Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà)

I love Vietnamese food! But whether I’m ordering it at a restaurant or cooking it at home, I either have pork or seafood. I’m not sure I’ve ever ordered or made a chicken dish. That needs to change, and I’ve found the perfect recipe to do that. I’m also excited that get to try deep frying the vegetables. It’s something I never do, and I always love trying new things. Let’s give this chicken curry recipe a whirl!

This post was originally published on March 20, 2018. The text and photos were updated on August 11, 2021. The review and rating have not been changed.

Although there is some waiting involved with the marinade and extra care taken with the root vegetables, this curry recipe is fairly easy to make. This is, yet another recipe, that I have been lucky enough to grow up eating as a child.

Recipe Author: Huy at Hungry Huy
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The Ingredients

The most exotic item needed for this chicken curry recipe was lemongrass, and my usual grocery store doesn’t carry it. That meant a special trip to Whole Foods, so I decided to buy everything I needed there. It was pricier than Publix for sure, but sometimes convenience is worth a little extra.

I’m glad this recipe is flexible as to what cut of chicken can be used. I wanted to try chicken breasts with the bone and skin, but I don’t own a meat cleaver. There’s no way I could have cut chicken with bones into small pieces for this curry.

The first time I made this recipe, I opted to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead since that is my husband’s favorite cut. When I decided to update this post, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Turns out we both liked the thighs better as they were more flavorful and juicy.

I also made a change to the curry powder I used when I updated this post. On my first try, I used a bottle of generic curry powder. This time, I wanted to stay as true to the recipe as possible and get the recommended brand.

However, in the recipe posts’ comments, I found out the brand of curry powder the author recommends, D&D Gold, has changed their recipe. There were a lot of complaints about it. I did some research, though, and found a brand that is comparable (at least based on the comments I read). It is Quoc Viet Foods Curry Soup Base, and it made a huge difference in the flavor!

Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà) Ingredients
Chicken thighs, coconut milk, sugar, chicken broth, sambal paste, bay leaves, onion powder, Vietnamese curry powder, salt, lemongrass, carrots, vegetable oil, red potatoes, yellow onion, lemon juice, and garlic

The Process

This chicken curry recipe took a while to prepare, but the effort was very much worth it. Here’s how the times broke down:

  • 5 minutes to make the marinade and cut up the chicken
  • 4 hours to marinate the chicken (The second time I made this recipe, I marinated the chicken for 2 hours, and it was just as good.)
  • 10 minutes to prep the vegetables
  • 52 minutes to cook
  • 5 hours 7 minutes total

The Prep Work

The first part of this recipe was very easy. I had the chicken cut up and marinating in the spice mixture within 5 minutes. I took it out of the refrigerator just before the 4 hours was up so it could come up to room temperature. That’s when I prepped the vegetables, and I let the oil for deep frying them heat up at the same time.

Peeled and cut up potatoes and carrots
Peeled and cut up potatoes and carrots

Frying the Vegetables & Chicken

Let’s talk deep frying. I don’t have a fryer, so I used a 32-ounce bottle of canola oil in a small saucepan with the heat set on 8 (out of 10). As a result, I had to fry the vegetables in 3-4 batches for 5-10 minutes before they just started to turn golden. I was surprised at how not greasy they were when they were done, but I still drained them in a mixing bowl lined with paper towels.

One more thing about frying the vegetables: Step 3 says to fry the onions and carrots, but that should be potatoes and carrots. The author specifies that in his post, so ‘onions’ is a typo. Update: The author has corrected the recipe.

Fried potatoes and carrots draining in a paper towel-lined mixing bowl
Fried potatoes and carrots draining in a paper towel-lined mixing bowl

I browned the chicken in a large pot while the vegetables were frying. It sounds like a lot going on at once, but it really wasn’t. It was pretty easy to do with the long breaks between the batches of vegetables, and I had both ready at the same time.

Browned chunks of marinated chicken
Browned chunks of marinated chicken

Assembling the Curry

Then it was time to put it all together. I used a 5.3-quart pot, and it was barely big enough to hold everything. And I did have to use the full 3 cups each of chicken broth and water to cover all the meat and vegetables. Next time I’ll use a larger pot—at least 6 quarts.

My chicken curry turned out to be very yellow, whereas the author’s pictures show a redder color. I’m guessing the yellow was from the curry powder I used. You might have different results.

So how was it?

Clear & Accurate Directions
Accurate Time(s)
Appearance
Taste
It’s a fair amount of work, but the payoff is a very tasty chicken curry. The meat is tender and has a slightly sweet taste to it. Deep frying the carrots and potatoes makes them a little crisp on the outside but tender on the inside. The result is vegetables that don’t turn to mush (always a good thing). The lemongrass adds subtle flavor while the curry powder is the most prominent taste. A baguette served on the side is a must to sop up the flavorful broth.
The Hungry Pinner
The Hungry Pinnerhttps://www.hungrypinner.com
I'm Candice, and I'm The Hungry Pinner. I created this blog to share my love for cooking and my experiences with the MANY recipes I've found on Pinterest over the years. Join me as I blog my way through those recipes to find out if they are worth trying yourself.

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It’s a fair amount of work, but the payoff is a very tasty chicken curry. The meat is tender and has a slightly sweet taste to it. Deep frying the carrots and potatoes makes them a little crisp on the outside but tender on the inside. The result is vegetables that don’t turn to mush (always a good thing). The lemongrass adds subtle flavor while the curry powder is the most prominent taste. A baguette served on the side is a must to sop up the flavorful broth.Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà)