I first tasted Vietnamese Ginger Chicken while visiting Da Nang. It was one of those simple, home-style dishes that doesn’t look particularly impressive at first glance, yet after a single bite you understand why it has remained a favorite in Vietnamese kitchens for generations.
Known as Gà Kho Gừng, this dish features chicken slowly braised in a sweet and savory sauce flavored with fish sauce, garlic, shallots, and generous amounts of fresh ginger. In Vietnamese, gà means chicken, while kho refers to the traditional braising and caramelizing technique that creates the dish’s rich, glossy sauce. Served with steamed rice, it is uncomplicated, deeply satisfying, and proof that some of the best meals are often the simplest.
This would be wonderful with the Vietnamese Garlic Noodles: A San Francisco Classic
Looking for a list of recipes I come back to again and again, My Favorite Recipes
They also make a wonderful version with catfish. And the versions in Da Nang are noticeably more spicy. Works for me.
Ingredients:
2 pounds bone-in Chicken Thighs
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
2 tablespoons Palm Sugar or White Sugar
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Ginger Root, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Red Boat Fish Sauce
1 to 3 fresh Thai Red Chilies (left whole for less heat, or sliced for more heat; I add both)
1 tsp Shallot Powder, if using.
Preparation:
Slice the thighs through to the bone, retaining at least some of the skin. Mix with salt, pepper and shallot powder (if using) and set aside. This helps them cook through.
Add sugar and oil to wok or pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar melts and turns a dark brown, being careful not to burn it. (A well-seasoned wok is ideal, both so the caramelized meat doesn’t stick and so the sauce does not cook off.)
As soon as the sugar darkens, add the chicken pieces to the caramel and cook, stirring to coat the chicken in the caramel. When the chicken is starting to brown, stir in the ginger, fish sauce and 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer over low heat until chicken has firmed up, about 20-30 minutes. It can also be done in the traditional clay pot, the
Nồi Đất.
Remove lid, add chilies and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced and chicken thoroughly cooked, about 5 minutes.
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Vietnamese Chicken With Ginger- Gà Kho Gừng
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Slice the thighs through to the bone, retaining at least some of the skin. Mix with salt, pepper and shallot powder (if using) and set aside. This helps them cook through.
- Add sugar and oil to wok or pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar melts and turns a dark brown, being careful not to burn it. (A well-seasoned wok is ideal, both so the caramelized meat doesn’t stick and so the sauce does not cook off.)
- As soon as the sugar darkens, add the chicken pieces to the caramel and cook, stirring to coat the chicken in the caramel. When the chicken is starting to brown, stir in the ginger, fish sauce and 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer over low heat until chicken has firmed up, about 20-30 minutes. It can also be done in the traditional clay pot, the
- Remove lid, add chilies and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced and chicken thoroughly cooked, about 5 minutes.