Lemongrass Chili Marinade for Grilled Chicken

This recipe combines aromatic lemongrass with spicy chili paste to create a flavorful marinade for grilled chicken. It’s perfect for kicking off the start of grilling season!

It wasn’t until we began exploring the BBQ meats of Korean, Thai and Hawaiian cuisines that we discovered the deliciousness of the chicken thigh. Prior to that, our meals were most often made up of chicken breasts and the occasional full roasted bird. 

To be honest, the chicken breast alone leaves a lot to be desired. When it is not cooked with the rest of the bird, it’s often dry and tasteless. At least that was my experience. Even the best marinades and fillings rolled up inside couldn’t seem to make it any better. 

So after enjoying some grilled meats from the cuisines of the countries mentioned above, and wondering why they had so much flavor, I finally learned that the secret is in the chicken thigh.

I’m surprised I’ve come around to enjoying them because I really don’t like dark meat. But when they are pounded, marinated and grilled, the flavor is just too tasty for even me to ignore. 

For the past couple years (since we finally moved back into a place with room to grill), we’ve enjoyed chicken thigh fillets with a variety of rubs and marinades. Since grilled chicken has returned as a staple for us, sometimes I have to break out of a marinade rut and try something different. We’d been using a Korean marinade for the longest time, and then we switched to some store-bought rubs. 

Last week, I got some lemongrass from the farmers market, so I started thinking about how it could flavor our chicken. This recipe doesn’t stray too far from the base of many Asian marinades, but it does incorporate that beautiful aromatic flavor of lemongrass with one of my other favorite ingredients, chili paste, or sambal oelek. If you are unfamiliar, it should be easy to find in the hot sauce or Asian section of your supermarket. 

You have a few creative liberties with this recipe. Specifically with the chili paste. I used about 2 teaspoons, but if you like spicy, I’d suggest increasing it to 3 or 4. I also used coconut sugar which has a complex sweetness. Brown sugar can easily be substituted, but your version may taste a bit sweeter. This isn’t a bad thing. It might even tame some of the saltiness of the soy sauce, if you prefer that.

We liked how the flavors came together as they are, but marinades are flexible so have fun with it. 

Lemongrass Chili Marinade for Grilled Chicken

Makes: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sliced lemongrass
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 to 4 teaspoons chili paste (sambal oelek)
2 teaspoons coconut sugar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 1/4 lb. chicken thigh fillets

Prep

Place all ingredients, except the chicken, in a blender. Pulse for 5 to 10 second intervals until all ingredients are finally chopped and blended together. 

Lay the chicken thighs in a 11 x 7 inch baking dish. (If the thighs are thick, I sometimes place them between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment and pound thin. This is optional.) It will be crowded in the dish, but lay the thighs in a single layer, or as close as you can get. 

Pour the marinade over the chicken. Turn each piece to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 6 hours. I usually marinade it for 4 to 5 hours. Turn the chicken at least once while it marinades. 

Pull the chicken out of the fridge about 15 minutes before you are ready to take it to the grill. 

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