Start by marinating the chicken. Pound the lemongrass stick a few times all around with a pestle or the back of a knife (carefully) on a cutting board. Remove the tough outer layers and either grate or very very finely chop the inside of the lemongrass stick. Add it to a bowl with the chicken, then add the grated garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, sugar or honey, and dark soy. Give everything a mix until the chicken is well coated evenly with the marinde. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours or up to overnight.

When you’re ready to cook, start by putting your rice on the stove or boiling water for the noodles and cook according to package directions – by the time this is done, the chicken should be done. Add 2 Tablespoons of avocado oil to a nonstick skillet and cook the chicken in batches on both sides until golden, crisp and fully cooked through. Remove the chicken as they’re done and set aside on a plate while you continue cooking the rest of the chicken.

While the chicken cooks, prep the nuoc cham sauce by mixing all the ingredients together. Set aside. Cut up the carrots and cucumbers and prep the herbs and greens. Once the chicken and the rice or noodles are ready, you’re ready to assemble.

Take a wide, shallow bowl and add a couple spoonfulls of rice or the cooked noodles. Slice up 1-2 pieces of the cooked chicken, add your veggies, herbs and greens and drizzle on the nuoc cham sauce along with the hoisin or sriracha if using. Take little bites of everything or do what I love doing and mix it all up before enjoying!