Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Ca Ri Ga)

A bowl of Vietnamese curry with rice on the side.

5 from 1 vote

Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Ca Ri Ga)

Ca Ri Ga, or Vietnamese chicken curry, is the ultimate comfort dish. With a rich coconut-based curry paired with succulent chicken thigh and hearty root vegetables, this dish has an amazing depth of flavor and can easily be made to be a healthy curry dish that you can fit into your daily diet.

Prep Time15

Cook Time3

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Servings:

Calories: 418kcal

Author: Clara

Ingredients

Curry Ingredients

1 clove Garlic
½ Shallot
1 stalk Fresh Lemongrass
⅓ cup Light coconut milk
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 Bay leaf
1 tablespoon Curry Powder
1 tablespoon Fish sauce
1 teaspoon Sugar

Chicken and Rice

4 oz Chicken Thigh (Boneless, skinless)
1 Carrot
1 serving Brown Rice
Salt and Pepper
Cilantro (For garnish)

Instructions

Stovetop

Prepare the ingredients – Mince the garlic, shallots, and lemongrass. Cut the chicken thigh into small, bite-sized pieces, trimming off any excess fat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Sauté the aromatics – In a saucepan or small pot, bring the stove to medium heat and spray cooking spray and sauté the garlic, shallots, and lemongrass.
Brown the chicken – Add in the chicken pieces to brown the outsides by flipping periodically. Sauté until the aromatics smell fragrant and the chicken is browned, about 1-2 minutes.
Make the curry – Add in the carrots, bay leaf, coconut milk, and curry powder. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are fork tender. Add in the chicken stock periodically to deglaze or to reach the right consistency for the curry sauce.
Season and serve – Turn off the heat and add the fish sauce and sugar, seasoning to your liking. Remove the bay leaf from the curry, garnish with cilantro, and serve with a side of rice or your carb of choice!

Instant Pot

Prepare the ingredients – Mince the garlic, shallots, and lemongrass. Cut the chicken thigh into small, bite-sized pieces, trimming off any excess fat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Sauté the aromatics – Turn on sauté mode on the instant pot and spray cooking spray. Sauté the garlic, shallots, and lemongrass. Also, add in the chicken pieces to brown the outsides by flipping periodically. Sauté until the aromatics smell fragrant and the chicken is browned, about 1-2 minutes.
Make the curry – Add in the carrots, bay leaf, chicken stock, and curry powder. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
Season and add coconut milk – After the Instant Pot is done cooking, turn the pressure valve to release the remaining pressure carefully. Then take off the lid, turn on sauté mode, and add in the coconut milk, mixing everything together with a spatula. Add in the fish sauce and sugar, seasoning the curry to taste.
Garnish and serve – Pour the curry into a bowl, garnish with cilantro, and serve with your carbs of choice.

Notes

Substitutions and Variations

Make it a noodle soup – Add more chicken stock and serve with some delicious egg noodles or rice noodles.

Make it spicy – Sauté a Thai chili or two with the aromatics.

Expert Tips

Make it with Instant Pot – To make this with an instant pot, follow the instructions similarly by sautéing everything in sauté mode. Add everything in the curry step except the coconut milk and let it cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Then season as desired.

Preparing lemongrass – To prepare lemongrass, start by peeling it back a few layers to reach the white fleshy part. Then, cut the lemongrass into thin slices starting from the white, fleshy bottom until you reach the green woody part.

Nutrition