Combining everything you love from Vietnamese and Thai chicken curry, this fusion Cà Ri Gà recipe is my elevated version of the authentic Vietnamese chicken curry. For an easy yet flavorful chicken curry featuring elements from both Vietnamese and Thai cuisines, look no further than this recipe!
Vietnamese and Thai Fusion Recipe
Food lovers! I’m so excited to share this recipe with you today because it’s a little different than what I usually post. Rather than being super authentic, this Cà Ri Gà recipe is actually a fusion of my favorite techniques and flavors from both Vietnamese and Thai chicken curries. I find that combining ideas from both cuisines yields a chicken curry that is equal parts refreshing and filling, complex, and loaded with flavorful, tender chicken. I love both Vietnamese and Thai cuisines and I definitely feel that this unique chicken curry gives you the best of both worlds.
Vietnamese vs. Thai Chicken Curry
Both Vietnamese and Thai chicken curries feature chicken cooked in a coconut milk stew flavored with aromatics and spices. The main difference between the two is in the preparation of the meat and the kind of flavorings used.
In Vietnamese chicken curry, the chicken is marinated before being cooked. This adds a lot of flavor to the meat and the dish as a whole.
Meanwhile, in Thai chicken curry, they add flavor to the dish by using Thai curry paste. Paired with fragrant kaffir lime leaves and refreshing lemongrass, this gives the curry a rich and complex flavor that keeps you reaching for more!
For my Vietnamese and Thai fusion Cà Ri Gà, I combined both of these techniques to create an incredibly flavorful, complex, and rich chicken curry that’s just begging to be eaten with steamed rice, noodles, or even some fresh Bánh Mì!
Should I use Green or Red Curry Paste?
For this Vietnamese chicken curry recipe, you can use either green or red Thai curry paste. You can easily find them in any Asian grocery or online. Both are wonderfully flavorful and complex and will result in a great chicken curry. However, if you really want to know the difference between the green and red varieties of Thai curry paste, I can give you some insight!
The two curries have mostly the same core ingredients, mainly: shallots, garlic, galangal, kaffir lime leaves or peel, and shrimp paste or fish sauce. Depending on what brand you buy, there might be variations such as more herbs and spices or a higher concentration of chili.
The most obvious difference, of course, is color. This is because red curry paste is made with dried red chilies while green curry paste is made with green chilies. While most people believe that red curry paste is hotter while green curry paste is sweeter, it really depends on the ingredients used in the product you buy. Nowadays, different Thai curry brands tend to add some variations to their curry paste to distinguish themselves. Feel free to experiment with different brands of red and green Thai curry paste and see what works best for you!
By the way, if you like this Vietnamese chicken curry recipe, I also recommend trying my lemongrass chicken recipe which is also a satisfying, zesty dish with tender chicken!
Vietnamese Chicken Curry Recipe | Cà Ri Gà
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 3 tbsp Minced Lemongrass
- 2 tbsp Minced Shallots
- 3 tsp Salt
- 3 tsp Curry Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika Powder
- 3 tbsp Green or Red Curry Paste This is not a traditional ingredient for Vietnamese curry but to me, it adds amazing flavors.
- 2-3 leaves Kaffir Lime Leaves, roughly torn This is not a traditional ingredient for Vietnamese curry either but it adds amazing flavors.
- 1 can Coconut Milk (14 oz.)
- 1 large Onion
- 3 stalk Lemongrass Bruised and cut into 2-3 inch pieces.
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 3 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 11 oz Coconut Water
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 lbs Potato/Sweet Potato Whichever you prefer or have at hand –sweet potato does cook a little faster than regular potato.
- 1 lbs Carrots
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite size pieces if needed. I leave my chicken wings as is but I am chopping the chicken legs in smaller piece.
- Add all marinade ingredients to the chicken.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Wash, peel, and cut potatoes and carrots into 2-inch cubes approximately. Put all the vegetables in a bowl of water and set aside.
- Add ¼ of the coconut milk into the pot.
- Add the green or red curry paste.
- Let it come to a nice light boil and allow all the flavors of the curry paste to develop. This should take a few minutes. I would recommend NOT to skip this step since the curry flavors are so much more intense.
- Now add the chopped onions and bruised lemongrass and sauté 3-5 minutes.
- Give the onions time to caramelize a little and for the lemongrass to develop and release its beautiful flavors.
- Now add the chicken cuts and stir thoroughly.
- Get the chicken to brown upon all sides.
- Now add remaining coconut milk, coconut water and chicken broth. All the chicken should be submerged in liquid.
- Now season with sugar and fish sauce. Tear the kaffir lime leaves and add to pot.
- Bring the pot to a boil and high temperature.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Now add potatoes and carrots and continue to let it simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes and carrots have desired softness for you.
- Garnish with thinly sliced onions and cilantro. Serve with steamed rice or bread.
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