Chicken Vermicelli Bowls
These Vietnamese-style Chicken Vermicelli Bowls are loaded with lemongrass marinated chicken, fresh veggies, rice noodles, and a tangy dressing. These bowls are fresh, light, and full of texture! They’re a great option for meal prep or weeknight dinners because much of the work can be done in advance.
You’re going to love how easily these bowls come together! This is a great recipe for outdoor grilling in the spring and summer, but you can also bake the chicken during the colder months.
“I make this meal at least once a week, a perfect answer to my craving for spice and vinegar during my pregnancy. I highly recommend marinating the chicken for at least a day if you can, it really brings out the flavor of the lemongrass chicken. Sooo fresh, fragrant and spicy!” -Alexandra, So Much Food reader
Table of contents
These Chicken Vermicelli Bowls Are So Fresh and Flavorful!
If you’ve ever been to a Vietnamese restaurant, you’ve likely come across these flavorful and refreshing bowls. You’d probably see something similar on a menu labeled bún gà nuóng, meaning “grilled chicken rice noodle.” I love Vietnamese food for all its freshness and flavors!
This recipe is not authentic, but the flavors and spirit of the recipe are a tribute to my love of Vietnamese food. Traditionally, you would serve vermicelli noodle bowls cold, but you can also serve them slightly warm or room temp. That’s what makes these bowls so great for meal prep, you can assemble everything with no heating required!
The real star of the show here is the lemongrass chicken! It’s well and truly packed with flavor and is one of my go-to chicken recipes. While the marinade list might look like a lot, it’s very easy to make. All the ingredients go into a blender and that’s it! You can marinate the chicken for up to 2 days so you can get that portion of the recipe out of the way early.
Tools Needed
- Blender
- Grill or Grill Pan
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients You’ll Need (+ Substitutions)
You can find the full list of ingredients, quantities, and method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Chicken. I love chicken thighs here because they have a bit of fat, but you could swap in chicken breast, shrimp, skirt steak, etc.
- Lemongrass. I always grab fresh lemongrass for this marinade, which you can find in the herb/produce section of most grocery stores. I always buy a ton from my local Asian market and then freeze it. You could also use lemongrass paste, it’s just not as fresh.
- Ginger. Fresh ginger in the marinade is so, so good.
- Soy sauce. You can make this recipe gluten-free by swapping in coconut aminos or tamari.
- Thai chilies. Thai chilies give the marinade and sauce some kick!
- Fish sauce. Some people are averse to fish sauce, but I encourage you to try it! It adds tons of umami and makes the marinade and sauce here.
- Vermicelli noodles. Vermicelli noodles are a super thin version of rice noodles. The rice noodles are labeled differently depending on their size: rice vermicelli – extra thin, thread – fine, or rice stick – flat. We want the thinnest – rice vermicelli. They are white in color, slightly firm when cooked, and separate into fine threads. These are different from glass noodles which are much stickier and not great for noodle salads.
- Veggies. Use what you like here! I love thinly sliced cucumber and shredded carrots, but you could add in bell pepper, shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, etc.
- Herbs. Fresh herbs absolutely make these chicken noodle bowls! Fresh mint and cilantro provide such fresh flavor.
- Lime. I always serve lime wedges on the side and lime juice goes into the dressing to give it a tangy zip.
How to Make Restaurant-Style Chicken Vermicelli Bowls
- Marinate the chicken. Trim any excess fat from your chicken thighs before throwing them into a large Ziploc bag. The marinade is easy-peasy to make using just a blender; dump everything into the canister and blend until smooth. That’s it! Pour the marinade over the chicken and let it hang out in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Make the dressing. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Always taste your dressing and adjust the amount of fish sauce and soy sauce as desired.
- Prep veggies. Get your veggies and herbs chopped up and ready to go. If meal prepping these bowls, store the veggies in separate containers to maintain their freshness.
- Grill the chicken. You can grill the chicken outdoors or indoors on a grill pan, chef’s choice! It will need to cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until it’s cooked to 165ºF.
- Cook the vermicelli noodles. Read the package instructions since each brand has you cook the noodles a little differently. (They typically cook in 3 minutes or less in boiling water though!)
- Assemble. You can either arrange everything prettily like I did, or give it a good toss to combine all of the toppings with the grilled chicken and noodles.
Meal Prep and Storage Instructions
If you’re meal prepping this recipe: Store the ingredients in divided meal prep containers and assemble/toss with dressing right before eating. This allows you to warm the chicken up if you want to! I like warming up the lemongrass chicken, but keeping the rest of the ingredients cold.
To store just the chicken: Refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Or, cool the chicken to room temperature and store in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag with as much air pushed out as possible. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat the chicken: Microwave in 30-second bursts to heat up. If you froze it, defrost overnight before reheating.
To store the noodles: Toss them with a little oil to keep them from sticking, but as long as you rinse them well, you shouldn’t have sticking. You can store them for up to 5 days in a Ziploc bag.
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Delicious Vietnamese-Inspired Dinners
- Vietnamese Chicken Cabbage Salad
- Beef Short Rib Pho
- Caramelized Pork Lettuce Wraps
- Banh Mi Hot Dogs
- Quick Chicken Pho
- Grilled Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches
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Vietnamese-Style Chicken Vermicelli Bowls
Ingredients
Lemongrass Chicken
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 stalk lemongrass, end and tough outer leaves removed, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 Thai chilies, chopped
Vietnamese-Style Dressing
- 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce (I like Mae Ploy)
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablepoons rice wine vinegar
- 1-2 Thai chilies, minced
- 1/4 cup water
Noodle Bowls
- 8 oz dried vermicelli noodles
- 2 baby cucumbers, cut into matchsticks
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/3 cup mint leaves
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken thighs in a large ziplock bag. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the marinade over the chicken and seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, up to 48 hours.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth. If you're averse to fish sauce, you can use less. Adjust soy sauce or salt to taste.
- Grill the chicken. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked through to 165 F internally. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice.
- Cook the vermicelli noodles. Follow the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to keep the noodles from sticking together.
- Assemble the bowls. Divide the noodles among bowls, top with chopped veggies, herbs, and sliced chicken. Drizzle with dressing as desired and serve with lime wedges on the side.
Nutrition
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Rate & Review This Recipe
Any Thai papaya salad recipes
Sorry, no!
I make this meal at least once a week, a perfect answer to my craving for spice and vinegar during my pregnancy. I highly recommend marinating the chicken for at least a day if you can, it really brings out the flavor of the lemongrass chicken. Sooo fresh, fragrant and spicy!
Thank you so much for your comment! Hope you have a happy and smooth pregnancy!