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Cambodian Lemongrass chicken

Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken

Catalina T
Fragrant and full of exotic flavours with every bite. These mouthwatering grilled Cambodian Lemongrass Wings are our family favourite!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Marinade time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Cambodian
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 335 kcal

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.
    Cambodian lemongrass chicken
  • 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.
    chopping the chicken
  • 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.
    marinating the chicken
  • 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.
    placing wings on skewers
  • 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.
    cambodian lemongrass chicken

Notes

(NOTE 1) 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.
(NOTE 2) Light soy sauce (or regular soy sauce), but don't swap for dark or sweet soy sauce varieties, as these aren't interchangeable.
(NOTE 3) 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.
(NOTE 4) 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.  
(NOTE 5) 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.
(NOTE 6) 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.
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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 335kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 26gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 1032mgPotassium: 278mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 201IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 2mg