marinated chicken into the bag. The vacuum bag was held upright so that all the liquid of the marinade would stay on the bottom of the bag. I also recommend pre-freezing the marinated chicken in advance, to prevent any liquid entering the handheld vacuum. Using the handheld vacuum accessory hose, I was able to create -a tight seal.
By using the FoodSaver® bags, I was able to better infuse the flavour into the chicken and really make the dish over-the-top delicious. I could also freeze the marinated chicken as is or freeze the cooked meat. There are lots of great options to save me food, time, and money!
Enjoy the juicy and flavourful chicken full of umami flavours!
RECIPE
Easy Lemongrass Chicken Recipe
Learn to make an incredibly flavourful Vietnamese lemongrass chicken that is easy to prepare and marinate using the FoodSaver® Multi-Use Food Preservation System.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken quarters
- 3 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped
- ¼ cup brown sugar dissolved in ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- ¼ (60 ml) cup soy sauce
- ¼ (60 ml) cup fish sauce
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
Peel and discard the hard outer layer of the lemongrass and finely chop.
Add the lemongrass, sliced shallots, and garlic separately into the mortar and pestle. Pound each ingredient with the pestle and add to a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, add brown sugar and water, and mix until the sugar dissolves. Add soy sauce and fish sauce and mix well. Pour the mixture into the bowl with lemongrass, shallots and garlic and mix.
- Add the chicken into the bowl and evenly distribute the marinade.
Vacuum seal the chicken in the marinade using the FoodSaver® Multi-Use Food Preservation System and marinade for 3 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Cooking the chicken
Take out the chicken 30 minutes before roasting.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees °F.
Place the chicken on the baking sheet and pour the marinade into the pan. Cook for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thighs are 165 degrees °F. Broil for 3 minutes to further brown the skin.
Let the chicken cool for 10 minutes. Scrape the sauce from the pan into a bowl. Brush the chicken with sesame oil before serving.
Recipe Notes
The recipe can be adapted for the grill.
Follow FoodSaver® on Social Media
- Instagram: @foodsaver
- Facebook: @FoodSaverCanada
Check out my other easy recipes!
Remember to PIN the recipe!
Never miss a post — follow me on Facebook and Instagram @maryshappybelly! Plus, check out more yummy recipes on my YouTube channel!
- 1920s War on Whisky Tour- A must do tour in the Durham Region - June 3, 2022
- Family staycation at Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Suites [with video] - August 5, 2021
- Easy Siu Mai (燒賣 ) recipe with Chinese sausages - May 7, 2021
No Comments