Fresh & Easy Lemongrass Chicken Spring Rolls

These fresh and easy lemongrass chicken spring rolls are the perfect appetizer for any meal. Rice paper rolls are filled with addicting lemongrass chicken, fresh herbs, and vermicelli noodles, all served with an easy-to-make Vietnamese dipping sauce. In this blog post, learn how to get “grilled” chicken without the grill, how to properly hydrate rice paper, and how to customize your spring rolls to your tastes.

I could eat spring rolls all year round. I love how fresh and light they are and how you can customize them however you want. From traditional Vietnamese spring rolls to the lesser known Bo Bia and beef spring rolls, spring rolls are something I could never get tired of. For this blog post, I wanted to take it back to a classic with these lemongrass chicken spring rolls. These spring rolls are filled with a lemongrass chicken, fresh veggies, and vermicelli noodles, then served with a classic Vietnamese dipping sauce.

Why I love chicken spring rolls

As mentioned, these spring rolls are a classic Vietnamese spring roll filled with lemongrass chicken, vegetables, and vermicelli. You can kind of think of them as the appetizer version of Bun Ga Nuong (Vietnamese noodle bowls with chicken). Whenever I’m sick of these chicken vermicelli bowls, I switch to spring rolls with chicken! It has all the same components but wrapped up in rice paper. The best part of this Vietnamese chicken spring roll recipe is you can customize the fillings with whatever you want. For example, you like carrots? Add them in. Don’t like mint? Take them out! Use the fillings to make them your own!

Some notes about key ingredients

Lemongrass Chicken Thighs

• Chicken thighs – I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because in my experience testing this recipe, it yielded the most flavor. However, if you wish to use a substitute, I would recommend chicken breast.
• Lemongrass – If you don’t have lemongrass, I would use a tablespoon of lime juice and the zest of 1 lime. The flavor won’t be the same as lemongrass, but it’s a good enough substitute. Check out my guide on how to use lemongrass for tips on how to cut this ingredient!
• Shallots – Shallots can be substituted with sweet yellow onion. If using onion, I would use about 3 tbsp of onion.
• Light brown sugar – Light brown sugar can be substituted with dark brown sugar. Note that dark brown sugar is sweeter, so that will make the dish sweeter. If you want to make this dish processed sugar free, use another tablespoon of honey.

Other Ingredients

The ingredients below are the ones I use in my simple chicken spring roll recipe, but you can use whatever vegetables you want. Great options not mentioned below are shredded carrots and green onions.

• Rice paper – Make sure to get high quality rice paper to reduce the likelihood of tearing the rice paper. In testing, I used some random brand I found at the store, and it tore every single time I used it. Personally, I like to use Three Ladies Brand rice paper. It’s the best brand, and doesn’t tear easily.
• Vermicelli noodles – Vermicelli are thin, rice noodles used in all Vietnamese spring rolls. Personally, I wouldn’t substitute this ingredient with anything because I don’t think there’s a great substitute for it. If you had to substitute with something, I would use thin rice noodles. For a complete guide on how to cook vermicelli noodles, check out my vermicelli cooking guide.
• Cucumbers – Personally, my favorite cucumbers are Persian cucumbers but use whatever you have available. While testing, the supermarket didn’t have Persian cucumbers, so I used English slicing cucumbers. Tasted just as good.
• Vietnamese dipping sauce – I used Vietnamese dipping sauce or nuoc cham because I think it pairs better with the intense flavor of the chicken than Vietnamese peanut sauce. The acidity of nuoc cham balances out the umami flavor of the chicken.

How to make Vietnamese chicken spring rolls

For a simplified version of this recipe, skip to the recipe card. This section offers tips and tricks to help you achieve the best results!

1. First, marinate the chicken. Add 1 lb of chicken thighs, 2 tbsp of minced lemongrass, 1 minced shallot, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tbsp of fish sauce, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of honey, and 1 tbsp of light brown sugar to a bowl. Mix and let marinate for 15 minutes.
   • Tip #1: For better flavor, marinate overnight (up to 24 hours).
2. While the chicken is marinating, prepare your other ingredients. Boil 10 oz of vermicelli noodles. Cut 4 cups of lettuce and 1/2 cup of cucumbers. Make 1 cup of Vietnamese dipping sauce. Set all of it aside.
3. Heat a pan over high heat. Make sure your pan is hot before cooking your chicken. That’s what gives it the “grilled look” without the grill. Cook the chicken in batches for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and set aside.
   • Tip #2: In the summertime, I actually grill this lemongrass chicken. It adds a lot more flavor to the chicken.
4. Now it’s time to make your spring rolls! Hydrate 1 piece of rice paper and lie it flat on a plate. Add a few pieces of lettuce, cucumbers, mint, and a small handful of vermicelli noodles to the bottom third of the rice paper. Follow that with a few pieces of lemongrass chicken. Starting from the bottom, roll upward. When you’re halfway up the rice paper, fold over the left and right sides of the spring roll and then complete the spring roll. Repeat until you run out of rice paper or filling. Serve with a side of Vietnamese dipping sauce and enjoy!
   • Tip #3: If you have leftover chicken, eat it in a vermicelli bowl or with some rice and veggies.

How to properly hydrate rice paper

1. Fill a bowl with warm water.
   • Tip #1: There are some debates about warm vs cold water, but to be honest, cold water works just as well as warm water. At best, warm water is marginally more effective in my opinion.
   • Tip #2: You can also choose to run water down both sides of the rice paper using the kitchen faucet. This is what I do.
2. Dip the rice paper into the water. Make sure the water covers both sides of the rice paper.
3. Lie it flat on a plate.

Can these chicken spring rolls be made ahead?

Yes, but they should be consumed the same day. I’ve stored spring rolls for a couple hours in the fridge, and by the time I eat them, they’re noticeably not as fresh as they were when I made them.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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