This Lemongrass Chicken with Rice and Zucchini is OMG-level good! Tender chicken thighs, sautéed and then simmered in a creamy coconut and lemongrass sauce, sits next to a steamy pile of jasmine rice, fresh herbs, and your choice of veg.
Lemongrass Chicken with Rice and Zucchini
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This was amazing! Omitted the jalapeño for my kids and it was a total crowd pleaser! Make this recipe!!
Mommyof3
You Need To Make This Lemongrass Chicken ASAP
Hello and happy flavor day to you! Because this right here is a flavor all-star.
This recipe involves tender chicken (thighs, please!) sautéed and then simmered in an OMG creamy-coconut-lemongrass-flavor-packed sauce, with steamy jasmine rice, and fresh herbs, and some veggies on the side if you want.
As with most superdelicious foods, it’s giving us the best of both worlds:
- Fresh, energized, life-giving flavor from the lemongrass and lime and cilantro;
- Creamy and totally comforting lusciousness from the coconut cream, chicken, and rice.
So it eats like a comfort food, but it tastes like lightness and zipp
And all I have to say is big, big love for this.
How To Make This Lemongrass Chicken
The method of making this is fairly straightforward:
- Sauté the Chicken: Lots of yummy spices sprinkled all over tender chicken thighs. Chop once it’s cooked and rested.
- Build the Sauce: Coconut cream, lemongrass, jalapeño, ginger – lots of heat, freshness, creaminess, and sweetness.
- Combine: Bring the chicken back into the sauce and let is all linger and simmer together.
- Serve: Plate the sauce and chicken into bowls with rice and zucchini!
For a vegetable, zucchini is all up in my CSA right now, so I like to serve this with pan-fried zucchini half-moons, with their little tender-crispness and golden-browned spots. But I can confirm that any vegetable, including a very delicate and simple green side salad, is just as lovely.
How To Prepare Fresh Lemongrass
You can buy fresh lemongrass at most grocery stores, but it may require a trip to a more specialty store or Asian grocery store.
To prepare the lemongrass for this recipe:
- Trim: You’ll need to trim both ends of the lemongrass – the root end and the woody top. Discard both ends.
- Peel: Peel a few layers of the lemongrass stalk to get to the more tender / pliable inner part.
- Mince: Once you have the inner “meat” of the lemongrass remaining, you can slice and then mince it up.
That’s it! You’re ready to go!
Substitutions and Variations
For substitutions, chicken breasts will work, although I prefer thighs. For a vegetarian option, pan-fried tofu would be fabulous. I am also having visions of shrimp and feeling really excited about it. Right? With a little fish sauce or something? That would be awesome.
And coconut milk could work in a pinch, but COCONUT CREAM is the gold standard for achieving a sauce that ladles on like a gravy, which I just cannot seem to quit. It is cash money deliciousness.
Sending lots of love to summer and fresh flavors that support a good food mood. Lemongrass, you star, you.
Video: How To Make Lemongrass Chicken
Source notes: My version of this recipe was modeled after a pre-made product (I am very fancy) called Kevin’s Lemongrass Chicken. I have also tried a lemongrass chicken from a local Vietnamese restaurant that was similar (and also delicious!), but the version I tried was more of an oil-based sauce vs. cream-based sauce, so in making this I was attempting to replicate the former!
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Lemongrass Chicken with Rice and Zucchini
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
This Lemongrass Chicken with Rice and Zucchini is OMG-level good! Tender chicken thighs, sautéed and then simmered in a creamy coconut and lemongrass sauce, sits next to a steamy pile of jasmine rice, fresh herbs, and your choice of veg.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken:
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste
- olive oil
Lemongrass Sauce:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed (optional), minced
- one 1-inch knob of ginger, grated or minced
- 2 tablespoons lemongrass or lemongrass paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- one 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut cream (important: NOT cream of coconut)
- juice and zest of one lime
- salt to taste
Zucchini:
- 2 zucchinis
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Serve with:
- cilantro and/or basil, chopped
- rice
Instructions
- Cook the chicken: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs, sprinkle with spices, and cook for 8-10 minutes until cooked through (165 degrees F). Remove from pan. Once cooled, shred / pull into small bite-sized pieces.
- Make the lemongrass sauce: Add the garlic, jalapeño, and ginger to the chicken pan (you don’t have to wipe it out – save all those good flavors). Sauté until fragrant. Add the lemongrass and brown sugar; stir to combine. Add coconut cream and bring to a low, gentle simmer. Season with lime zest, lime juice, and salt.
- Bake the Zucchini: Cut zucchini into coins, toss with olive oil and salt and pepper, and arrange in a layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 450 degrees.
- Finish: Add chicken back in to the sauce. Stir in some fresh cilantro or basil just before serving. Serve over rice with any veggies that you like (see zucchini directions in the notes section). And now enjoy this amazing flavor moment. ♡
Notes
For the chicken, I prefer it to be a little more roughly chopped rather than perfectly cut pieces, so I like to do a combination of shredding and then run my knife once or twice through the whole pile of shredded chicken.
The amount of oil you use with the chicken as well as the length of time that you cook it will both affect the overall creaminess of the sauce. More oil in the pan = thinner sauce. I normally use about 1 tablespoon of oil with the sautéing of the chicken, and I let the chicken cook until it’s very browned on the outside, leaving almost no oil left in the pan (just delicious browned bits stuck to the bottom, which get pulled up again when you build the sauce in the pan). The video here shows a little more oil and less cooking time for the chicken, resulting in a slightly more runny sauce. It’s going to be delicious either way you go with the sauce because this flavor is so awesome.
Instant Pot instructions: 1. Add the chicken, seasonings, and lemongrass sauce ingredients (except for the coconut cream) to the Instant Pot. 2. Pour in 1/4 cup of water, cover, and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. 3. Release the steam, shred the chicken, and stir in the coconut cream. 4. Let the chicken sit for a few minutes to thicken up and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
Keywords: lemongrass chicken, chicken recipe, lemongrass recipe
Lemongrass Chicken: FAQs
Can you use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Chicken breasts could work, but you’ll lose a bit of the juiciness and tenderness, so chicken thighs are the way to go if those are available to you.
How can I make this vegetarian?
Replace the chicken thighs with tofu! Pan-fried or baked would be delicious (all the ways to cook it are here!). You could also use chickpeas in place of the chicken.
I can only find coconut milk. Will that work?
Coconut milk will work a pinch, but you might lose some of the creaminess. Make sure to use full-fat coconut milk instead of light coconut milk.
I’m trying to cut out refined sugar. Do I need the brown sugar in the sauce?
The brown sugar really helps balance out some of the flavors of the coconut cream and the lime juice, so it’s best to keep it in. For a refined sugar-free option, you could try coconut sugar instead.
More Chicken Recipes That Are Just So, So Good
- Summer Chipotle Chicken Cobb Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette (this one will make all of your summer salad dreams come true)
- Burst Tomato Pappardelle with Zucchini, Sweet Corn, and Pan-Fried Chicken (pasta in a luscious cream sauce? yes please!)
- 5 Ingredient Lemon Chicken with Asparagus (super simple ingredient lists, like this one, are our favorite)
- Coconut Lime Grilled Chicken and Rice (the flavors here! ahhh! SWOONING!)
Filed Under: All Recipes Dairy-Free Dinner Gluten-Free Healthy Lime Main Dishes Meat and Chicken Most Popular Quick and Easy Rice Stovetop Summer Zucchini
July 12, 2021
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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This was my first time making a dish with lemongrass.
I used lemongrass paste and 1 tb ginger paste and substituted unsweetened coconut milk. I didn’t have jalapeño on hand.
The sauce was a little mild for my palate so I added a little squeeze of ginger and lemongrass at the end.
It turned out delicious and beautiful! I will make again.
I just made this for dinner and oh em gee!!!! It was even better than I expected and I already had everything on hand to make it. I switched out serving it with rice for ramen noodles and it was great!!! I ended up air frying the chicken as well as the zucchini which made for a quick and easy meal. To compensate for the lack of seasoning in the pan before cooking the broth, I ended up frying some of the spices beforehand which helped. I can’t wait until I get to make this again. Thanks for an exceptional recipe!!!
Could you add instructions on how to prepare the lemongrass when working with the actual stalks? I’d never cooked with it before, and just gave it a rough mincing before adding it in, which in hindsight I realize was definitely not good enough. It led to some significant textural issues. Other than that, it tasted great! A little tsuyu addition didn’t hurt either.
I recently bought lemongrass powder that I would like to use. Will it work and how much should I use in place of fresh or paste. (Instructions say one tsp = one lemongrass stalk).
Hi! It was really good 🙂 Thank you! I was wondering if you’ve tried with thai chilies instead as this meal does have a thai flavor ( to me at least?)
Had this pinned for years and finally decided that tonight is the night! YUM. Didn’t have jalapeños so subbed with Thai chilis instead. Amped up the umami and added fish sauce at the end. Next time will add the fish sauce earlier for more depth, plus soy sauce, miso, and shallots. Will marinade the chicken overnight. Solid, solid base recipe added to the rotation. Thank you so much!
Followed the recipe to a T. Loved it. So very flavorful. I grew lemon grass this summer, so this was the perfect into to using it.
My significant other is allergic to ginger is there anything youd use to substitute?
You can leave it out!
This is delicious! Accidentally bought lemongrass paste with turmeric, but it still turned out well.
This was great! Used full fat coconut milk instead of coconut cream and I didn’t feel like it was missing anything
I’ve never left a review for a recipe before, but was compelled because this is the best recipe I have ever made. I’ve made it twice so far and my husband and I are obsessed!! We tried lemongrass flavored foods in Bali and I wanted to find a lemongrass recipe once we got home. This recipe did not disappoint! Will definitely keep this in our rotation!
I love this recipe! We’ve made it several times with chicken breasts and thighs. My husband prefers chicken breasts, but I’m going to try one more go with thighs in the instant pot and see if he likes it better. As opposed to stove top. Will report back!
This recipe is such an amazing home run while being very fast to throw together! I have this in rotation for my meal prep clients but tonight, on a super rainy dreary Saturday, I knew it would be the perfect dinner. And it was. Silky, spicy, creamy, sour and slightly sweet. Man we love it. Thank you! We served it with brown rice and I chopped a bunch of spinach up and let it wilt in the sauce.
Is the lemongrass shredded or thinly sliced I can’t tell from the video
This Chicken Recipe was Delish!
I Prepared it with my Daughter last week,, and could
not Believe how Simple it was to Prepare!
The Lower Sugar Option was very Flavorful,
and perfect for me as I am Diabetic.
My Family so enjoyed it.
I am thrilled that my Daughter Follows your
Sight.
Happy Cooking,
LMC
I
The coconut cream was quite heavy, it was a bit too sweet, and the zucchini didn’t turn out as illustrated ( but that might have been because I used a fan forced oven).
This recipe is delicious!! The whole house smelled amazing 🤩 I live in Portugal and don’t have easy access to lemongrass so I swapped it for lemon & lime zest and a little extra lime juice, turned out great! Thanks for another amazing recipe ❤️
This was so good! Easy as could be and a great pay-off. Next time I’ll use a bigger lime, since I only had a small one when I made it and it could have used a bit more acid but my boyfriend and I really enjoyed it. Definitely a keeper! For anyone wondering, since it wasn’t outlined in the recipe – I used a lemongrass stalk that I minced really finely. I didn’t want to buy a tube of lemongrass that I’d use once and it go bad.
I am sensitive to coconut and I’m wondering if I could use heavy cream instead or would the flavor be off too much.
Delicious. Really good. I don’t think I love a recipe more than the pineapple pork but this is a close second. I used a rehydrated dry thai chilli instead of the jalapeño and I pan fried the zucchini, and it was delicious. This could be an SOS recipe if you have a lemongrass paste handy, it comes together really easily. We topped it with some cashews too. MAKE THIS.
Ridiculously tasty for how easy this is! The flavours were excellent.
I added pickled jalapeños to serve and both zucchini and broccoli.
This is going into dinner rotation, thanks POY!
For the chicken, it says to add garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. Can you share how much you use of each ingredient when you make it? Thanks!
I’d do about 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, and then just a small bit of pepper to taste!
These flavors surpassed my expectations, so so good! We found a small jar of turmeric lemongrass paste that worked out great, had to omit jalapeños for the kids, and sautéed the zucchini in the same pan with the sauce. This was a keeper for us too!
Absolutely delicious! Made a half recipe for two and wish it was the full recipe. First stir-fry style dish the hubby not only liked, but LOVED and requested a repeat. We only had coconut milk available, so added a tablespoon of cornstarch to slurry before adding to the skillet. Thank you for this amazing (and easy) lemongrass dish!
I love your recipes! I tried making this one with your Instant Pot directions and I don’t think 1/4 cup water was enough liquid. You said to add the coconut cream at the end but mine might have turned out better if it had been added with the chicken. Any ideas on how to better convert this to Instant Pot? The flavors smell so good!