Vietnamese Lime & Mint Chicken


Vietnamese Lime & Mint Chicken
Lisa and I just got back from Atlanta, where we stuffed ourselves with cheese dip, Waffle House, BBQ, and various other gut-busting fare, so we’re looking to keep things light this week as we ease back into our routine. This chicken and noodle salad definitely fit the bill. The chicken has a wonderful citrusy glaze, and the mint and veggies add texture and crunch to the bean thread noodles. This recipe comes from Asian Flavors.

Chris says:

Hooray; our first recipe using our mint from the planter out front!

Lisa says:

Hooray; our first plant we haven’t managed to kill! Yet.

Chris says:

I think you’ll really like that chicken. The sugar in the marinade caramelizes a bit and makes a nice thick glaze.

Lisa says:

I do like the chicken — but the noodles need more sauce.

Chris says:

There isn’t any sauce.

Lisa says:

That would be why then.

Chris says:

Actually, if you mix it all up, the noodles soak up the glaze from the chicken and get a little saucy.

Lisa says:

Ooh, you’re right; good tip. Well, this definitely passes our “light” test.

Chris says:

I know — what’s for dessert?

Vietnamese Lime & Mint Chicken
1 lime
2 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 large or two small chicken boneless chicken breasts
1 tbsp peanut oil
3.5 oz bean thread noodles
1/4 cucumber, cut into sticks
1/2 carrot, cut into sticks
small handful of mint sprigs
1/2 red jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

Peel 1/2 the zest from the lime and cut into fine shreds. Set aside, then squeeze all the juice from the lime and add to a bowl. Mix with the fish sauce, garlic, sugar, and ground pepper. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add the chicken to the bowl, making sure it’s coated well, and marinate for 30 minutes.
Heat the peanut oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin-side down and cook for five minutes until the skin is browned. Set the heat at medium-low, turn the chicken over, and pour the rest of the marinade in. Cover the skillet and cook for 10 minutes, then uncover and cook until chicken is cooked through, another 5 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, soak the noodles in hot water for 3-5 minutes or until softened. Drain, and mix with the carrot, cucumber, and mint leaves. Slice the chicken and arrange over the noodles. Garnish with the chopped jalapeño and lime zest.

2 Servings


Andrea from Andrea’s Recipes has a regular blogging event called Grow Your Own, and since we grew that mint, I’m going to go ahead and submit it for the round ending on the 15th!


12 responses to “Vietnamese Lime & Mint Chicken”

  1. Welcome to Grow Your Own! That looks and sounds so good, perfect for light summer meals. I’m heading out for 10 days of vacation this Friday and need to eat meals like that rather than, um, what I will probably eat instead. 🙂

  2. I know what you mean about coming back from the South and wanting something light. I think the first thing we ate after we got back from our jaunt to Texas last year was some pho. Vietnamese is the perfect remedy for too much barbecue!

    Congratulations on not killing your mint. You’d think mint would be easy, but our pot of mint looks so sad. I think he wants to get in the ground and run.

  3. Lydia — It did always pain me spending $2+ for 3-4 sprigs of mint in a blister pack. Oy. We’re actually growing a few different varieties, including … chocolate mint! What the?

    Nate — our mint is going crazy! It’s in a huge pot on the front porch and has been loving these last few weeks of sun.

    GCB — Some nuoc chom would go well in here, I think…

    Andrea, Kate, Olga — let me know how it turns out if you make it.

  4. Umm… yum! I currently am growing things in my garden, however they are still growing. So I guess I’ll have to wait to post anything for gyo.

  5. hi – i made this last night and it was so yummy. the proportions are just right (fish sauce to acid to sugar) and the chicken was so tender. i actually used tenderloins, sliced them up and put them over noodles. thanks for a wonderful and simple recipe!

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