This is one of those really deceiving recipes.
Kind of like the item of clothing you see in the store and swear it will look awful on you: but try it on, and voila! A perfect fit. A match made in heaven.
How can so few ingredients yield anything special? Trust me on this one, this IS a special dish. It is easy to throw together, and creates a pretty fabulous dinner!
Andrea Nguyen hit a home-run again with this recipe. Don’t be deceived by the simple ingredients, it is really delicious and the dipping sauce is a must! I could eat this every week, no problem! My kids gobble it up too.
If you are not accustomed to fish sauce, or think you will hate, try again! Fish sauce is the salt in many Asian cuisines. I am a very finicky fish eater…any sort of fish taste and I head for the hills, really. Even as far as my taste buds have come from my picky beginnings. Fish sauce even smells funkilicious, but once in your food and cooked, it makes dishes truly sing. If you have ever eaten Thai or Vietnamese food, you can bet you have had fish sauce.
PLAN FOR MARINATE TIME!!

Simple Vietnamese Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or if you prefer, with skin (lean cuts of meat will not work overly well with this dish)
- Marinade:
- 1/4 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 4 tablespoons light olive oil
- Dipping Sauce : adjust to personal preferences, this is enough for 1-2 people:
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 4 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 serrano chile sliced (w/ the seeds will be more spicy, without less so)
Instructions
-
Mix all marinade ingredients together.
-
Add in chicken and marinate for at least 3 hours, I usually put it together in the morning or at lunchtime.
-
Preheat grill to hot.
-
Add chicken to quickly sear for a couple of minutes, then flip to do the same to the other side.
-
Turn down temp to med-low, close your lid, and let cook gently until done (Meat will register 165 degrees)
-
Remove from grill, tent with some foil, and let the meat rest a couple of minutes.
-
Slice and serve with sticky rice and dipping sauce!
Recipe Notes
PLAN FOR MARINATE TIME!!
This recipe was shared with Healthy Green Natural, Tasty Tuesday, Hearth & Soul, Recipe of the Week, Wednesday Showcase,
Any of the links in my posts may be affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, I might make a commission. Your support is much appreciated and pays for the cost of running this free resource!
I’ve made this a lot – delicious!
Glad you like it Betsy, one of my go-to quick and easy dinners
Simple = MY FAVORITE so this is right up my alley!
Love this post-I’m the same fish stocks/fish ingredients can be strong but your marinade looks and sounds perfect. Love the dress analogy too! I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
Delicious! My husband and I have made it several times and love it. Our grill is broken this week, so going to try in our grill tray in the oven tonight.
Glad you like it as much as we do Betsey, hope the no grill version works well too!
I put it under the broiler for a few minutes on each side and works well.
good to know Betsey, thanks!!
Thanks for sharing on Mostly Homemade Mondays! I hope you join us again next week 🙂
Kelli @ The Sustainable Couple
What an interesting and delicious looking recipe! I’ve pinned for later so that I can try it. I’ve never used fish sauce. Where do you find it? Thanks for sharing at Savoring Saturdays!
First time seeing your blog and love the way you focus on healthy eating and dietary restrictions.
Love all types of Asian cuisine and, as my daughter-in-law is part Vietnamese, next time she visits I will surprise her with this meal. It really looks delicious! Thanks for sharing on Waste Not Want Not Wednesday.
How can I make this recipe on the stove or in the oven? I don’t have a grill. Thanks!
This looks MARVELOUS! Think I’ll do it with drumsticks and and thighs. Thanks so much.
This is a very nice chicken dish. Would you be happy to link it in to my Chicken Edition of Food on Friday? This is the link . I found you via Melt in Your Mouth Monday.
I love the simplicity of this Tessa. Beautiful flavors are allowed to shine through. You’re right that fish sauce smells really funky but it imparts such great flavor.
This flavor combo looks really good. Thanks for sharing with GAPS Friendly Fridays! A reminder for GAPSters: Choose the honey, not the sugar!
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back later tonight when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts! 🙂
I cook a lot with fish sauce and anchovy paste it really heightens flavor. Thanks for sharing this on foodie friday and I will pin it too.
Mmmm…I love this recipe! My husband is Vietnamese so we eat a lot of the traditional foods here. I like how you educate everyone about fish sauce…it really does make the food “sing.” Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Fish sauce is so misunderstood in our culture! I love traditional Vietnamese food too Michelle, a total weakness of mine!
This chicken would be delicious, Tessa. Hope you are having a great week and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
you are a diva indeed! thanks for linking with KiK
Tessa, I have purposefully stayed away from chicken for awhile, just because it seemed like that was all we were eating. This recipe has encouraged me to stop and pick up a pack of thighs and prepare this for dinner one night. Our daughter is not fond of ‘hot’ or ‘spicy’ foods, so I will probably have to cut back in that area. Thanks for sharing this week!
I CANNOT WAIT to try this!!! Pinning!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yum! I pinned this one for this summer.
not surprised…..I'd thought about it, but chicken breasts do not lend themselves to charring, they dry out too quickly! Thanks for letting everyone know for sure! As with any recipe that has very few simple ingredients, each ingredient pays an even larger roll in the finished product.
I made this dish with chicken breasts b/c it's what I had in the freezer AND wouldn't recommend it. I think the thighs would offer more flavor…fyi!
yes you will…but as with all peppers, some can be fiery, others more mellow, even if they are the same variety. I've never had a problem with the seeds myself, but I do like spicy things! And you don;t have to eat the peppers/seeds if it is too much for you.
will i still taste the serrano if I seed it? how hot are they?