This is what happens when you're a Vietnamese person who loves Korean food! You make a Vietnamese chicken gimbap that is the best of both worlds! It has all the flavors of a Vietnamese lemongrass chicken rice plate, but rolled up into bite-sized nori wrapped pieces. It's loaded with lemongrass chicken, cucumber, and Vietnamese pickles and then topped with crushed peanuts for a little more crunch. It's great eaten as is, topped with sriracha, or dipped in homemade nuoc cham!
This is inspired by the classic Korean gimbap and my lemongrass chicken! I love combining different cultures and dishes to make something new and unique! This one takes my favorite lemongrass chicken and puts it in a handheld, bite-sized and shareable Korean rice roll. It's great as an easy lunch on the go or a hand held appetizer to feed a crowd!
What is gimbap?
Gimbap, also spelled kimbap, is a Korean seaweed rice roll commonly filled with rice, pickled daikon, veggies, and protein rolled in nori, brushed with sesame oil and sliced into bite-sized pieces. Popular proteins found in gimbap range from spam, beef, fishcake, or tofu. Gimbap is often eaten with chopsticks or by hand and is a very popular lunch in Korean households.
This version of gimbap, however, takes that same Korean format and fills it with Vietnamese flavors, like lemongrass chicken, pickled daikon and carrots, cucumber, and fresh herbs. It looks like sushi, but the flavor profile is a bit different. There's no vinegared rice or fish!
Why you'll love this Vietnamese Chicken Gimbap
- Easy protein - Packed with as much (or as little) chicken as you want!
- Delicious ingredient prep - Make a batch of all the ingredients at the beginning of the week and roll them fresh every day for a quick lunch!
- Versatile - Eat the lemongrass chicken as a rice bowl or roll it into a gimbap, depending on your mood!
- Portable - Great for on the go! Pack it for lunch, a picnic, or the beach!
Jump to:
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
- Chicken thighs
- Shallot
- Garlic cloves
- Oyster sauce
- Fish sauce
- Salt
- Honey
- Brown sugar
- Black pepper
- Lemongrass
- Dark soy sauce
For the pickled veggies:
- Daikon radish
- Carrots
- Salt
- Vinegar
- Sugar
- Water
For assembling:
- Short grain rice: I like using cooked store bought sticky white rice here to save time and speed up the process a little bit! Feel free to make fresh short grain rice at home if you'd like.
- Nori/seaweed sheets
- Persian cucumbers
- Neutral oil
- Peanuts
- Sriracha, optional
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Vietnamese Chicken Gimbap
Marinate the chicken:
- Step 1: In a bowl, add the chicken thighs, oyster sauce, fish sauce, salt, honey, brown sugar, black pepper, dark soy sauce, minced lemongrass, minced shallot, and garlic. Mix until combined. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Make the pickled carrots and daikon radish:
- Step 2: Cut the daikon and carrots into thin matchsticks. Toss them with 1 teaspoon of salt and let them sit for 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture. Rinse thoroughly in cold water and squeeze out any extra liquid.
- Step 3: In a bowl, add the sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, and water. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the vinegar and stir to combine.
- Step 4: Add the daikon and carrots to the brine and let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
Cook the chicken:
- Step 5: Cook the chicken in a pan over medium heat, about 6-8 minutes per side until slightly caramelized and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
Assemble:
- Step 6: To assemble, lay a sheet of nori, shiny side down, on a bamboo mat or dry surface. Spread a thin, even layer of rice over the nori, leaving about an inch bare at the top edge.
- Step 7: Layer sliced chicken, pickled veggies, cucumber sticks, and scallion greens in a line across the bottom third of the rice.
- Step 8: Begin rolling tightly upward from the bottom, pressing firmly as you roll. Wet the top edge with a few dabs of water and roll to seal shut.
- Step 9: Brush the roll with neutral oil and sprinkle with chopped roasted peanuts.
- Step 10: Slice each gimbap roll into 8 pieces with a sharp knife. Top with optional sriracha and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Vietnamese Chicken Gimbap
- Cool the rice slightly before rolling. Hot rice makes the nori shrivel up and is harder to work with.
- Slice your chicken thin. Thin strips roll up tighter and give you a cleaner bite.
- Drain the pickles before adding to the gimbap roll. The pickles will make the rice soggy.
- Make a homemade nuoc cham if you want a sauce that isn't too spicy!
Substitutions and Variations
Protein swaps:
- Chicken breast - Use chicken breast for a leaner cut!
- Ground pork or beef - Season it with the same marinade for a different texture.
- Tofu - Use the same marinade but marinate it for at least an hour. Pan sear when ready to cook.
How to store Vietnamese chicken gimbap
Gimbap is best enjoyed day of, so I'd recommend storing each component separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
When ready to enjoy, heat up the rice and chicken until just warm and assemble.
If you have leftover rolls, they'll keep in the fridge in an airtight container for about a day.
FAQ
The chicken and pickled vegetables can both be made 1–2 days in advance and stored separately. I'd recommend rolling the gimbap fresh right before eating for the best texture, since assembled rolls get a little firm in the fridge.
Dark soy sauce is a thicker, less salty, and slightly little sweeter version of regular soy sauce. It's aged longer which gives the chicken here a deeper flavor and darker, caramelized color.
You can use regular soy sauce but note that it is saltier and won't give you that same deep, caramelized color. If using regular soy sauce, reduce the amount by half.
A bamboo mat helps a lot for getting a tight, even roll, but you can also just use the nori to roll it up. Alternatively, you can lay the nori on top of a piece of saran wrap and use that to help roll it tightly.
Other recipes to try:
Vietnamese Chicken Gimbap (Lemongrass Chicken)
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- 1 lb chicken thighs
- 1 shallot minced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- ¼ cup lemongrass minced
For the Pickled Veggies
- 4 oz daikon radish
- 4 oz carrots
- 1 teaspoon salt for salting the veggies
- ⅓ cup vinegar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt for the brine
- 1 cup water
For Assembling
- 3 cups cooked sticky white rice or short grain rice
- 4 sheets nori
- 2 Persian cucumbers quartered lengthwise
- 2 scallions greens only, sliced
- neutral oil
- peanuts roasted and chopped
- sriracha optional, for topping
Instructions
Marinate the chicken:
- In a bowl, add the chicken thighs, oyster sauce, fish sauce, salt, honey, brown sugar, black pepper, dark soy sauce, minced lemongrass, minced shallot, and garlic. Mix until combined. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.1 lb chicken thighs, 1 shallot, 4 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 3 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoon brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, ¼ cup lemongrass
Make the pickled carrots and daikon radish:
- Cut the daikon and carrots into thin matchsticks. Toss them with 1 teaspoon of salt and let them sit for 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture. Rinse thoroughly in cold water and squeeze out any extra liquid.4 oz daikon radish, 4 oz carrots, 1 teaspoon salt
- In a bowl, add the sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, and water. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the vinegar and stir to combine.⅓ cup vinegar, ⅓ cup sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, 1 cup water
- Add the daikon and carrots to the brine and let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
Cook the chicken:
- Cook the chicken in a pan over medium heat, about 6-8 minutes per side until slightly caramelized and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
Assemble:
- To assemble, lay a sheet of nori, shiny side down, on a bamboo mat or dry surface. Spread a thin, even layer of rice over the nori, leaving about an inch bare at the top edge.3 cups cooked sticky white rice or short grain rice, 4 sheets nori
- Layer sliced chicken, pickled veggies, cucumber sticks, and scallion greens in a line across the bottom third of the rice.2 Persian cucumbers, 2 scallions
- Begin rolling tightly upward from the bottom, pressing firmly as you roll. Wet the top edge with a few dabs of water and roll to seal shut.
- Brush the roll with neutral oil and sprinkle with chopped roasted peanuts.neutral oil, peanuts
- Slice each gimbap roll into 8 pieces with a sharp knife. Top with optional sriracha and enjoy!sriracha
Notes
- Cool the rice slightly before rolling. Hot rice makes the nori shrivel up and is harder to work with.
- Slice your chicken thin. Thin strips roll up tighter and give you a cleaner bite.
- Drain the pickles before adding to the gimbap roll. The pickles will make the rice soggy.
- Gimbap is best enjoyed day of, so I'd recommend storing each component separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- When ready to enjoy, heat up the rice and chicken until just warm and assemble.
- If you have leftover rolls, they'll keep in the fridge in an airtight container for about a day.
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