Fragrant and full of exotic flavours with every bite. These mouthwatering grilled Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken Wings are our family favourite!
Updated 30 September 2023
We LOVE Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken!
Cambodia is one of our favourite countries my husband and I have visited. Tomi and I fell in love with Cambodia’s culture, Angkor Wat, and their glorious food.
From 1975 to January 1979, Cambodians went through atrocious times under the Khmer Rouge regime. With all the hardship they’ve endured, it hasn’t affected their spirits. They greeted us with warm, welcoming smiles. Cambodians are some of the friendliest and funniest people we’ve met.
Tomi and I’ve experienced some severe food poisoning from our travel adventures from binging on street food. So what do we do? We try some more street food of course!.. and hope for the best 😂 Why, you may ask? Street food vendors have the most authentic and best-tasting dishes and snacks and they’re dirt cheap.
This was how we discovered their OH SO AMAZING Lemongrass Chicken Wings.
The intoxicating smell of chicken and lemongrass lured us to a lady on the side of the road. She was diligently grilling several wings over a smoky BBQ. We handed her US$2, then she handed us two wings on bamboo skewers.
We didn’t even wait for them to cool down and didn’t care if we burnt our mouths. The tantalising aromas were too much … and OMG… How do I describe these wings? They were FRICKIN AMAZING, out of this world, delicious! One of the best things we put in our mouths. I had to control myself because I had the biggest urge to give that lady a high five and a hug 🤗
Subscribe to 3CatsFoodie’s FREE Newsletter
For the latest recipes and other fun stuff!
Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken
Skewered chicken wings? I think this is a genius idea because everything tastes better on skewers and they’re fun to eat. They also look great and are easier to grill, as you can use the skewers to turn the wings. However, skewering wings is optional, so skipping this step won’t affect the overall recipe.
How to skewer wings?
You’ll need thick, strong bamboo skewers or metal skewers. Thread the chicken through the drumette, then through the mid-wing and push the skewer out at the tip of the wings. Watch the video guide below for a visual guide on this step.
The best way to grill Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken?
Hands down, I recommend grilling them on a charcoal barbeque for the best flavour. However, in saying this, I know this method isn’t practical for everyone practical for everyone. Not to worry though, you could grill/broil and bake these wings too. I’ve included these methods in my recipe. They’ll still turn out delicious but won’t have that smoky BBQ taste.
How to serve Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken?
Cambodians usually have these chicken wings as appetisers or as a snack. I love turning them into mains by adding steamed rice, vegetables, or pickles.
More delicious South East Asian recipes to try at home
Ingredients for Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken
Lemongrass – Use only the softer parts of the lemongrass, otherwise, the marinade will be too fibrous. If you are unfamiliar with how to prepare lemongrass, I have written a post on How to prepare lemongrass or watch my video guide below.
Kaffir lime leaves – A single kaffir lime leaf looks like there are two leaves conjoined together. These leaves are aromatic with a unique spiced citrus flavour. Greengrocers usually stock kaffir lime leaves near their herb section.
Palm sugar – Palm sugar is made from the sap of the coconut palm tree, so there’s no need to harvest the tree, which means it’s sustainable. There are light and dark varieties stocked in supermarkets and Asian grocers. Any is fine, however, make sure it’s 100% palm sugar for that original caramel taste. For this recipe, you could also swap palm sugar with equal amounts of white or firmly packed brown sugar.
Light soy sauce (or regular soy sauce), but don’t use dark or sweet soy sauce varieties, as these aren’t interchangeable.
Fish sauce – My favourite brand is Thai ‘Squid’ fish sauce, but any brand of fish sauce would work. Fish sauce is pungent with an intense fish smell, but it adds a unique salty savoury flavour to dishes. Supermarkets usually stock their fish sauce in the International section or purchase a bottle at 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. Although I highly recommend this brand, other chicken powder or chicken bouillon cubes would work as a substitute.
Watch how to make Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken
Step-by-step guide with photos
For the spice paste – Place all spice paste ingredients into a large mortar and pound until it’s paste-like. Alternatively, place the ingredients into a food processor and blitz into a paste.
Turn the wing so its fleshy side is facing up, then make 3 deep slashes to the bone using a sharp knife. Slashing the wings will make them absorb more of the marinade and they’ll grill faster.
Place wings, spice paste, and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Use your hands to massage the ingredients into the wings. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
If skewering the wings – Use thick strong bamboo skewers or metal skewers. Thread the chicken through the drumette, then through the mid-wing and push the skewer out at the tip of the wings.
Choose a method to cook the wings:
Barbeque using charcoal (for the best flavour) or gas – When the coals are ready, place the chicken on the grill. Turn the wings every 5 to 6 minutes until they’re cooked through (20 to 30 minutes of cooking time in total)
Grilling (broil) – Grill the wings over high heat and turn them every 5 to 6 minutes until they’re cooked through (20 to 30 minutes cooking time)
Baking – Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F) or 180°C (360°F) for fan-forced ovens. If possible, place the wings on a baking rack with a large baking tray underneath it. Bake the chicken for 40 to 45 minutes, turn the wings over after 30 minutes of baking.
Leftovers -Allow the wings to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer into a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
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.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken wings
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (NOTE 1)
- 2 tsp light soy sauce (NOTE 2)
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp chicken powder (or chicken stock powder) (NOTE 3)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE SPICE PASTE
- 2 lemongrass (soft parts only, sliced finely) (NOTE 4)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 cm ginger (30gm/1oz sliced thinly)
- 2 Kaffir lime leaves (chopped finely) (NOTE 5)
- 2 tbsp palm sugar (chopped finely) (NOTE 6)
Instructions
- For the spice paste – Place all spice paste ingredients into a large mortar and pound until it's paste-like. Alternatively, place the ingredients into a food processor and blitz into a paste.
- Turn the wing so its fleshy side is facing up, then make 3 deep slashes to the bone using a sharp knife. Slashing the wings will make them absorb more of the marinade and they'll grill faster.
- Place wings, spice paste, and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Use your hands to massage the ingredients into the wings. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
- If skewering the wings – Use thick strong bamboo skewers or metal skewers. Thread the chicken through the drumette, then through the mid-wing and push the skewer out at the tip of the wings.
- Choose a method to cook the wings:Barbeque using charcoal (for the best flavour) or gas – When the coals are ready, place the chicken on the grill. Turn the wings every 5 to 6 minutes until they're cooked through (20 to 30 minutes of cooking time in total)Grilling (broil) – Grill the wings over high heat and turn them every 5 to 6 minutes until they're cooked through (20 to 30 minutes cooking time)Baking – Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F) or 180°C (360°F) for fan-forced ovens. If possible, place the wings on a baking rack with a large baking tray underneath it. Bake the chicken for 40 to 45 minutes, turn the wings over after 30 minutes of baking.
