Enjoy these easy and tasty Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Patties with rice vermicelli noodles, salad, rice or a baguette
Quick & tasty Vietnamese-style patties
I’m crazy about lemongrass! It’s my go-to aromatherapy scent, bringing back memories of gorgeous Thai spas. Culinary wise, it’s incredible because there’s nothing like it, so unique with its own flavour.
Do you know who else love lemongrass? Teddie and Caviar, my fluffy kitties. I have a pot of lemongrass growing on my balcony and they eat that with more enthusiasm than catnip! Actually, my cats prefer dried catnip to fresh, but it’s banned due to them engaging in violent wrestling while under the influence.
Anyway, moving on, l’m so excited to use lemongrass to make these little tasty Vietnamese-style patties! Chicken drumstick meat made a wonderful substitute for pork; the patties were lighter, but equally delicious.
These patties come together so quickly and easily because the food processor does the most of the hard work for us. Everything gets blended into a paste, then pan-fried for a few minutes, and it’s ready!
You’ll have authentic tasting Lemongrass Chicken Patties that are delightfully bouncy in texture! A delicious combination of salty, sweet, and aromatic flavours from the garlic, shallots and lemongrass. These patties are great in Bún chả (a Vietnamese vermicelli noodle dish), or served alongside rice, salad, or in a baguette.
Lemongrass Chicken Patties
How do these Chicken Lemongrass Patties taste like?
These patties are savoury, salty, sweet and deliciously aromatic from the ginger, shallot and lemongrass. Unlike pork-based versions, these have a lighter taste but still have a satisfyingly bouncy texture.
What meat to use in Vietnamese lemongrass patties?
For this recipe, you could swap chicken with pork or even beef. For easier processing, chop the meat into small pieces or just use ground meat.
Using a food processor
Pulsing the meat using a food processor until it turns into a sticky paste will give the patties a delightful bouncy texture when cooked. A key textural element of Vietnamese-style grilled ground meat.
If you’re not fussed about having a bouncy texture, just use ground meat and skip the food processor. Pound the garlic, shallot, and lemongrass into a paste using mortar and pestle, then thoroughly mix all the ingredients by hand.
How to serve with Lemongrass Chicken patties
Serve these patties in Bún chả, a Vietnamese dish of vermicelli noodles and salad. They’re also tasty with rice, salad, or in a baguette with pickle.
More simple Vietnamese recipes to try at home:
Ingredients for Lemongrass Chicken Patties
Chicken – For added texture and flavour, I used boneless, skinless chicken drumsticks, but chicken thighs are also a great option. You could also use chicken breast or pre-ground pork or chicken.
Lemongrass – Use only the inner and softer parts of the lemongrass. If you are unfamiliar with how to prepare lemongrass, I have written a post on How to prepare lemongrass or watch my video guide for Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken.
Shallots (eschalot or French shallots) – Shallots look like small brown onions but are skinny and oval-shaped with a mild flavour. They’re difficult to peel and are usually more expensive than other types of onions. You could swap them for equal amounts of brown or red onions.
Fish sauce – My favourite brand is ‘Squid’ fish sauce from Thailand, but any brand of fish sauce would work. Despite its strong fish odour, fish sauce imparts a distinctive savoury taste to dishes. You should be able to pick up a bottle at the supermarket or at an Asian grocer.
Oyster sauce – Despite its name, oyster sauce does not have a strong oyster or fishy flavour. Oyster sauce adds a depth of flavour to dishes and has a rich, savoury and slightly sweet flavour profile. Grab a bottle at the international section at a supermarket or visit an Asian grocer.
Chicken powder – I cannot live without Knorr Chicken Powder (not sponsored). It seriously enhances the taste in many of my savoury dishes. Other brands of chicken powder, chicken stock powder, or crumbled chicken bouillon cubes would also work.
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How to make Lemongrass Chicken Patties
Step-by-step guide with photos
Place all ingredients except the oil into a large food processor. Press the pulse button repeatedly for a few seconds at a time to combine the ingredients into a sticky paste. You may have to stop to scrape the sides and bottom of the processor bowl a few times.
In a large non-stick frying pan / skillet, heat of oil over medium-high heat. Scoop the sticky chicken paste using either two regular spoons or a cookie scoop. I made mini patties by using 1.5 tbsp of paste, but you could make any size you like. Depending on the pan size, you’ll need to fry the patties in batches. Place the balls of paste onto the frying pan and use an oiled spatula to press them down into patties. Fry the patties for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked. Serve these patties with rice, noodles, salad or in a baguette.
How to store Lemongrass Chicken Patties
Leftovers – To store the patties, allow them to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer them to a sealed container and store in fridge for up to 3 days. When frozen, the patties will keep for 3 months.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
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Cheers – Cat T
Lemongrass Chicken Patties
Video
Ingredients
- 1kg / 2.2lb boneless & skinless chicken thighs or drumstick meat, roughly chopped into small chucks (NOTE 1)
- 2 lemongrass, soft parts only, thinly sliced (NOTE 2)
- 1 large (85g / 3oz) shallot or eschalot, diced finely (NOTE 3)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp (40ml / 1.4floz) fish sauce (NOTE 4)
- 1 tbsp (20ml / 0.7floz) oyster sauce (NOTE 5)
- 2 tbsp (40g / 1.4oz) brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp chicken powder (NOTE 6)
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 2 tbsp (40ml / 1.4floz) peanut, canola or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the oil into a large food processor. Press the pulse button repeatedly for a few seconds at a time to combine the ingredients into a sticky paste. You may have to stop to scrape the sides and bottom of the processor bowl a few times.
- In a large non-stick frying pan / skillet, heat of oil over medium-high heat. Scoop the sticky chicken paste using either two regular spoons or a cookie scoop. I made mini patties by using 1.5 tbsp of paste, but you could make any size you like. Depending on the pan size, you'll need to fry the patties in batches. Place the balls of paste onto the frying pan and use an oiled spatula to press them down into patties. Fry the patties for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked. Serve these patties with rice, noodles, salad or in a baguette.
