Cà Ri Gà is a flavorful, delicate, and flavor-packed chicken curry from Vietnam. Tender marinated chicken in a delicious coconut broth with lightly cooked potatoes and carrots is hard to resist!

Cà Ri Gà is different from the other types of Asian chicken curry: lemongrass, fish sauce, and vegetables add a fantastic flavor to this dish. It is tough to get this recipe wrong as no matter in which order we add the ingredients, and it tastes amazing at the end. If you have the chicken and the ingredients ready to go, you can pull this off in less than 30 minutes. The only added time that makes a difference is the marinating time.

There are so many different curries across South East Asia, and each type of curry has its unique twist. Thai curry uses Thai chilies to the curry base to make it spicier and uses much more coconut milk to bring out the sweetness to balance the chilies. Indian curries are more similar to Vietnamese curry (Indian curry powder has identical ingredients found in the Vietnamese curry powder) but do not use lemongrass, fish sauce, and vegetables. Instead, Indian chicken curry flavors come from ginger, garlic, and various other spice powders.

Ingredients, Alternatives and Tips

Chicken: In this recipe, I have used boneless skinless chicken thighs as my favorite Vietnamese restaurant near me serves it that way, and I love it. I know that most traditional Vietnamese curry uses the whole cut-up chicken with bones in it. Do what works out best for you. One thing to stay away from is using just the chicken breasts for making this curry. When used in making curries, chicken breast gives a rubbery consistency and will get drier and hard to get the flavors inside the meat.

If using a whole cut-up chicken, I would keep the bones but take the skin out. Some people are into using chicken skin along with bones. I prefer to stay away from the skin due to the fat content and fat released into the curry. Bones do add a great flavor to the curry.

Vietnamese curry powder: The traditional Vietnamese curry powder is called bột cà ri. Sometimes it can be hard to find bột cà ri at your local grocery store. Another best option to use is Madras Curry Powder. Madras (now called Chennai) is a state in the Southern part of India, and the curry powder that originated here is widely used in making Vietnamese curry. The main spices in the Madras curry powder are chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, clove powder, and cinnamon powder. Another best replacement for curry powder is Chinese Curry powder. The ingredients in the Chinese curry powder are Tumeric, Chili, Coriander, Cumin Seeds, Cinnamon, Cloves, Bay Leaves, Allspice, and Salt.

Garlic, Shallots, and veggies (Carrots- 3/4 cup, Potato- 3/4 cup): Garlic can be pressed or chopped. Fresh garlic gives the best taste. Shallots are more flavorful than onions for this recipe. 

Carrots and potatoes are some of the vegetables most commonly used in Vietnamese curry. But you can either substitute or add any veggie of your choice. 

Lemongrass: Make sure to get the fresh ones as older and drier it is. It isn’t easy to chop and not flavor-packed like the fresh ones. You can cut the lemongrass and store it in the fridge for a few days and in the freezer for a few months. 

Fish sauce: Fish sauce adds a unique flavoring to this curry. If you do not like the smell or the flavor, it is okay to skip this ingredient. 

Coconut milk: Coconut milk gives an authentic taste to this dish. But if intolerant or allergic to coconut milk, some of the other alternatives are almond milk, soy milk, heavy cream, and a half and half.

Details of the Recipe Ingredients

If you are using a whole chicken for this recipe, cut it into 2 to 3-inch pieces and not make it too big. 

The longer time we marinate the chicken, the better it tastes. I have done it for 30 minutes but marinating the chicken and keeping it overnight in the fridge is also an excellent option for this recipe.

Must sautee the chicken in oil. This step allows the marinated spices to cook in the oil before the curry sauce ingredients are added. Roasted herbs, along with the chicken, take away any raw flavor from the dish.

Do not overcook the vegetables. Make sure to add it to the end so that it does not become soggy. It should be tender. Another option is to sautee the vegetables separately for a few minutes and add them to the curry at the finishing step.

If you want the curry to be spicier, add chili powder in addition to the curry powder.

Main Steps of the Recipe

1. Marinating the chicken: Having the chicken ready and adding the spices and herbs.
2. Prepping the Veggies: Cutting the shallots, garlic, and herbs (cilantro and scallions). Dicing the potatoes and carrots.
3. Sauteeing the chicken: Sauteeeig the marinated chicken in oil before making the curry sauce.
4. Making the curry: Adding the rest of the ingredients, chicken broth, and coconut milk.
5. Garnishing: Garnishing the curry with cilantro and scallions.

Process Instructions

Take 1 lb of chicken (boneless skinless chicken thighs). Add 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp red chili flakes, 2 Tbsp Vietnamese curry powder (or madras curry powder), 1 tsp garlic.
Mix well, add 1 tsp of oil while mixing it and set it aside to marinate for 30 minutes. The longer the marination time, the better it is.

In a 3 quart pan, take 2 Tbsp of oil, add the marinated chicken pieces. Cook the chicken on both sides for about 5 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup of lemongrass, 3/4 cup of sliced shallots, 3/4 cup of carrots, and potatoes (diced). Mix and cook everything for 5 minutes.

Add 1 tsp of fish sauce, 2 cups of chicken broth, and 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Adjust the salt if needed at this time.
Cook for 8 minutes to 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked well in the curry.

Garnish with 1/4 cup of cilantro. Remove the whole lemongrass added to the curry.
Serve hot with Vietnamese rice noodles, crusty Vietnamese baguettes, or white rice.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Vietnamese chicken curry tastes good with a baguette. The french style baguettes (airy on the inside and crusty on the outside) are perfect for this! a toasted baguette will soak up the warm curry and makes it an ideal dish to serve in cold weather and rainy season! It also tastes great with rice. 

You can store the curry on the countertop for about 2 to 3 hours and in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. The coconut milk in the dish can make it not go well when stored for an extended period. It freezes and stays fresh for up to 2 months in the freezer.

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