The most delicious meal prep that keeps you coming back! Since I grew up eating Chipotle and Cava, I thought, why can't there be a Vietnamese version of it? So I made it. With this bowl. This lemongrass ground chicken bowl comes together in 10 minutes and satisfies that Vietnamese food craving you always have!
Making Vietnamese food at home is no longer intimidating and this recipe proves that! It's so easy to get authentic Vietnamese flavors at home with minimal ingredients. This meal prep has a balance of all the flavors and texture of a Vietnamese dish. It's fresh, savory, tangy, and slightly sweet, and while you don't need every single herb or veggie to make it a meal, it definitely helps give it that authentic Vietnamese vibe!
This was inspired by my air fryer lemongrass chicken, but I wanted something that was way quicker to make and it doesn't get quicker than this! Pair it with my homemade nuoc mam cham and do chua (Vietnamese pickled daikon radish and carrots) for the ultimate bowl!
What is a Lemongrass Ground Chicken Bowl?
This is my Vietnamese take on a rice bowl from Chipotle!
While rice plates (cơm tấm) and noodle bowls (bún) are very traditional in Vietnamese cuisine, it's not as common to see ground meat served as is. It's usually formed into patties like you see in bun cha Hanoi, stuffed into bitter melon like in canh khổ qua (bittermelon soup), or rolled inside an egg roll wrapper and fried to make chả giò.
This lemongrass chicken rice bowl takes inspiration from traditional Vietnamese rice plates (cơm tấm) and turns it into an easy meal prep! Portion it with half rice and half salad (like you would at Cava), add your ground chicken protein, top it with fresh veggies and pickles, and dress it with an optional dressing, which in this case would be nuoc cham!
Why you'll love this Lemongrass Ground Chicken Bowl
- It's high in protein from the ground chicken!
- The easiest meal prep or week night dinner.
- Comes together in 10 minutes!
- A well balanced meal with protein, carbs, and veggies.
- Made in one pan for easy clean up!
Jump to:
- What is a Lemongrass Ground Chicken Bowl?
- Why you'll love this Lemongrass Ground Chicken Bowl
- Ingredients
- How to make Lemongrass ground chicken bowls
- Tips for the Best Lemongrass Ground Chicken Bowl
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to store lemongrass ground chicken bowl
- FAQ
- Other recipes to try:
- Lemongrass Ground Chicken Bowl
Ingredients
- Ground chicken: I use 92/8, but feel free to use your ideal ratio.
- Lemongrass: Use frozen lemongrass! Frozen lemongrass usually comes preminced, so this speeds up the process and removes the chopping that is usually extremely time consuming.
- Garlic: Use a garlic press to omit any chopping time. Alternatively, garlic paste works too.
- Oyster sauce: A critical flavor filled sauce with umami.
- Fish sauce: I use Red Boat Fish Sauce for extra saltiness.
- Dark soy sauce: This adds that beautiful caramelized color to an otherwise pale and sad looking ground chicken. Substituting this with regular soy sauce will not give you the same result, but if that's all you have on hand, just know that the cooked ground chicken won't look the same!
- Brown sugar: Balances out the saltiness and adds a little molasses color.
For serving:
- Jasmine rice
- Lettuce
- Cucumber
- Vietnamese pickles, optional
- Cilantro, optional
- Mint, optional
- Vietnamese nuoc cham, optional
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Lemongrass ground chicken bowls
- Step 1: In a bowl, add ground chicken, lemongrass, garlic, oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, and brown sugar. Mix until just combined.
- Step 2: To a pan over medium high heat, add neutral oil and the ground chicken. Allow it to caramelize and brown for 5-7 minutes, using a wooden spatula to break up the clumps into smaller pieces.
- Step 3: Continue cooking until the ground chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove from heat and serve over rice with fresh veggies, herbs, and Vietnamese pickles. Top with optional homemade nuoc cham, as desired.
Tips for the Best Lemongrass Ground Chicken Bowl
- Mincing garlic can take a little time, so use a garlic press to get the same garlic flavor, quicker!
- Don't over mix the chicken! Overmixing the ground chicken can cause it to become tough and dry.
- Use pre-chopped, frozen lemongrass to speed up the process.
Substitutions and Variations
- Protein - To make this leaner, I love using ground turkey! It's still flavorful and surprisingly isn't too dry, which I normally think ground turkey is. For even more flavor, ground pork works great too!
- Grains - Use brown rice or farro for more fiber!
- Vegetarian - Mix the sauces together and pour over crumbled up firm tofu for a vegetarian-friendly version!
How to store lemongrass ground chicken bowl
Store every component of the chicken bowl in separate air tight containers for up to 4 days. To reheat, heat up the chicken and rice in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. Add fresh veggies and pickles when ready to eat!
FAQ
Tough ground chicken is usually caused by overmixing. Mix the ingredients until just combined to avoid tough ground chicken!
Dark soy sauce adds that deep, caramelized color that gives ground chicken the look of life! Regular soy sauce will be too salty, so I would reduce the serving by half if using.
Lemongrass is commonly found in most Asian supermarkets like 99 Ranch, HMart, and Great Wall. They are usually in the produce section but since we are using pre-minced frozen lemongrass, it can be found in the frozen section of the grocery store.
Yes! Fresh lemongrass works great too. Fresh lemongrass just takes a little more time to mince up. About 2 stalks of lemongrass would be equivalent to ¼ cup of minced lemongrass.
Other recipes to try:
Lemongrass Ground Chicken Bowl
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ¼ cup lemongrass minced
- 4 garlic cloves pressed or minced
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
For serving
- Jasmine rice
- Lettuce
- Cucumber
- Vietnamese pickles optional
- Cilantro optional
- Mint optional
- Homemade nuoc cham optional
Instructions
- In a bowl, add ground chicken, lemongrass, garlic, oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, and brown sugar. Mix until just combined.
- To a pan over medium high heat, add neutral oil and the ground chicken. Allow it to caramelize and brown for 5-7 minutes, using a wooden spatula to break up the clumps into smaller pieces.
- Continue cooking until the ground chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove from heat and serve over rice with fresh veggies, herbs, and Vietnamese pickles. Top with optional homemade nuoc cham, as desired.
Notes
- Mincing garlic can take a little time, so use a garlic press to get the same garlic flavor, quicker!
- Don't over mix the chicken! Overmixing the ground chicken can cause it to become tough and dry.
- Use pre-chopped, frozen lemongrass to speed up the process.
- To store: store every component of the chicken bowl in separate air tight containers for up to 4 days. To reheat, heat up the chicken and rice in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. Add fresh veggies and pickles when ready to eat!
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