Lemongrass Poached Chicken Bun Bowl with Herb Plate and Nuoc Cham
A whole pasture-raised chicken poached low and slow in a lemongrass and bird pepper broth, then pulled and served over rice vermicelli with a full herb plate and a bright fish sauce lime dressing. This is bun ga, the Vietnamese noodle bowl that Orlando's Mills 50 cooks have been making for decades, built here with Florida bird peppers and a chicken worth the trouble. It is cooling, aromatic, and deeply satisfying in the way that only a good poached bird can be.
Pulled lemongrass chicken over rice vermicelli, with herbs, bean sprouts, and nuoc cham on the side.
Drive down Mills Avenue in Orlando on a weekday afternoon and you will pass a dozen storefronts where someone is poaching a chicken in a pot of lemongrass broth right now. Bun ga, Vietnamese chicken noodle bowls, is everyday food in this part of Florida, the kind of thing families make on weeknights and eat fast before anyone has to be somewhere.
A pasture-raised bird from Altamont is exactly the right chicken for this preparation. The meat has real flavor that holds up beautifully to a long, gentle poach, and the broth it leaves behind is something you will want to drink on its own. We use Florida-grown bird peppers in the nuoc cham because they are the closest thing we have to the small fresh chilies this dish calls for, and they fit the bowl perfectly. You can read how we raise them here.
Ingredients
Method
- 1
Put the whole chicken in a pot just large enough to hold it. Cover with cold water by about two inches, then add the lemongrass, bird peppers, and 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming any foam that rises.
- 2
Once the water boils, reduce the heat to the lowest setting that keeps a bare simmer going. Cover and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, until the thigh meat is completely cooked through and the leg pulls away easily. A pasture-raised bird will stay firmer than a grocery store chicken, so give it the full time.
- 3
While the chicken poaches, make the nuoc cham: whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons fish sauce, the lime juice, 2 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and as many thin-sliced bird pepper rings as you like. Taste and adjust the balance of salty, sour, and sweet until it makes you want more.
- 4
Soak the rice vermicelli in warm water for 10 minutes, then cook in a separate pot of boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water, and divide among four bowls.
- 5
Lift the chicken from the broth and let it rest until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Pull the meat from the bones in large pieces, discarding the skin and bones if you like, or leaving some skin on for anyone who wants it. Strain the poaching broth and reserve it.
- 6
Top each bowl of noodles with a generous pile of pulled chicken. Ladle a small amount of the hot strained broth over everything to warm the bowl through, then lay the herb plate alongside: mint, cilantro, and Thai basil for each person to tear in as they go.
- 7
Serve with the nuoc cham in a small bowl on the side, plus extra sliced bird pepper and lime wedges. Each person dresses their own bowl at the table.
Notes from our kitchen
- Save every drop of the strained poaching broth. It is a clean, fragrant chicken stock that you can sip as a simple soup alongside the bowl, or freeze for another use.
- Fresh lemongrass is worth seeking out at any Asian grocery along US 441 in Orlando or at a good Asian market in Fort Myers or Naples. If you can only find dried, double the quantity and soak it in warm water for 20 minutes first.
- Bean sprouts, sliced cucumber, and shredded green papaya all make excellent additions to the herb plate and are traditional in many Vietnamese kitchens.
Common questions
Can I use chicken parts instead of a whole bird?
Yes. Bone-in thighs work very well and cook faster, about 30 minutes at a bare simmer. The poaching broth will be a little lighter but still good.
My nuoc cham tastes too salty. How do I fix it?
Add a little more lime juice and a touch more sugar. Fish sauce brands vary quite a bit in saltiness, so always taste and adjust before you serve it.
Where do I find bird peppers in Southwest Florida?
Asian and Latin grocery stores carry them fresh or dried. Some farmers markets in the Fort Myers and Naples area sell them in the fall. In a pinch, Thai bird chilies from the produce section of a larger grocery store are the same thing.
