Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà)

5 from 5 votes

This easy one-pot Vietnamese Chicken Curry, or Cà Ri Gà, is perfect for a cozy night in. Delicious chicken thighs and hearty vegetables are braised in a coconut curry sauce. The end result: a fragrant and flavorful stew!

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 30

Servings servings

Calories 463

Author Jessica Kwon

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

2 lbs skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs cut into 2-3" pieces
2 tablespoon Madras curry powder (see notes)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1½ teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal
½ teaspoon pepper

Curry Stew

2 tablespoon cooking oil divided
½ onion quartered; about ¾ cup
½ shallot diced; about 2 tbsp
2-3 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoon Madras curry powder
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 cups unsalted or low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
1-2 lemongrass (see notes)
2-3 dried bay leaves
1-2 potatoes peeled and cut into ½" cubes
2-3 carrots peeled and cut into 1" pieces
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro for garnish
Green onion thinly sliced; for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Marinade the chicken. Pat chicken dry and option to remove excess skin. Place into a large bowl and season wiht 2 tablespoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix until chicken is evenly coated, then cover with plastic wrap and let marinade for at least 1 hour, up to overnight. If marinading for more than 2 hours, place in fridge. Let come to room temperature before cooking.
Sear the chicken. To a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. When hot, add a single layer of chicken, skin side down. Sear for 2-4 minutes or until skin is browned and easily lifts off the bottom of the pot. Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate, and repeat with remaining chicken. Set aside.
Clean the pot. Let the pot cool slightly and then clean thoroughly, removing excess fat and browned bits.
Cook the stew. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same pot over medium heat. Then add onion with a pinch of salt, cooking for 2-3 minutes until it starts to get translucent at the edges.
Next, add shallot and garlic, cooking for an additional minute. Add a splash of chicken broth and use your wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
Add 2 teaspoon curry powder, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, remaining chicken broth, coconut milk, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine, then add in lemongrass, bay leaves, potatoes, and carrots. Nestle chicken in and pour in any juices.
Bring soup to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 10-20 minutes uncovered until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F) and vegetables are fork-tender. Stir occasionally and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a rolling simmer.
Turn off heat and remove bay leaves and lemongrass. Season to taste with more salt and/or fish sauce. Garnish with cilantro and green onion. Serve with rice, noodles, or toasted bread.

Notes

Chicken: For convenience and accessibility, I recommend bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Use any cut you'd like but I highly recommend bone-in for more flavor and skin-on for fat and richness. You can also ask the butcher to cut it into smaller pieces through the bone.
- The cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken. I always recommend using a meat thermometer for safety. Cook to an internal temperature of 160ºF (residual heat will carry it to 165-170ºF).
Curry powder: Madras curry powder is a spicier blend from India. The brand I use is Kim Tu Thap (labeled "Ca Ri Ni An Do" for Indian curry powder) but Sing Kung and D&D are also popular.
Lemongrass: To prepare lemongrass, first remove any dry outer layers that easily peel away and cut the top leafy ⅓ to discard. Then use a mallet, the flat side of your knife, or a rolling pin to pound the lower ⅓ bulb. Fold in half to pit into your pot. If you'd like, you can use one of the dried leaves to create a wrap around the lemongrass to create a bundle.
Salt: The salt amounts listed are for Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using Morton kosher salt, sea salt, or Himalayan pink salt, reduce by half. If using table salt, reduce the salt by ¼.
Substitutions:
- If you can't find Madras curry powder, substitute with any yellow curry powder blend.
- Substitute coconut milk with regular milk, coconut soda like Coco Rico, or coconut water. The soup will just be less creamy than if you use full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream.
- If you can't find fresh lemongrass, use ¼ cup pre-chopped lemongrass from the freezer section or 2 tablespoon stir-in paste in the vegetable section of your local grocery store.
- For a less spicy Ca Ri Ga, start with half the curry powder. You can also use half Madras curry powder, half regular curry powder. Adjust to your liking.

Nutrition