Recipes Dinner Poultry Dishes Chicken Main Course Spicy Lemongrass Chicken 5.0 (4,242) 7 Reviews Charles Phan stir-fries chicken until it's deeply golden, then cooks the aromatics and sauces separately before combining everything in the wok to meld the flavors. By Charles Phan Charles Phan Charles Phan is a James Beard Award-winning, Vietnamese-American chef. He owns The Slanted Door, a critically acclaimed restaurant in San Francisco. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 20, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Total Time: 25 mins Yield: 6 servings Charles Phan has firm opinions about the right and wrong way to stir-fry. "A wok isn't like a salad bowl with a flame under it. You don't want to throw everything in at once and toss. You need to layer flavors by adding ingredients in the right order." Frequently asked questions How is lemongrass most commonly used? Lemongrass grows in the tropical climate of Southeast Asia and is a staple aromatic in the cuisines of Thailand and Vietnam. Its leaves can be steeped to make an herbal tea, and it's also used as a fragrance in soaps and cosmetics. As an added bonus, lemongrass acts as a natural mosquito repellant. How do you prepare lemongrass for cooking? While lemongrass can be purchased dried, powdered, or as a paste, fresh lemongrass is the best option for imparting the herb's complex, citrusy flavor to your dish. To use it in a stir-fry such as this one, you'll first want to slice off the bottom of the bulb, then cut the rest of the white bulb away from the stalk. Remove the fibrous outer layer, then finely mince the remainder of the bulb and add it to your stir-fry along with the onion and garlic. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Here, Phan starts with the chicken, cooking half at a time over high heat until it's browned in spots. The aromatics come next, followed by wine. Once that's reduced a bit, the remaining liquids, chiles, and scallions are added to create a deeply flavorful sauce for the chicken to briefly simmer in before being served over jasmine rice. The Best Way to Stir-Fry, According to a 'Wok Therapist' Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed and meat cut into 3/4-inch pieces 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 plump stalks of lemongrass, tender white inner bulb only, minced 1 medium red onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine, sake, or water 1/2 cup Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce 1 teaspoon Asian chile paste 4 large scallions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 5 small dried red chiles 1 large jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced Jasmine rice, steamed, for serving Directions In a medium bowl, toss the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of the canola oil, salt, and pepper. In a large skillet or a wok, heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil until small puffs of smoke begin to appear. Add half of the chicken and stir-fry over high heat until browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet. Add the lemongrass, onion, and garlic; cook over high heat, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce, oyster sauce, chile paste, scallions, dried chiles, and jalapeño; bring to a boil. Add the chicken to the sauce and simmer until heated through, then serve with steamed jasmine rice. © Dana Gallagher Originally appeared: September 2005 Rate It Print