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Need a new idea for that chicken? This Vietnamese style baked chicken with crispy skin is packed full of flavor and super simple to make!
As you know, I am a sucker for the flavors of Southeast Asia. I mean, I’m in love. Totally infatuated. Fish sauce, soy sauce, lime, garlic, chilies…all so YUM. This Vietnamese style baked chicken with crispy skin has all those wonderful flavors.
Plus it’s MOSTLY healthy. I mean, who doesn’t want a little chicken skin in their diet? I ALWAYS want chicken skin in my diet. Always. It’s the best part, and this recipe is no different. But if you really want total health, make this with skinless chicken.
You know what I truly love though? Besides all the delicious flavors in this recipe? You got it…it’s easy. Another easy recipe for Danielle. I know what you’re thinking. How lazy is she? Pretty lazy. But really, I just run out of time, so easy is great.
Plus let’s say you come after a long day at work – do you really want to spend hours making dinner? Not me. Toss this chicken in the oven for 40 minutes and you’ve got dinner. Ok, you do need to marinade it first. But that’s super easy.
What is Vietnamese Style?
So what exactly is Vietnamese style you ask? Well maybe you didn’t, but let’s talk about it anyway. The Vietnamese typically serve meat grilled, however, I like to bake it because I believe it lets the skin get nice and crispy.
What truly make this Vietnamese style baked chicken with crispy skin is the marinade. Vietnamese flavors are fresh, lively ingredients, typically packed with tons of delicious flavor.
Fish sauce and lemongrass are two of my favorite components of Vietnamese cuisine. Lime, mint and chilies are also commonly used. Ah yes, chilies…I feel like these are the staple of Southeast Asian cuisine. Spicy, delicious chilies.
Ok, you know that I’ve lost my tolerance for super spicy food as I’ve aged (yes, I am admitting I age…), but I do still like a little kick. All these ingredients pack a powerful flavor punch for our marinade.
Related Recipe: Honey Chili Baked Chicken Legs
All that said, we’ll start by making the marinade. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the chicken, ensuring it is coated with the marinade. Refrigerate overnight. See, easy right?
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a baking rack on top. Place chicken thighs on baking rack and drizzle with the lime juice.
Related Recipe: Crispy Salt and Pepper Chicken Thighs
Bake chicken for 40 minutes, turning once half way through. Skin should be browned and crispy. If it’s not, place it under the broiler for a minute or two until it crisps up.
Serve with steamed white rice or rice noodles. I typically choose rice noodles only because I love eating with chop sticks, but am not good enough to eat rice with chopsticks. Rice or noodles are both delicious. Want to be healthier? Serve with brown rice or quinoa.
TIP: reserve the marinade and cook it in the microwave on high for 3 minutes to kill any bacteria. Serve with the chicken.
Vietnamese Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. bone-in skin on chicken thighs (4 thighs)
- Juice of 1/2 lime
Marinade:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1 tbsp. chili garlic sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp. cilantro chopped
- 1 tbsp. lemongrass paste
- 1 tbsp. palm sugar
- 2 tbsp. cooking oil
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the chicken, ensuring it is coated with the marinade. Refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place a baking rack on top.
- Place chicken thighs on baking rack and drizzle with the lime juice.
- Bake chicken for 40 minutes, flipping half way through.
- Skin should be browned and crispy. If it's not, place it under the broiler for a minute or two until it crisps up.
Expert Tips:
- If the skin is not crisp when done, pop it under the broiler for a couple minutes until desired crispness is reached.
- Be sure to boil the reserved marinade if you are going to use it to kill all the bacteria. You can also reserve a portion of the marinade before putting the chicken in if you prefer.
- Brown sugar or coconut sugar can be substituted for palm sugar if necessary.
- Fresh lemongrass can be used in place of the paste, however, it is more labor intensive to work with. To learn how to prepare lemongrass, read this article by the Spruce.
Nutrition
[nutrifox id=”29712″]
Looking for more chicken recipes? Try these great options:
Salt and Pepper Chicken Thighs
Love the flavors!
Yum! Lemongrass is now of my favorite ingredients. These chicken thighs look fabulous, Danielle!
Thanks! Lemongrass is the best! I’m lucky that my boyfriend’s dad grows it so I get it super fresh too 🙂