Vietnamese Chicken Curry – Cà Ri Gà (Authentic Recipe by A Saigonese Chef)
Cà Ri Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) is a flavorful and hearty dish that has a special place in the cuisine of Saigon. Beyond its delicious taste, it is a dish of comfort – the warmth of spices and the richness of coconut milk evoke a sense of home and nostalgia. Here is the recipe from a local chef to help you replicate the taste exactly like in Saigon.
The cuisine of Saigon has been shaped by its proximity to and historical influences from neighboring countries like Cambodia and Thailand. As a result, while you will not see any curry dish in Northern Vietnam, you will find chicken curry in this Southern city. It is one of our most favorite comfort foods here, besides bò kho. We didn’t get to try it until we moved to Saigon a few years ago and were shown how to cook it by a local chef (who is a member of our team now).
A Mild Curry Dish with Vietnamese Twists
This dish is cooked using bone-in chicken which is more flavorful than boneless chicken. Compared to other curries in the region, Vietnamese chicken curry is quite mild with less heat. Even kids or those who can’t eat spicy foods will enjoy it. Of course, for spice lovers, dried chilies can easily be added to adjust the heat level.
The use of ingredients like lemongrass, ground turmeric, and fish sauce also gives it a unique Vietnamese twist. Besides, Vietnamese curry powder is also slightly different as it contains additional spices such as annatto seeds, star anises, and fennel seeds while omitting cumin. I usually like to combine Vietnamese curry powder with one from a different region for a more robust flavor. If you cannot find Vietnamese curry powder, I suggest adding a bit of five-spice powder to the dish.
Another interesting thing is that authentic cà ri gà of Saigon uses sweet potatoes, not potatoes or carrots. The sweetness from sweet potatoes complements the dish very well. I tried using potatoes, but the dish clearly doesn’t taste as delicious as with sweet potatoes.
How to Serve Cà Ri Gà Just Like in Saigon
Cà ri gà is traditionally served in two popular ways:
- With crusty bánh mì: The bread is perfect for soaking up the rich, creamy curry sauce. You can substitute banh mi with other crusty bread, such as regular baguette.
- With rice vermicelli noodles (bún): When served with noodles, the curry sauce is often adjusted to be slightly thinner.
Accompanying Vietnamese chicken curry is a platter of fresh herbs with Thai basil and cilantro. If you are eating it with noodles, bean sprouts may also be included.
An essential touch to elevate the dish is the chili salt mixture, a simple condiment made by pounding salt with bird’s eye chili. You can use it as a dip for the chicken or stir into the curry for an extra burst of flavor when eating.
As mentioned in my bún tôm recipe, I believe exploring regional dishes is the best way to experience real-deal Vietnamese flavors. I hope you will give this authentic Vietnamese chicken curry recipe a try. Time to explore Vietnamese cuisine beyond phở bò and gỏi cuốn!
⭐️ I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment and a rating if you have tried it. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Cà Ri Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Curry)
Ingredients
For the Curry
- 1 whole chicken, about 2.5-3 lbs (or use bone-in chicken pieces)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons minced shallot
- 1¾ teaspoons salt, divided
- 3½ tablespoons curry powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- ½ tablespoon annatto seeds (optional)
- 6 chubby lemongrass stalks, bruised
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, smacked
- 2 cups canned coconut milk, divided
- 1½ cups water
- 21 oz sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 dried curry leaves or bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
To Serve
- 1 tablespoon salt (for the chili salt dip)
- 1 bird's eye chili, seeds removed and chopped (for the chili salt dip)
- banh mi baguette or rice vermicelli noodles
- Thai basil leaves
- cilantro
Instructions
- Use sharp poultry shears to cut the chicken into smaller pieces. Alternatively, you can use a mix of bone-in chicken pieces like thighs, drumsticks and breasts chopped into manageable pieces.
- Place the chicken pieces in a large mixing and toss with ⅓ of the minced garlic, ⅓ of the minced shallots, ¾ teaspoons salt and all of the curry powder and turmeric powder. Marinate for about 10-15 minutes.
- Place a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat and heat 2 tablespoon of oil. If using the annatto seeds, add them to the oil and let stand for a few seconds until the oil turns to a reddish color. Discard the seeds.
- Add lemongrass stalks and ginger and stir and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Then add the remaining minced shallots and garlic, cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Slightly increase the heat and add the chicken pieces to the pot. Cook until the outside is no longer pink, stirring a few times. This may take about 10 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk (reserving ¼ cup) and water to the pot and bring to a simmer. Then add the sweet potatoes, curry leaves (or bay leaves), remaining salt and sugar. The liquid should be enough to almost cover the chicken and sweet potatoes.
- Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken and sweet potatoes are tender.
- Once the chicken and sweet potatoes are tender, add the fish sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Stir in the remaining coconut milk. If you are serving the curry with vermicelli noodles, you can add some water to thin it out.
To Serve
- With a mortar and pestle, pound the salt with the chopped bird's eye chili to make the dipping chili salt.
- Serve the curry hot with banh mi (or baguettes) or vermicelli noodles, Thai basil, cilantro and chili salt on the side.
