My dear friend Linda came down from San Francisco for an impromptu lunch yesterday. I needed to come up with something quick and easy fast. Linda loves big flavor and chile heat. My solution laid in a lovely bunch of lemon basil (bai maeng-lak) that I'd purchased on Saturday from the Hmong vendor at our farmer's market. If you're not familiar with lemon basil, get a hold of some. I whirled up the basil into a marinade and stuffed it under the skin of chicken thighs to let flavors penetrate pronto. The result was delicious. Linda had seconds and thirds of this lemon basil chicken.
In this post, I'll cover more about lemon basil and share the easygoing chicken recipe. You can substitute Thai basil for lemon basil for this chicken but when lemon basil is in season, use it. You'll celebrates the citrusy notes of that herb, which is popular in Thailand and Lao cuisine.
What is lemon basil?
I adore how lemon basil charms with its delicate leaves and potent lemongrass, mint and basil-y characteristics. You can learn more about it in my Asian basil guide. But basically, during summer and into early fall, it's Asian herb season. I typically overdose on lemon basil. Their delicate, light green leaves are slightly peppery with elements of lemongrass, basil, and mint.
Lemon basil is not widely used in Vietnamese cooking as we have herbs such as kinh gioi and tia to. (See the Vietnamese herb guide for details.) However, lemon basil is used in other Southeast Asian cuisines. For example, the Thais employ it in soup with shrimp. Lemon basil is one of three major Asian basils.
You don't have to only use it for Asian food. I recently put lemon basil on a crostini topped with the Sardines in Spicy Tomato Sauce. A side of sweet corn and umami mushroom got a bright lift from a last minute addition of lemon basil too.
How to let lemon basil shine in food
With this latest bunch of lemon basil, I wanted to use lots of it to show off the herb's wonderful flavor. This grilled chicken recipe hit the spot. It is similar to the Thai-style grilled chicken flavored with cilantro. If you don't have lemon basil, try another herb, such as Thai basil, rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), or kinh gioi (Vietnamese balm). Even regular Italian basil would work. The trick here is that the seasonings underneath the skin still remains bright and tasty. Look at the little green bits in the top photo.
Additionally, I deboned the chicken thighs to allow the marinade to penetrate the flesh. That little bit of butchering makes grilling a snap. If you don't debone the chicken, marinate for about 4 hours or overnight.
What would pair well with grilled lemon chicken?
Serve this chicken with steamed sticky rice and a salad. Or, serve with jasmine rice or for a festive occasion, opt for nasi ulam, a classic Malaysian herb and rice salad. Feature this chicken in a Vietnamese bun rice noodle bowl or a banh mi; use my master recipes for bun bowls and Vietnamese sandwiches to freestyle cook!
Grilled Lemon Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 large bone-in chicken thighs about 2 pounds | 900g total
- 2 large cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ cup lightly packed coarsely chopped lemon basil or Thai basil leaves
- 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- Thai Sweet Chile Sauce homemade or purchased
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Debone the chicken thighs. Use the tip of the knife blade to detach the flesh from the bone. Trim and discard any cartilage. Save the bones for stock, if you like. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.
- Make the marinade: In a small food processor or food chopper, grind the garlic, sugar, salt, and white pepper to a coarse texture. Add the basil leaves, fish sauce, and canola oil. Process to a fine texture, pausing the machine to scrape down the sides, as needed. Taste and it should have a strong flavor. Adjust things to satisfy your palate.
- Marinate the chicken: Transfer the marinade to the bowl of chicken. Use your hands to coat the chicken well. Make sure to peel back the skin to get seasonings between the skin and flesh. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.About 30 minutes before grilling, let the chicken sit at room temperature to remove some of the chill. Preheat a gas grill to medium or prepare a medium-hot fire. (You can also use a stove top grill on medium-high heat.)
- Grill and eat: Grill the chicken for about 12 minutes, turning frequently, until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and let sit for about 5 minutes. Slice the chicken into strips about ½-inch (1.25cm) wide. Arrange on a plate and serve with the sweet chile sauce.
Xuanie says
I just read your 'exceptional woman' interview and loved it. Your ideal 11 PM meal is exactly the same as mine, although I often sub in fish sauce. Your advice to first generation Asians is very inspiring. Thank you for those reassuring words.
Andrea Nguyen says
Thanks, Xuanie! LOL.
Belinda @zomppa says
What a lovely meal!! I am drooling at the flavors!
Thanh Viet says
Funny, coz I use to do the same receipe with Rau Ram under the skin... doing like a pesto with Rau Ram, garlic, Nuoc Mam without oil (the chicken fat is enough). The trick is to grill for some time, put it back in the marinade, and back on the grill...
Dave Weinstein says
I made a variant of this tonight, based on what I had around:
Rau Ram
Mint
Kaffir Lime Leaf
Lemongrass
Coriander Root
Stevia leaf (instead of sugar)
Pounded the paste in the mortar and pestle, added fish sauce, and then rubbed it under the skin. Cooked the thighs with indirect heat in the Weber kettle (so, around 400-500 degrees, but the chicken was not over the coals) for 20 minutes. Crisp skin, the fat melted into and cooked the herbal marinade, and the chicken was tender. I left the garlic out, and the herbal flavor really came through nicely.
Andrea Nguyen says
Nice Dave! Why you could put those herbs in the nasi ulam rice salad. Thanks for sharing. The tip with the Stevia is terrific.
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Have always wondered: Why are spring rolls called spring rolls? Is it because they were served during the vernal season? Any ideas? This burning question has always plagued me!
Hong says
Hi Andrea,
Is this lemon basil easy to grow indoors? I'm trying to grow more edible plants in our new apt because they're so pretty and practical! Any suggestion for other edible potted plants that don't attract lots of bugs would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
tasteofbeirut says
Interesting recipe full of flavor! will try this variety of basil asap!
Mr. Cooking Grill says
Now that's a hearty meal. Thanks for sharing.
marlon says
This grilled chicken recipe hit the spot. It is similar to the Thai grilled chicken flavored with cilantro.