Vietnamese grilled chicken breasts are crazy good and crazy easy to make. Thanks to a salty, sweet, sour, and slightly spicy marinade & homemade BBQ basting sauce this chicken is so flavorful. The easy-to-find Asian ingredients epitomize the bold flavors of Vietnamese cuisine. Be ready to be WOWed!
If you like boneless skinless chicken breasts but want something new to make on the barbecue, this is the best recipe. This recipe packs a punch thanks to a rich marinade that adds acid, salt, and heat. Serve it with some Asian Avocado Slaw for a wonderful meal.
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Ingredients for Vietnamese Chicken
With the combination of spicy chili garlic paste, tamari, sesame, fish sauce, lime, and ginger this chicken is anything but boring. Do not be scared off by the list of ingredients.
You should able to find all these items in my local grocery store. Online shopping also makes this a very accessible yet exotic recipe. Here is what you need to make this Asian-inspired recipe.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - thin cutlets work best for both soaking up the marinade quickly & cooking fast on the grill.
- Tamari - gluten-free soy sauce.
- Brown Sugar - light or dark is fine.
- Fish Sauce - for salty & briney flavor this condiment is a popular Asian ingredient.
- Garlic Chili Paste - the spicy condiment adds a ton of flavor.
- Garlic - for additional pungency.
- Ginger - this spice is a common Asian ingredient.
- Lime Juice - for tart acidity & the citrus juice adds freshness.
- Ketchup - the base for the thick Asian-style BBQ basting sauce.
- Rice Vinegar - for tartness in the BBQ sauce.
- Sesame Oil - a nutty touch to balance the sweet & tart.
- Cilantro - fresh herb to finish the dish.
See the recipe card below for amounts & full recipe instructions.
How to Make Vietnamese Grilled Chicken
Here are the easy steps for this Vietnamese chicken recipe.
- Prepare the Marinade
- Marinate the Chicken Breasts
- Warm the Grill & Mix the BBQ Basting Sauce
- Grill & Baste the Chicken
- Serving Suggestions
Why use Thin Chicken Breasts?
- The result is a quicker marinade as the chicken takes on the flavor faster
- The grilling time is faster and we find it easier to time, to ensure juicy results
- They are easier to cut and that helps if you have kids who are mastering their knife skills
- Thin chicken is great to add to salads and this is fantastic in salads
NOTE: you can make Vietnamese Chicken with boneless skinless thighs as well. For the amount of marinade, use 6 thighs.
1 - Prepare the Marinade
The fish sauce marinade is so easy to make. Combine marinade ingredients in a pourable glass measuring cup or bowl. Whisk to combine.
In a single layer, place chicken breasts in a deep baking dish. Ensure it is deep enough to hold the marinade once poured in. Slowly pour the marinade over the chicken breasts.
2 - Marinate the Chicken Breasts
Let the chicken breast pieces marinate for 30 minutes, flip the chicken, and then marinate for a final 30 minutes. This can be marinated for longer but the beauty of this recipe is it can be ready quickly. The deep flavors in the marinade can infuse into the thin chicken breast cutlets fast and be ready to cook in just one hour.
3 - Warm the Grill & Mix the BBQ Basting Sauce
Warm up your gas grill or start the charcoal for your grill. Once it is at medium heat, the chicken is ready to go on the grill.
Combine basting ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Set aside for later when grilling.
If you do not have sesame oil, here are SUBSTITUTES FOR SESAME OIL that you can use instead and this will still be super flavorful and amazing.
4 - Grill & Baste the Chicken
Grill for 5 minutes on each side on medium heat. Keep the lid open since these will cook fast. The chicken should separate from the grate and no longer stick when it is ready to be flipped to the other side. Grill another 5 minutes on the other side.
To learn more about why and when you grill with the lid open or closed, read my post -Grilling with the Lid On or Off - All You Need to Know
Baste with sauce and grill one minute longer so the sauce caramelizes but does not burn. Do not leave it unattended or the sugar from the sauce will brown or burn quickly. Flip to the second side, baste, and cook for 1 final minute.
HOW DO I KNOW THE CHICKEN IS READY? Chicken should read 165° on an internal meat thermometer when cooked. Once it reaches this temperature, it is done BBQing.
5 - Serving Suggestions
Remove the chicken from the grill to a serving platter and top with fresh cilantro. Let the chicken rest for 3 minutes before cutting into it. Resting the meat allows for the juices to redistribute & results in chicken that is moist and juicy.
What to Serve with Vietnamese BBQ Chicken
- QUICK PICKLED VEGETABLES
- INSTANT POT STEAMED BROCCOLI
- AMAZING ROASTED GREEN BEANS WITH EVERYTHING BUT THE BAGEL SESAME SEASONING
Product Recommendations for this Recipe:
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Vietnamese Grilled Chicken Breasts
Equipment
- Outdoor grill
Ingredients
- 3 thin boneless skinless chicken breasts
Marinade Ingredients:
- ¼ C Tamari gluten-free soy sauce
- ¼ C light or dark brown sugar
- 2 TB fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon hot chili-garlic paste
- 1 ½ TB fresh lime juice
- 3 teaspoon garlic minced
Basting Sauce Ingredients:
- ⅓ C ketchup
- 3 TB light or dark brown sugar
- 3 TB rice vinegar
- 1 TB sesame oil
- 1 TB water
- 1 teaspoon hot chili-garlic paste
- fresh minced cilantro optional for topping
Instructions
- In a single layer, place chicken breasts in a deep baking dish. Ensure it is deep enough to hold the marinade once poured in.
- Combine marinade ingredients in a pourable glass measuring cup. Next, whisk to combine and then pour over the chicken breasts. Let marinade 30 minutes, flip chicken, and then let marinade for a final 30 minutes
- Combine basting ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Set aside for later when grilling. Turn on a gas grill to warm it up or start a charcoal grill. Once it is at medium heat, the chicken is ready to go on the grill.
- Grill 5 minutes on each side on medium heat, with the lid open. The chicken should separate from the grill and no longer stick when it is ready to be flipped to the other side. Grill another 5 minutes on the other side.
- Baste with sauce and grill one minute longer so the sauce caramelizes but does not burn. Do not leave unattended as the sugar from the sauce will brown quickly. Flip to the second side, baste, and cook 1 final minute.
- Chicken should read 165° when cooked. Remove to a serving platter and top with fresh cilantro.
TIffany says
This looks tasty - and love the simple ingredients - need to add this to our menu ASAP!
Haley Kelley says
These look sooooo good... I am adding them to my pinterest board so I can make them soon!
Katie says
The sweet, sour and spicy combo sounds awesome!
Angela says
It is pretty awesome in every sort of way.
Nikki says
This sure looks Yummy! and not too hard! I'm always on the look out for super easy recipes. I'll will have to give this a try!
Angela says
It is super easy and super DELICIOUS!
Suzan | It's My Sustainable Life says
Love, love, love this. It's dinner time as I'm writing this, so now I'm thinking maybe I still have time to make this tonite! Thanks for sharing & looking forward to enjoying 🙂
Angela says
Thanks a ton! It is so quick to make, you probably could make it tonight! Let me know what you think!
Lisa Manderino says
This looks delicious, I love grilling in the summer!
Beth Balberchak says
Looks delicious! I'm definitely pinning this for later.
Angela says
Thank you
Elizabeth says
Wow, this looks so delicious. I'll have to give it a try!
Melissa Jones says
That looks great!
Jody says
Wow this looks amazing I will have to give it a try. Spice is always good
Leigh Ann says
These look so good! I'm going to have to give them a try.
Robin Frields says
Your recipes always look so delicious! We eat a lot of chicken here and I can't wait to try this one!
Angela says
You are so kind, thanks!
Shirley says
This looks absolutely delicious! And easy! I like that. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
T.M. Brown says
This looks delicious! I read this when hungry, so now I'm rethinking what we might have for dinner tonight. This would be a hit in our house!
Stacey says
I love grilling chicken, and this sauce sounds so good! I need to persuade my husband to fire up the grill. Yum!
Amy says
I love Vietnamese food so I'm excited to try this recipe out. My best friend own a Vietnamese restaurant so I usually just go to his place but maybe I'll make this and invite him over 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Angela says
Oh wow, great. Now that will put it to the test!
Tricia Snow says
Looks like a nice switch from regular BBQ! Thanks!
Magan says
Looks so good!
Karla Petersen says
These look amazing. I have such a hard time grilling chicken. I ALWAYS burn it. I think I get impatient and don't let the charcoal get to a "medium" heat. But I keep trying. This will be next, I hope.
Liz says
This looks so good! I'm not a huge fan of cilantro, so I would leave that out, but the rest sounds great!
Ruth Iaela-Pukahi says
Oh, that looks sooooo delicious!!!
Angela says
Ruth, Thank you!
Monica says
I'm going to make this marinade this week so the hubby and I can start grilling!
SOTERIA Loadedpenvibes says
wow.... i sure love this website
Angela says
Thank you so much for saying that! Glad you love it and hope you continue to visit and find new things often.
Toon says
This looks so good! I pinned it so I can make it later on!
Angela says
Thank you.