Lemongrass Chicken Rice Paper Rolls

You could make chicken rice paper rolls using plain shredded chicken. But they’re so much more exciting with caramelised little bits of lemongrass marinated chicken! Peanut dipping sauce always mandatory.

Gỏi cuốn – rice paper rolls – summer rolls – fresh spring rolls!

These Vietnamese rice paper rolls go by many names around the world – summer rolls, fresh spring rolls. Unlike Chinese spring rolls, they’re not cooked. The rice paper is simply hydrated in water to make them pliable, then they’re usually filled with fresh herbs, greens, finely julienned crunchy vegetables as well as protein (prawns, pork, tofu) and rice noodles. (See my prawn rice paper rolls here).

I love that they’re light and fresh yet not boring “healthy food”.

Today I’m sharing a chicken version with a fragrant Vietnamese lemongrass marinade that caramelises into little candied bites, channelling Vietnamese beef jerky khô bò vibes.

Perfect as a meal for balmy evenings or served cut in half on a party platter. And heads up – the peanut dipping sauce might steal the show. It’s really annoying because the rolls take considerably more effort than the 1 minute sauce. 😆

Ingredients in Lemongrass Chicken Rice Paper Rolls

Here’s what you need to make these. Don’t get too hung up on the vegetables I use, there’s loads of options!

1. Lemongrass chicken marinade

The marinade is adapted from my Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken recipe. The main difference is that I grate rather than bash-and-slice the lemongrass here so it’s fine to cook with the chicken and eat. Ordinarily, I bash-then-slice, mix into the marinade to infuse then pick out the bits before cooking (lemongrass is quite tough and reedy).

• Lemongrass – Fresh will give the best flavour but I would not hesitate to use frozen (the finely chopped type) or paste (I use the type from the fridge because I find the shelf-stable one doesn’t taste much like lemongrass). Substitute with 1 tsp lime zest – it’s not the same as lemongrass but will add a nice citrusy Vietnamese-vibe flavour to the marinade.

• Chicken – Thighs caramelise better than breast and have a nicer texture inside, especially in the manner in which it’s cooked in this recipe. The chicken is chopped so small and they are essentially “candied”, completely different to searing a whole chicken cutlet where we aim to keep the inside nice and succulent. So thighs will give a nicer texture inside (because it’s a juicier cut of chicken), but having said that I didn’t mind this with breast.

• Fish sauce – More depth of flavour than soy sauce, this is what makes this simple marinade so good!

• Sugar – Vietnamese marinades are typically quite sweet. We don’t use stacks in this – 2 tablespoons – but enough to give the chicken bits a nice caramelisation on the surface.

• Lime juice – For a touch of tang. Substitute with rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

• Garlic – Hard to find an Asian marinade on my website without!

2. STUFFING

Here’s what I put inside these summer rolls for a nice textural contrast, but there’s loads of options – see below!

• Rice paper sheets – Sold at regular grocery stores these days and of course, Asian stores! They are good value, around $2.30 for 16 sheets though I tend to opt for the larger packets from Asian stores because they last *forever* and are better value ($3 – $4 for 40 sheets). The size is pretty standard, around 22cm / 8.5″ in diameter. They are stiff in the packet and need a brief plunge in water to hydrate in order to use them. They can be cooked (they go crispy!) or eaten raw which is how it’s used for rice paper rolls.

• Fresh herbs – An essential part of Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls!! Mint is the key for me, it is what makes them so fresh and beautiful and typically I’ll just use mint but if I’m going the extra mile, I’ll use a second herb and coriander/cilantro is my typical choice. Vietnamese mint, Thai Basil and chives are also wonderful. I like to mix it up!

• Carrot for crunch – Finely julienned for some crunch! Cucumbers are also a favourite – either finely sliced or julienned, as are pickled carrots and daikon (recipe here). Bean sprouts are also a common option – they can get a bit pokey and difficult to roll though, so pop over to my prawn rice paper rolls recipe for a cheeky way to manage them (in brief: bundle inside soft lettuce and scrunch!).

• Leafy greens – I’m using finely shredded green and purple cabbage for a lovely pop of colour inside these rolls. Slice very thinly so the cabbage is nice and floppy – if it’s stiff and twiggy, it can tear the rice paper. Alternatives – Any finely sliced lettuce (even kale would work, though I’m not sure how Vietnam would feel about that!), or pieces of soft lettuce that you can just tear and fold rather than slice (like butter lettuce, oak lettuce).

• Vermicelli noodles or other very thin noodles (like glass noodles) – This adds bulk and is also useful for “weighing down” fluffy vegetables to make it easier to roll up (yes, my mind really thinks like that!).

3. peanut dipping sauce

Everybody loves the peanut dipping sauce for rice paper rolls! But truth is, hoisin is the dominant flavour, with peanut in the background. It’s also quite sweet. The thickness varies — I like it thicker for Prawn Rice Paper Rolls so it clings, but today I’ve made it a bit thinner as the fine fillings act like little mops to soak it up.

Honestly though, either version works no matter what fillings you use. I’m just being fussy (apparently I overthink these things 😆).

Here’s what you need:

• Peanut butter – I use natural peanut butter because it has a thinner texture and stronger peanut flavour than spreads (like Bega, Skippy’s), because as I mention above, I’m intentionally making a thinner sauce for today’s rice paper rolls. However, you can totally use spread instead, you’ll just need a little extra milk to loosen the sauce.

• Hoisin sauce – The dominant flavour in the sauce, and adds some sweetness.

• Vinegar – For a touch of tang, otherwise it’s just sweet.

• Milk – or water or coconut milk, to thin the sauce. I use milk because it makes the sauce the colour I’m aiming for. You can use any type of milk, dairy or not, full or zero fat (in case you are wondering, I use low fat cow’s milk!).

• Garlic – For flavour, finely grate it using a microplane so it disappears into the sauce.

• Sambal oelak or other chilli paste – 100% optional!! For a tiny touch of heat.

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How to make Lemongrass Chicken Rice Paper Rolls

The key thing to remember with rice paper rolls is that it doesn’t matter if yours are lopsided, floppy or even split open a bit! Half the fun is laughing at everyone’s rolling efforts. 😆 Most importantly, they’ll still taste absolutely fabulous, no matter how scruffy they look!

1. Marinade chicken 15 minutes – Slice chicken into small thin pieces (2.5cm/1″ long, 3mm/1/8″ thick). Mix with marinade and set aside for 15 minutes while you prep the other ingredients – the pieces are so small they don’t need longer.

2. Soak noodles in boiling water for 2 minutes (or however long your packet says). Drain well in a colander then cool thoroughly before using.

3. Sauce – Mix the peanut butter dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl. If you think it’s a little thick, loosen with extra milk (peanut butter consistencies can vary).

   Note: If using spread rather than natural peanut butter and it won’t mix together smoothly, just pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds to warm. Then mix again and it will come together.

4. Cook chicken – Heat oil in a large non-stick pan until very hot. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly (else it will go watery) until it is golden. Transfer on a plate and spread out to cool before using.

   Cook in two batches if your pan is too crowded or your stove is not very strong, else the chicken will go watery.

5. Dip rice paper – Fill a bowl with cold tap water. Then dip the rice paper in for 2 – 3 seconds and transfer onto a cutting board. It will be stiff at first but will soften as you stuff and by the time you start rolling it will be soft enough to roll.

   Note: Some rice paper rolls need a little more water than others. If the rice paper still has some firmer patches when you’re ready to roll, just use your fingers to wet them a bit. You can even do this after they are rolled!

6. Stuffings – There are no rules for the order in which to stuff, though I do try to position things so it looks nice rather than like a party streamer explosion inside (albeit a delicious one!). So I sprinkle coriander / cilantro in the middle then top with chicken. Next, carrot, cabbages, mint and then weigh the pile down with rice noodles to make it easier to roll (loop around your hand to make them a neat bundle).

   TIP: Don’t pile everything in the dead centre, nor in the lower third. Do it sort of in the lower-centre. Hard to explain, so here’s a diagram of the filling position:

HOW I ROLL RICE PAPER ROLLS

Remember – wonky rice paper rolls still taste FAB!

1. Fold the bottom up over the filling.

2. Fold the sides in.

3. Then roll up firmly to enclose the filling.

4. Voila! You rice paper rolling genius, you!

Ways to serve rice paper rolls

It goes without saying that under all scenarios, the peanut dipping sauce is present!

• Rolled, whole – Eat at the table like a civilised person, or eat on the go! (You do need a landing pad for the sauce though. Dunk – walk – dunk – walk. You’ll get the hang of it!).

• Cut, finger food style – cut in half and stand upright so you see all the lovely colours. Then pass it around as finger food!

• DIY situation – Lay out all the stuffing components, bowls of water and let everyone do their own! Or, put another way, save yourself some work. 😈 (PS You can also pitch this as legit because some restaurants do offer this.)

Love to know what you think if you get a chance to try these! – Nagi x

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Watch how to make it

In the video, I stack the rice paper rolls. That was silly! They are a bit sticky so they got stuck to each other. What was I thinking? 🙂

Life of Dozer

**Confess – Did you skip down to Dozer before looking at the recipe??!! 😆 YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY ONE!!**

There are no peaceful lunches on site when The Boss is on duty…..🐾🌯🌯🌯

He spent a lot of time stalking around the kitchen, making sure it was being built to his exact snack storage specifications! 😂