Vietnamese National Dishes

Gà nướng Bản Đôn — Đắk Lắk lemongrass grilled chicken

Gà nướng Bản Đôn is a whole chicken grilled with lemongrass and highland aromatics, then served with a punchy dip. This home version uses a butterflied chicken for even cooking and pairs it with muối é-style salt, made from lá é (lemon basil), rock salt and green chili.

Vietnamese National Dishes
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Whole grilled chicken with green lá é salt and lime on a highland table
Whole grilled chicken with green lá é salt and lime on a highland table
Yield 4 servings
Cook 1 hour 15 minutes
Passive 2 hours marinating
Total 3 hours 45 minutes
Calories About 410 kcal per serving
Ingredients ↓
Overview

Gà nướng Bản Đôn — Đắk Lắk lemongrass grilled chicken

Bản Đôn grilled chicken is associated with Đắk Lắk and the Central Highlands. A local tourism description highlights lemongrass-grilled chicken served with muối é, a pounded mixture of é leaves, rock salt and green chili. Home-style versions vary: some use honey and other aromatics, and some pair the chicken with cơm lam, sticky rice cooked in bamboo. This recipe keeps the chicken and regional dipping salt as the focus; it does not claim a single canonical marinade.

The butterflied bird cooks more evenly than an intact whole chicken over a home grill. Lemongrass, shallot, ginger, garlic and turmeric give the marinade an aromatic, earthy profile. A little honey helps the skin brown, so the chicken cooks over indirect heat rather than directly above the coals.

Practical

Practical

  • Keys to successAsk a butcher to spatchcock the chicken, or cut out the backbone with sturdy kitchen shears. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours; do not leave raw poultry at room temperature. Grill over indirect medium heat to protect the honey in the marinade from scorching. Check the thickest breast and innermost thigh and wing with a food thermometer. Each must reach 74°C / 165°F. Make the muối é dip fresh and serve it separately.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade

  • 1.2 kg whole chicken, spatchcocked
  • 40 g lemongrass, finely pounded
  • 30 g shallots, pounded
  • 15 g garlic, minced
  • 20 g fresh ginger, grated
  • 15 g fresh turmeric, grated (or 4 g ground turmeric)
  • 8 g green chili, finely pounded; adjust to taste
  • 20 ml fish sauce
  • 20 g honey
  • 5 g fine salt
  • 1 g ground black pepper

Muối é-style dip

  • 15 g fresh lá é (lemon basil) leaves
  • 10 g rock salt
  • 6 g green chili, stemmed

To serve

  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
Method

Method

Method

  1. Pat the chicken dry. With kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it. Press the breastbone to flatten the bird. Keep it refrigerated while preparing the marinade.

  2. Pound the lemongrass, shallots and 8 g green chili to a coarse paste. Mix with the garlic, ginger, turmeric, fish sauce, honey, salt and black pepper.

  3. Rub the marinade over the chicken, including under the skin where possible. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Keep any marinade that touched raw chicken away from cooked food.

  4. Prepare a covered charcoal grill for indirect medium heat, or heat an oven to 200°C / 400°F. Set a wire rack over a roasting tray. Let excess marinade drip from the chicken and discard it.

  5. Grill skin-side up over indirect heat, covered, rotating the bird as needed, until browned and the thickest breast and innermost thigh and wing each reach 74°C / 165°F. This usually takes 60–75 minutes on a grill; temperature, not time or color, determines safety. If using an oven, begin checking early.

  6. Transfer the chicken to a clean platter and rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pound the lá é leaves, rock salt and 6 g green chili together to a coarse, fragrant dip. Serve with the chicken and lime.

  7. Carve the chicken into serving pieces with clean utensils. Offer the dip separately. Do not reuse marinade that touched raw chicken.

  8. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow containers. Use within 3–4 days or freeze. Reheat chicken to 74°C / 165°F.

Practical

Practical

Practical guidance

If using an oven, roast the chicken skin-side up on the rack and check its temperature before the estimated grill time; oven performance and bird shape vary. If the skin is browning too quickly over charcoal, move the chicken farther from the coals and keep the grill covered. Cơm lam or steamed rice makes a useful accompaniment, but is not included in the recipe yield. If fresh lá é is unavailable, serve lime and green-chili salt as a practical dip alternative, not as the same herb preparation.

Troubleshooting

The skin darkens before the chicken is cooked: Move it to a cooler indirect zone, cover the grill and continue until all thermometer checks reach 74°C / 165°F. The chicken cooks unevenly: Flatten it more evenly and rotate it during grilling. The marinade tastes too sweet: Reduce the honey slightly next time; keep the measured amount for this version. The chicken seems done by color but the temperature is low: Continue cooking. Color and juices alone do not verify safe doneness. The dip is very salty: Grind in a little more lá é and use a smaller amount at the table.

Frequently asked questions

What is muối é? It is a regional-style dipping salt made by pounding lá é leaves with rock salt and green chili. Household proportions and accompaniments vary. Can I cook the chicken in an oven? Yes. Roast it skin-side up at 200°C / 400°F on a rack over a tray. Begin checking early and rely on the 74°C / 165°F readings in the breast, thigh and wing. Can I use a whole chicken without flattening it? You can, but it takes longer and may cook less evenly. Spatchcocking makes it easier to expose the bird to indirect heat. What can I serve alongside? Cơm lam, sticky rice cooked in a bamboo tube, is a common regional accompaniment. Steamed rice also works at home.

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

  • Serving sizeOne quarter of the chicken with an estimated share of dip
  • CaloriesAbout 410 kcal
  • Carbohydrate5 g
  • Protein33 g
  • Fat27 g
  • Fibre1 g
  • SodiumAbout 920 mg
Allergens and safety

Allergens and safety

Contains chicken and fish (fish sauce). Check fish sauce labels for additional ingredients. Keep raw poultry and its utensils separate from the dip, lime and cooked food; discard raw-contact marinade. Cook the whole chicken to 74°C / 165°F in the thickest breast and innermost thigh and wing, measured with a food thermometer. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, use within 3–4 days or freeze, and reheat to 74°C / 165°F.

Closing notes

Closing notes

  • Serve the herb salt in a small bowl so each diner can control its intensity.
  • Let the chicken rest before carving to keep the meat juicy.
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