Vietnamese Ginger Chicken – Quick and Delicous

Yum

One of my all-time favorite dishes growing up in Vietnam has always been braised ginger chicken. It’s the kind of dish that brings back memories of family dinners, where the aroma of ginger, lemongrass and caramelized sauce filled the kitchen. This dish, called “Gà Kho Gừng” in Vietnamese. It is a staple in our cooking, and for a good reason. It’s simple to make, yet packed with flavors that are both savory and slightly sweet.

The secret to this recipe is the caramel sauce. Don’t worry, I’ll show you exactly how to make it later on. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll want to put this sauce on everything.

Let’s get cooking.

What you’ll Need

Ingredients

– 1 tbsp sugar

– Peppercorns

– 1 tbsp fish sauce

– 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon

– Minced shallot

– Minced garlic

– Red pepper chili (optional for garnishing)

– Green onion (for garnishing)

– Thinly sliced ginger

– Lemongrass (1 inch, smashed)

– 4 chicken thighs (cut into bite-size pieces)

– 1 tbsp ground chili (optional)

– ¼ butter stick

– 1 cup of water

Caramel

– 2 tbsp sugar

– 3 tbsp water

How to Make Vietnamese Ginger Chicken

Pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towels to remove moisture.
In a large skillet or wok, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Once it’s bubbling, add the chicken and sear them until they turn golden brown on both sides, approximately 5-8 minutes per side.
Remove the chicken from the pan.
Use the remaining butter to saute shallot and garlic until they turn golden brown.
Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and the chicken.
Stir for about 2-3 minutes then add the water.
Add ginger and lemongrass. Mix everything together.
Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Allow the chicken to simmer for 5-10 minutes while preparing the caramel sauce.
While the chicken is simmering, prepare the caramel:
- Place a saucepan over medium heat and allow 2 tbsp sugar to dissolve.
- Let the sugar bubble until it turns a rich and amber color. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Swirl the saucepan to ensure even caramelization.
- Once the sugar turns a deep brown, quickly turn the heat to low. Carefully add 3 tbsp of water to the caramelized sugar. Be cautious as it may sizzle and release steam.
- Stir the mixture until the caramel is fully dissolved in the water, creating a rich caramel sauce.
Pour the prepared caramel sauce over and stir to evenly coat the chicken with the sauce.
Add chicken bouillon peppercorns, and ground chili (optional). Stir everything together.
Continue simmering the chicken for another 10-15 minutes until the sauce reduces to a brown glaze that coats the chicken.

Garnish and serve

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the lemongrass and ginger pieces.
Garnish the Vietnamese ginger chicken with thinly sliced green onions and red pepper chilies (if desired) for a burst of color and flavor.
Serve your ginger chicken hot with steamed rice.

Caramel sauce for ginger chicken

The caramel in this chicken recipe isn’t like your usual dessert caramel sauce, it’s key to adding depth of flavor and an amber color to the dish.

When sugar is heated until they turn a rich, amber color, it creates a caramel sauce. This sauce not only provides sweetness but also add a beautiful caramelized glaze to the chicken, elevating its look and taste.

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Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs

Honey Garlic Fried Chicken Bites – Super Crispy

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Vietnamese Chicken Wings

Vietnamese chili powder (ớt bột)

Vietnamese chili powder (ớt bột) is made from dried Thai chilies that are ground into a powder. It can be pure Thai chili powder or a blend of chilies. Asian or Vietnamese chili powder is typically concentrated chili flavor and spicer than the chili powder you get from non-Asian grocery stores. It can be very spicy to someone with low tolerance. So adding it is totally optional.

What pairs well with Vietnamese Ginger Chicken?

Vietnamese Ginger Chicken is a versatile dish that traditionally pairs with rice. Serve it over jasmine rice or with a side of steamed vegetables or pickles.

Crunchy cucumber or Vietnamese carrot pickle make excellent side dish. You can also try it with some banh mi bread for a unique Vietnamese sandwich.

To enhance the fragrance, consider adding kaffir leaves or galangal root.

These ingredients are commonly used in Thai cuisine. They infuse the dish with aroma and flavor that are simply irresistible. If you crave a touch of heat, don’t forget the Thai pepper chili.