Chicken marinated with lemongrass and cilantro, grilled to perfection, and served with a tangy-sweet honey dipping sauce.

It wasn’t long ago that the recipe for lemongrass cilantro chicken caught my eye in my copy of Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2012.

The lemongrass cilantro chicken is described in the recipe’s headnote as “pings” or “simple grilled dishes,” highly popular throughout Laos.

I quickly saved the lemongrass cilantro chicken recipe and prepared it over the weekend, which was a big success.

Lemongrass, cilantro leaves, and the sweet, savory, spicy, and pungent dipping sauce complimented the smokey, grilled chicken.

I’m in love with it.

With this recipe, what are its complementary dishes?

I’ve compiled a collection of recipes that are both healthy and quick enough to prepare on a weeknight.

• BALITONG CURRY (GULAI BALITONG)
• BUTTER PRAWN
• RESTAURANT-STYLE CHINESE GREENS WITH OYSTER SAUCE
• CHINESE VEGETABLES (CHOY SUM)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves, skin on

MARINADE:

• 8 tablespoons (120 ml/4 oz.) vegetable oil
• 4 large shallots, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, cut into 1-inch pieces, pounded and bruised
• 1 cup packed chopped cilantro

HONEY DIPPING SAUCE:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 small cup mint leaves for garnishing, optional
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 5 tablespoons (75 ml/2 oz.) water
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 lime, sliced for garnishing
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix well together with the marinade ingredients. Coat the chicken thoroughly with the marinade before serving. Overnight marinating is recommended.
2. Combine all of the ingredients for the Honey Dipping Sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the crushed red pepper to the mixture once poured into a bowl. After cooling down to room temperature, add the white vinegar and fish sauce to it. Mix in a generous amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
3. Remove the marinade from the chicken breast before cooking it. Use a generous amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper on the chicken. The skin should be lightly charred and crisped after 3-4 minutes of grilling with the chicken skin side down on the grill. Reduce the grill temperature or move the chicken to a lower area. It needs 2 more minutes of cooking. Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes on the opposite side, or until it’s cooked through to your liking.
4. Before slicing the chicken, let it rest for 3-5 minutes. Cooked rice can be served on the side.