Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad with Lemongrass Chicken

Pat chicken dry. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Remove outer layer from lemongrass and discard. Trim and discard woody end. Using the blunt edge of a chef's knife, whack the lemongrass along the length of the stalk to bruise it. Thinly slice the pale part of the lemongrass and place in a medium bowl. Chop garlic and cilantro and add to the bowl with the lemongrass. Zest and juice the limes and add to the bowl along with the oil. Whisk the marinade until well blended. Place chicken in large resealable bag. Pour marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and squish contents so the marinade fully coats the chicken. Set aside to let marinade for 30 minutes.

While chicken is marinating, soak vermicelli noodles in a large pot of cold water for 7 minutes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drain noodles from the bowl and add to the boiling water. Cook for three minutes then drain in a colander. Run cold water over the noodles until they are cool to the touch. Noodles are usually long connected strands when purchased. Use a clean pair of kitchen scissors to cut the long bunch of noodles into pieces no longer than 2 inches. Mince the shallot. Place in a bowl along with tamarind, vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, chili sauce, and oil. Whisk ingredients together. Add additional salt, pepper, or chili sauce if desired.

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Remove chicken from marinade and place directly on grill. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through.

To serve, toss the noodles with about half of the tamarind sauce. Divide noodles among individual plates and garnish with a cup of greens each, peanuts and mint, basil, cilantro leaves. Top each with a portion of chicken. Serve with a side of the remaining tamarind sauce and additional chili sauce.