B: My family had a BBQ party last week, in which I did try one of the recipes suggested by my friend who is a restaurant manager. The delicious recipe, which uses lemongrass and chicken breasts as the main ingredients, is a great dish for creating cozy family moments around the table. I have no words to describe how delicious it was and how much it was loved by everyone. 

A: Lemongrass is one of my favorite flavors as it’s wonderfully aromatic. Lemongrass and chicken is a great combination, I think. Why don’t we share it with our listeners today how did you prepare that dish?

The chicken skewers can go with sandwiches, noodle salad, or any green salad. (Photo: Old Hanoi Restaurant)

B: In this dish, instead of being an ingredient, the lemongrass stalks are used as skewers. After being marinated, the chicken is placed on the lemongrass and grilled over charcoal. This is one of the easiest and tastiest chicken dishes you can grill.

A: I think this could be a great dish for kids to get involved in its making. But you said the recipe is recommended by your friend?

B: Well, I got the recipe from Mr. Pham Van Thanh, service and kitchen manager of the Old Hanoi Restaurant. The dish hits all the right notes-smoky, savory, and just a bit sweet. The chicken skewers can go with sandwiches, noodle salad, or any green salad.

“We use chicken fillets here because they have more flavor, but you can use chicken breasts instead. The chicken is cut into small pieces and marinated with minced onion, minced lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, chillis, and brown sugar for at least 1 hour. Then you use a knife to split the lemongrass stalks into halve lengthwise and place the chicken in the middle. The chicken lemongrass skewers are then grilled over charcoal, which gives the chicken a nice char-grilled flavor while maintaining its juicy inside,” said Thanh.

A: The marinade adds the key flavoring to the dish. According to Thanh, you should marinate the chicken at least one hour, or even leave it overnight in the fridge. The longer you marinate, the better the dish will be. 

B: The subtle heat of garlic and chili, combined with the aroma of fresh lemongrass, enlivens this lightened rendition of chicken skewers.

Thanh said: “Grill the marinated chicken over charcoal for 3-4 minutes each side or until the chicken is cooked through and beginning to caramelize. You can drizzle the chicken skewers with a little oil to prevent the skewers from being burned. The smokey flavor of charcoal goes so perfectly with the intense sweet-savory flavors of chicken marinated in fish sauce and lemongrass. This dish can be served with rice or bread.”

A: This is a super-tasty way to cook chicken. If you love lemongrass like I do, this is a worth-to-try recipe.   

B: After they taste this, your family will certainly not be saying, “Oh. Chicken again?” If you have a recipe that you want to share, make a recording describing the dish and email it along with some lovely photos to vovfooddelight@gmail.com. 

A: Whoever submits the most creative dish with an impressive story behind it might just be our next guest on VOV24/7’s Food Delight. Join us next week for more tips on diversifying your menu. And now, good bye!