Lemongrass chicken rice paper rolls

Lunch | Vietnamese

Prep time: 35 min Cook time: 10 min Servings: 8

These are fresh Vietnamese-style rice paper rolls filled with lemongrass-marinated chicken, rice vermicelli, herbs and vegetables. The marinade is lemongrass, shallot, garlic, fish sauce, light soy and brown sugar. Lemongrass gives the chicken a fragrant, citrusy quality that is distinctly Southeast Asian. After marinating, the chicken is chargrilled so it picks up some colour and a slightly smoky edge before being cooled and rolled.

The lemongrass chicken is what takes most of the work in this recipe but it’s still very simple. We’re going to marinate it in a lemongrass mix for 30 minutes in the fridge before cooking. When it’s ready to cook, heat a grill plate or you BBQ and get it quite hot before adding the chicken. This will allow it to get a nice colour, adding to the flavour and texture. Once it’s cooked, place the chicken on a rack with a tray so it can cool down before you add it to the rice paper rolls.

A little tip when rolling these, the rice paper will have a smooth side and a textured side. Once you wet it, make sure the smooth side is facing down so it becomes the outside of your roll, not the textured.

Ingredient notes

Lemongrass: Finely grate using a microplane or fine grater. Make sure when you’re grating it to remove any large pieces that break off. You want it all to be quite fine otherwise it will be hard to mix in with the marinade.

Rice paper sheets: Rice paper sheets are thin, dry rounds made from rice flour. They soften quickly in water and become pliable and sticky enough to roll. The key is a brief dip in cold water, just 5 seconds or so, until the sheet is barely wet. It will feel stiff but continues to absorb moisture on the board. By the time you’ve arranged the fillings it will be perfectly pliable. Over-soaking makes them tear easily when you fold.

Chicken breast: Slice the chicken as thinly as possible, around 3mm, so it marinates quickly and cooks through fast on the chargrill. Allow it to cool fully to room temperature before rolling, otherwise the heat softens the rice paper from the inside.

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Microplane or fine grater
Large bowl
Saucepan
Chargrill pan or frying pan
Shallow bowl

Ingredients

1 stick lemongrass, finely grated
1 shallot, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
100g rice vermicelli
8 rice paper sheets
Vietnamese mint leaves, carrot battons, mint, coriander, butter lettuce, sliced spring onions, cucumber battons to fill.
peanut dipping sauce, Nuoc Cham, to serve

Directions

Combine lemongrass, shallot, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar in a large bowl and mix well.
Stir through chicken, then cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to marinate.
Cook vermicelli in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute, until softened. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain well.
Heat an oiled chargrill pan over medium-high heat.
Cook chicken for 5-6 minutes, turning, until well browned and cooked through. Set aside to cool.
To assemble, dip a rice paper sheet in a shallow bowl of cold water, until just wet all over, then place the smooth side down on a clean work surface.
Start layering towards the top end of the paper with Vietnamese mint, carrot, cucumber, some lettuce, onions, slices of chicken then vermicelli.
Fold over the top to encase the fillings, then bring in the sides and roll up to completely enclose.
Repeat with remaining ingredients, then serve immediately with dipping sauces, or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Prepare the lemongrass properly

Lemongrass has a tough fibrous texture if it isn’t prepared carefully. Remove all the dry outer layers until you reach the pale, slightly moist inner stalk. Trim the dry top so you’re left with the bottom 8 to 10cm. Then grate it on a microplane or chop it as finely as you can. Coarse pieces don’t soften during a short marinade and will be unpleasant in the filling. Take the extra minute to get it fine.

Don’t over-soak the rice paper

Dip the sheet in cold water for about 5 seconds, just until it’s barely wet, then place it on the board immediately. It will feel stiff but continues to absorb moisture as you work. By the time the fillings are in place it will be soft and pliable. If you soak it until it’s already fully soft, it will tear when you try to fold it over the filling. Use cold water, not warm. Warm water softens the paper too fast.

Storage

Lemongrass chicken rice paper rolls are best eaten immediately after rolling. To store assembled rolls, lay them in a single layer on a tray lined with damp paper towel, cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate for up to a day. They will firm up in the fridge, so allow them to come to room temperature before serving. The cooked chicken can be made a day ahead and refrigerated separately. Do not freeze assembled rolls.

FAQs

Can I use chicken thigh instead of breast? Yes, and I’d actually recommend it if you want more flavour and a little more moisture. Thigh has more fat, which means it stays juicy on the chargrill.

Why do my rice paper rolls tear? The two most common causes are over-soaking the paper and overfilling. If the paper is already fully soft when you start rolling it has no structural strength. A shorter dip in cold water fixes this. For filling, keep everything in a tight, compact line towards the top of the paper and don’t pile it high. The paper needs room to fold over and around without being stretched.

Can I make these ahead of time? You can prep all the components in advance. The chicken can be marinated and cooked the day before, the vermicelli can be cooked and refrigerated, and the vegetables prepped and stored. Roll them up to a couple of hours before serving. Store on a damp-paper-lined tray covered with cling wrap in the fridge. They dry out and harden quickly if left uncovered.