Chicken Curry- Vietnamese Cà Ri Gà Recipe

Watch reel here.

Cà Ri Gà is a Vietnamese chicken curry that's super flavorful and oh so comforting. The chicken curry is seasoned with coconut milk, lemongrass and Vietnamese Madras curry powder which gives it that signature Vietnamese curry flavor.

With a nod to French cuisine this chicken curry is more like a soupy stew than a traditional curry. Our family still enjoys this dish with a side of rice, hot french baguette, or on certain occasions with a bowl of vermicelli noodles.

Tips:

Sear potatoes and carrots so they don't fall apart in the pot.
To make thicker, add a corn starch slurry of 2 tbs of cornstarch to a few tbs of cold water and add to stew

8-10 Chicken thighs and/or drumsticks (about a couple to few lbs)

Chicken marinade seasoning:
2 tbs Vietnamese Madras curry powder
1 tsp sea salt (or kosher salt)
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
1 tsp annatto powder (or you can sub with tumeric)
1/2 tsp white pepper/black pepper


3-4 tbs vegetable oil
2 lemongrass stalks cut into 4-5" segments (smash the white ends with the flat side of your knife so that the flavor is released, cut off tops of lemongrass)
+2 tbs minced lemongrass (white parts only)
2 medium shallots (peeled and loosely chopped)
3-5 garlic cloves (minced)

2-3 lemon leaves (or lime leaves, they add a nice freshness)
2-4 cups water (about 4 cups, up to 6 if needed to keep chicken moist)
2 carrots cut into 1" chunks
2-3 medium potatoes (russet and/or sweet potatoes cut into about 2-3" chunks)

1 small onion cut into loose slivers
1/2 can coconut milk
1-2 tbs fish sauce (to taste, as needed)
Salt (to taste)

Garnish in bowls:
Lime wedges
Cilantro loosely chopped

PREPARATION

1. Add all chicken marinade seasonings to a bowl and lightly mix. Let marinate in fridge for 2 hours or overnight for best results. .

2. In a dutch oven, add oil on medium high heat until oil is hot and glossy. Then add lemongrass, shallots and toss until fragrant.

(about 1-2 minutes).

3. Push all the aromatics to the side, and combine chicken into pot with the oil and let the chicken brown some in the pan. Then add lime leaves and add some water to cover (be sure to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan when adding water), bring to a boil and immediately reduce down to a medium simmer. Let simmer for 30 min stirring occasionally.

4. Add vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onion). Reduce heat to low-medium until veggies are mostly cooked. Then add coconut milk (do not let coconut oil boil or it will curdle and get lumpy says mom). Leave a small crack open for the lid so it doesn't boil over. Let lightly simmer for about 10-15 more min until veggies are cooked kind of tender. Add water as needed to keep it from broth from reducing out and burning.

5. Taste and season with salt, black pepper, and/or fish sauce as needed.

6. Plate into bowls and garnish with cilantro and a little squeeze of lime.