Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà)

This is a bold and vibrant Vietnamese Chicken Curry! With an indulgent creamy broth and melt-in-your-mouth drumsticks, it’s the perfect companion for fresh baguettes and rice noodles. You’ll also love how the curry has an added richness using a secret ingredient!

A family favorite that we always go back to

When Winter comes around, our Vietnamese Chicken Curry transform those cold nights into toasty heartfelt memories: warm bread crunching between your fingers, silky noodles sliding along chopsticks and steaming hot broth melting the chills away.

While that may be enough to keep me craving, it’s not what drives me to make it over and over again.

It’s the fall apart drumsticks that have been flash fried to seal in its juices, then slow cooked in curry broth. It’s the tender vegetables that add a natural sweetness to each mouthful.

And it’s the moment when you dip crusty baguette into the soup to soak up every last golden drop before biting into an explosion of earthy aromatic flavour.

This is hands down the only Vietnamese Chicken Curry recipe you’ll need in your life!

Why this recipe works

In our family recipe, there are two ways to sweeten the broth without using sugar:

(1) Adding taro. Taro has a natural nutty sweetness that is not only adds flavour, but once it cooks into the curry, the dish becomes incredibly creamy.

(2) Adding sweet potato. Anything with sweet potato will be guaranteed added sweetness because once cooked, the enzymes will break the starch down into sugar.

(3) Adding sweetened condensed milk. This is our family’s secret ingredient to a rich and luscious broth. It makes the fish beautifully smooth and gives a depth of flavour that can’t be achieved with just sugar alone. 

You won’t regret it once you try it!

What you’ll need

About the marinade

To get a classic Cà Ri Gà taste, our family marinade consists of tumeric powder, lemongrass and garlic. You can also include curry powder for more flavor.

We also buy curry sauce from the Asian supermarket, which is sold in individually sealed packets as a meat or vegetarian sauce.

How to make this recipe

Cut the lemongrass into 10 cm (4″) segments. Smash the lemongrass and garlic cloves until they’re partially split, then put them in a bowl with the drumsticks and giblets.

Marinate the drumsticks and giblets in tumeric powder.

Heat up a wok on high heat and add the cooking oil. Flash fry the taro until crispy on the outside then set aside.

Note: This will help to develop a crispy crust around the taro which prevents it from breaking up in the curry.

Flash fry the sweet potatoes until crispy on the outside in the same oil, then set aside.

Separate the lemongrass and garlic from the marinated drumsticks and giblets. Reuse the cooking oil (or replace with 3 tbsp new oil) to fry the lemongrass and garlic for 30 seconds.

Pour the drumsticks into the wok and cook for 5 minutes or enough to to sear all sides.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken and pork stock to a boil and add the curry sauce, coconut cream, condensed milk, chicken bouillon powder, salt and curry leaves.

Add the drumsticks, taro, sweet potatoes and onions in and cook on a medium simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with a squeeze of lime juice, fresh Vietnamese baguette and rice noodles! 

FAQs

Tips for the best results

• Marinate the drumsticks overnight. For the best infused flavors, coat the meat in marinade and leave it in the fridge. If you’re low on time, 20 minutes will work.
• Let the chicken come to room temperature. Make sure to take the chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes prior to cooking to avoid having tough meat.
• Avoid cooking the sweet potato and taro for too long. The longer they cook in the soup, the softer they become and the more likely they are to break apart.

Fall in love with more noodle soups!

• Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bò Kho) – Another hearty, rich Winter warmer that pairs perfectly with noodles and baguettes.
• Vietnamese Chicken Tapioca Noodle Soup (Bánh Canh Gà) – Light and super simple to make, it’s a family weekend favorite!
• Satay Beef Noodle Soup – You’ll win everyone over with this ever-popular spicy and creamy beef noodle soup recipe.
• Banh Canh Cua (Crab Tapioca Noodle Soup) – Thick and full of seafood flavor, there’s everything to love about this recipe!
• Vietnamese Pork and Prawn Clear Noodle Soup (Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang) – This is a common breakfast dish for a reason! It’s got a myriad of toppings balanced by a homey broth.
• Bun Mam (Vietnamese Fermented Fish Noodle Soup) – Robust and earthy, you can’t miss out on what the locals love in this recipe!

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This post was originally published on 27/2/20 and updated with tips and FAQs in September 2020.