Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Bowls
Get ready to dig into a delicious and satisfying meal that everyone in the family will enjoy! Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Bowls are a combination of salad, noodles and scrumptiously marinated chicken that becomes wonderfully tangy and caramelized when cooked. Generously spoon on the nuoc cham sauce to complete your bowl and savor all of the amazing flavors that are in this dish.
Jump to RecipeChicken Marinade Ingredients
Above are the chicken thighs with all of the ingredients necessary for the marinade: lemongrass, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, gf soy sauce, brown sugar and canola/vegetable oil.
Pat dry and trim any fat from the chicken thighs. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl and then add thighs to the marinade.* Let thighs marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. If marinating for more than 1 hour, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook the chicken. (See NOTE section below for instructions on how to work with lemongrass.)
*Shortcut Tip: Marinate the chicken thighs in Soy Vay’s new Gluten Free Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce and then follow chicken cooking instructions as detailed below.
Cooking Marinated Chicken Thighs
Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a medium or large pan over medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off large bits of lemongrass (small bits should fall off during cooking). Cook until caramelized and browned on both sides, approx. 6-8 minutes total. Let chicken rest for five minutes and then slice horizontally.
Rice Vermicelli Noodles
I use Banh Hoi brand rice vermicelli noodles. It’s a big bag with lots of noodles. I use approximately half of the bag for this recipe. You can find these noodles at your local asian market and at some supermarkets.
Cook noodles according to package instructions. Sometimes the instructions aren’t in english. If this occurs, soak vermicelli noodles in hot, boiled water for 3 minutes or until noodles soften. Then drain noodles.
Nouc Cham Sauce and Prepped Vegetables
Mix all seven Nuoc Cham sauce ingredients and set aside. Cut carrots, cucumbers and lettuce. Also, organize any other herbs, bean sprouts and garnishes you may be using. From here you can make individualized bowls and serve or let everyone make-their-own noodle bowls which is a really fun, family-style way to go.
Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Bowls
How good does this Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Bowl look? And the taste is even better. You’ll want seconds…I promise.
Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Bowls
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs approx 6 thighs or 1 1/4-1 1/2 lbs.
- 1 stalk lemongrass sliced into 2” pieces or substitute 1 tablespoon lemon zest Refer to NOTE section below for prep instructions
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice fresh squeezed
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce I use San-J
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil divided (1 tablespoon for the marinade, 2 tablespoons for cooking the chicken)
Nuoc Cham sauce
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar unseasoned, also known as rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 jalapeno finely chopped, seeds removed for less spice
- 3 tablespoons lime juice fresh squeezed
Noodle Bowl
- 1/2 package dried rice vermicelli noodles approx 1/2 package or 8 oz
- 2 carrots julienned or pre-cut
- 2 cucumbers julienned or sliced into half moons, remove seeds if desired
- 5 cups iceberg lettuce finely sliced, romaine lettuce can be substituted
- 3 cups bean sprouts optional
- handful of mint, basil and/or cilantro leaves chopped or torn ,optional
Garnish
- jalapeno or red chiles sliced thinly
- peanuts chopped or crushed
- lime wedges
Instructions
CHICKEN
- Mix together marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
- Rinse, pat dry and trim any fat from the chicken. Then add thighs to the marinade and set aside for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. (If marinating for more than 1 hour, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook chicken)
- To cook chicken thighs, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium to large pan over medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off large bits of lemongrass (small bits should fall off during cooking).
- Place thighs in pan and cook each side until dark golden brown and chicken is just cooked through – about 6 to 8 minutes in total for medium-sized thighs. Cook time will be less for smaller thighs and more for larger thighs.
- Remove chicken from pan, shaking off any remaining bits of visible lemongrass and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Then slice into thin pieces horizontally.
NUOC CHAM SAUCE
- Combine fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, water, garlic, jalapeno and lime juice. Mix well to dissolve the sugar. You can adjust the sauce to your taste…add more sugar to make it sweeter, more lime to make it more tangy, etc. Set sauce aside for at least 20 minutes.
NOODLE BOWL INGREDIENTS
- Soak vermicelli noodles in hot, boiled water for 3 minutes (or cook according to package instructions). Then drain noodles.
- Organize and prep carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, sprouts (if using), herbs and garnish items (if using).
TO ASSEMBLE NOODLE BOWLS
- Place a handful of noodles in a bowl (as little or as many noodles as you'd like). Top noodles with vegetables, herbs, and sliced chicken pieces. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of Nuoc Cham Sauce (be generous) and garnish if desired with lime wedges, peanuts and hot peppers.
- You can also let everyone make their own noodle bowl which is really fun, family-style way to go. Place the chicken, noodles, vegetables, herbs, Nuoc Cham sauce and garnishes in separate bowls or platters.
Notes
This recipe is from Recipetineats.com and was modified by me for gluten free eating.
If you like this recipe, you may also like these other GFchow recipes. Korean-Style Steak Lettuce Wraps, Drunken Noodles with Chicken, and Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup.
GLUTEN FREE DISCLAIMER
The recipes you find here are considered by me to be gluten free. However, it is up to you to make sure the ingredients you use are gluten free. Whenever possible, I will list specific brands of ingredients that I use, but always be sure to check the labels yourself to verify the item is gluten free.
While the fish sauce makes the kitchen smell a little funky, this recipe was a winner! I prepared the bowls for each member of the family, just so they could get the whole experience, and so I knew the ingredients would be evenly distributed. Everyone loved it!
Yes! Thanks for experimenting with the fish sauce. Personally, I think fish sauce is a secret ingredient in lots of fantastic recipes.