Here is a Vietnamese chicken recipe that you can either grill for a charred smoky flavor on the weekend or quickly roast in the oven for a simple weeknight dinner.
Similar to my favorite Oakland California Chinatown Vietnamese takeout restaurant, Cam Huong, this chicken is marinated in a sweet and savory sauce and roasted until slightly charred on the outside.
Pair with steamed rice and a side of vegetables for a complete meal, or as a delicious filling in the classic Vietnamese sandwich (Bánh Mì).
What You Will Need
Chicken — For this recipe, I’ll be using chicken thighs. Bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs provide the best flavor. You can also use skinless and boneless chicken thighs, which will cook up faster.
Chinese Five-Spice Powder — Chinese five-spice powder is an Asian seasoning commonly used in Chinese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese cuisine. A five-spice blend varies by region and brand. The most common and traditional blend contains a mixture of ground star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds. Other varieties can contain ground ginger, annatto seeds, white pepper, cardamom, or galangal.
Lemongrass — Along with Chinese five-spice powder, lemongrass adds a wonderful floral aroma and flavor to the chicken. If you don’t have lemongrass or don’t like it, you can leave it out and still have amazing roasted chicken.
I always have fresh lemongrass in my garden, but you can use frozen pre-ground lemongrass, which is usually available in the freezer section of Asian grocery stores.
When using lemongrass stalks, use only the bottom two-thirds of the stalk where it is white and light green. Slice this part into thin circles first by hand, then further chop it into finer pieces by hand or better yet, with a food processor.
If you skip slicing into thin circles first, you will end up with fibrous strands of lemongrass which is not ideal for eating.
Don’t discard the rest of the lemongrass stalk. Save them to flavor broth such as Vietnamese spicy beef noodle soup (Bún Bò Huế).
Garlic — Because who doesn’t love garlic?
Oyster Sauce, Regular/Light Soy Sauce and Fish Sauce — All three of these seasonings are used as the base of the marinade with oyster sauce being primary.
Shaoxing Cooking Wine — Sometimes spelled as Shaohsing, this is an essential ingredient to achieve that distinct aroma known in Asian cooking. It’s often sold with a large red label. If you don’t have Shaoxing wine, you can substitute with dry sherry or simply omit.
Honey and Sugar — Honey and sugar are needed for the balance of the three salty ingredients above.
Ground Black Pepper — Provides a tiny bit of kick.
How to Make It
Step 1: Make the marinade by combining all the seasonings and aromatics. This sauce is sweet and savory, but if you find it too sweet, reduce the amount of sugar to suit your preference. Adjust to taste, if needed.
Step 2: Prepare bone-in chicken by using a pair of scissors or a knife to carefully cut the meat around the bone, allowing it to lay flat for faster and even cooking. Marinate chicken with the mixture for one hour or overnight in the fridge for better results.
Step 3: Roast the chicken.
Place the marinated chicken, skin-side down if applicable, on a wire rack to bake in the oven. A wire rack is highly recommended to keep the moisture away from the chicken, which caramelizes the chicken better. If you don’t have a wire or roasting rack, simply put it directly on a sheet pan lined with parchment or foil.
For boneless chicken thighs, bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 15 minutes. For bone-in chicken thighs, bake for 20 minutes per side.
Baste with pan drippings on both sides and broil on high until charred to your liking.
Grilling Instructions
For a smoky grilled flavor, you can also cook the chicken on a grill. Grill the chicken for 10 minutes per side. starting with skin-side down. For bone-in chicken, increase cooking time to 12 minutes per side.
Air Frying Instructions
If you use an air fryer, you will generally cook at a lower cooking temperature to prevent from charring too fast, and cook for a shorter period of time.
For this recipe, you will have to air fry in batches as it will not all fit. Add chicken in a single layer with skin-side down and air fry at 350°F for 10 minutes per side. For bone-in chicken, increase cooking time to 12 minutes per side.
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