Home-Style Dishes
Garlic Lemongrass Chicken Claypot
A fragrant, appetizing festive main dish
Why people make this dish
This is Bro Niu’s festive table dish — warm wishes for a Merry Christmas and a healthy year ahead. For the holidays you want something a little more generous, so he picks a tender chicken, chops it up and lets it soak up seasoning, then cooks it with aromatics: shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and a little bird’s-eye chilli. The aroma is rich and the flavour deep, and it goes beautifully over rice, pasta or udon.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits the whole family as a flavourful festive main.
- It’s a bit spicy from the chilli and warming from the aromatics, so go light on the chilli for children or anyone sensitive to heat.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Garlic (suan zi) and shallots (gan cong tou): Aromatic and warming, they build the savoury backbone of the pot.
- Lemongrass (xiang mao): Brings a bright, citrusy fragrance that lifts the whole dish.
- Ginger (sheng jiang): Warms the dish and balances the richness of the chicken.
- Fresh lemon juice and sugar: Brighten the flavour and make it more appetizing.
Ingredients (1 claypot, 3–4 servings)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tender chicken | 1 whole | Chopped into pieces |
| Garlic cloves | 5–6 | Peeled |
| Lemongrass | 1 stalk | Sliced |
| Shallots | 2 | Sliced |
| Shredded ginger | 2 slices | |
| Bird’s-eye chilli | 2 | Shredded |
| Sauce | to taste | Soy sauce, sugar, fresh lemon juice, yellow wine |
Method
- Clean the chicken, chop into pieces, and marinate for 1 hour in soy sauce, ground pepper and Shaoxing wine.
- Peel the garlic; slice and shred the remaining aromatics.
- Heat oil and stir-fry the chicken pieces until fragrant; remove and set aside.
- Leave a little oil in the wok and fry the garlic, shallots, shredded ginger, lemongrass and red chilli until aromatic. Return the chicken and toss together.
- Transfer everything to a claypot, pour in the sauce, bring to a boil briefly until the chicken is just cooked through, then serve.
Bro Niu’s tips
A splash of fresh lemon juice plus a little sugar makes it more refreshing and appetizing. You can also use hormone-free chicken mid-wings in place of a whole chicken.
Published December 24, 2024 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
