Recipe: roasted chicken with lemongrass

From steaming noodle soup to crispy bánh mì: in The Bible of Vietnamese Cuisine, Mai Nguyen shows why Vietnamese food is so addictively delicious. Fresh, sour, sweet and savory come together in dishes packed with flavor, with influences from China, France and neighboring countries such as Thailand and Cambodia. Whether you like chewy, crunchy or spicy food – this cuisine has it all.

This dish is delicious with noodle salad and the traditional fish sauce dressing, but you can also use it as a filling for bánh mì or spring rolls. Be sure to start this recipe a day in advance.

• Finely grind the lemongrass, garlic, shallots and chili pepper in a food processor. Place the chicken thigh fillets in a large bowl and mix with the ground ingredients, fish sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, honey or maple syrup, Shaoxing rice wine and black pepper. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
• The next day, remove the marinated chicken thigh fillets from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175 °C.
• Line the oven tray with aluminum foil and place the oven rack on top. Arrange the chicken thigh fillets on the rack and grill them in the center of the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the thickness of the fillets, until cooked through.
• Remove the chicken from the oven and let it cool briefly. Cut the chicken into slices about 2 centimeters thick and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle with the spring onion oil and sprinkle with the peanuts.