Thank you Vân Vân for sponsoring this post!
Vietnamese Ginger-Braised Chicken is going to be your new favorite weeknight staple. Gà Kho Gừng is a classic Vietnamese homestyle meal. It was one of my mom's favorites, so she'd make it at least once a month growing up. The tender chicken with the warming, sweet and salty sauce is a definite crowd pleaser.
Pin Vietnamese Ginger-Braised Chicken (Gà Kho Gừng) to try later!
Braising in coconut water is one of my favorite ways to cook meats. You'll find that the method of cooking here is very similar to how I make my Vietnamese Roasted Chicken (Gà Roti) and my Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly and Eggs (Thịt Kho Trứng) If you like the flavor profile of this ginger-braised chicken, I highly recommend trying one of those two recipes.
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🐔 Ingredients
This recipe uses dried ginger, shallot and garlic from Vân Vân, a Vietnamese, woman-owned company that specializes in single-origin ingredients from small Vietnamese farms. I was gifted these ingredients to cook with, and I found that they were virtually indistinguishable from using fresh ingredients.
Vân Vân's dried sparrow ginger was the star of the show here. I usually would not use dried ginger or ginger powder in place of fresh ginger, as I find their flavors are quite different. Vân Vân's ginger works just as well in this savory dish as it would in a dessert.
You will need:
- chicken
- ginger
- garlic
- shallot
- salt
- pepper
- fish sauce
- sugar
- coconut water
- chili flakes (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Break down your whole chicken into two thighs, drumsticks, wings and breasts. Use a cleaver to chop those pieces up into large chunks. The chicken will shrink once cooked, so don't chop it too small. I learned how to break down a chicken from this video by Serious Eats.
Season the chicken chunks with the dried shallot, garlic, and ginger. Add the salt, pepper and fish sauce and mix well to coat all the chicken pieces.
When you're ready to start cooking, heat the sugar in a heavy-bottomed pot on medium-high heat. Stir the sugar occasionally so it melts and caramelizes at the same time.
Continue to stir the sugar as it bubbles and browns.
Once the sugar is a deep caramel color, add the chicken and all its juices. Stir the chicken quickly to coat it in the melted sugar.
Once the chicken is browned, add enough coconut water to cover the pieces. Add some chili flakes if you want it to be spicy.
Simmer the chicken uncovered until the coconut water has evaporated into a thin, sticky sauce.
Hint: The caramelized sugar will burn very quickly. Stir it constantly and keep a watchful eye on it. Once it is a deep caramel color, add the chicken quickly to stop the sugar from burning.
💭 Substitutions
Dried ingredients: If you would like to use fresh ginger, garlic and shallot, use twice as much as the recipe calls for. The dried ingredients are more concentrated in flavor, so you'll need more fresh ingredients to get the same taste.
Vân Vân has provided its own conversion of dried to fresh ingredients. The portions are in grams, so you'll need a scale to measure them.
| Ingredient | Dried | Fresh |
| Sliced shallot Minced chili: 35g to 140g | 30g | 150g |
| Sliced garlic sliced garlic | 40g | 115g |
| Minced garlic | 50g | 140g |
| Minced ginger | 30g | 240g |
| Sliced lemongrass | 20g | 85g |
| Minced chili | 35g | 140g |
Chicken: Bone-in chicken is good for braising because it doesn't fall apart when cooked for a long time, and it has more flavor. You can use boneless chicken if you want, but I recommend using thighs instead of breasts to prevent the chicken from drying out.
Coconut water: You can use regular water instead of coconut water, but you might need to add more sugar to the dish. Coconut water is naturally lightly sweet.
🍳 Equipment
I recommend using a Dutch oven or stainless steel for this dish. Don't use something with a black or brown surface, as it will make it hard for you to see when the sugar is done caramelizing.
🍚 Serving size, suggestions and storage
One chicken will make enough for 4-6 people, depending on how many side dishes you serve with this dish.
Serve it with lots of jasmine rice to soak up the sauces.
Ginger-braised chicken is a great homestyle dish for a family meal. A family meal usually consists of rice (cơm), a vegetable dish (rau), a main protein, (món mặn), and a soup (canh).
For example, a Vietnamese family meal using recipes from this blog might include:
Rice
Rau: Tofu Skin and Bok Choy Stir Fry
Món Mặn: Vietnamese Ginger-Braised Chicken (Gà Kho Gừng)
Canh: Vietnamese Tofu Soup with Tomatoes and Chives (Canh Hẹ Đậu Dủ Cà Chua)
Store this chicken in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.
✏️ Top tip
Don't braise this on too high heat! Keep the coconut water at a medium simmer for extra tender chicken.
Vietnamese Ginger-Braised Chicken (Gà Kho Gừng)
Ingredients
- 1 chicken about 3-4 lbs
- 1 tablespoon Vân Vân dried garlic
- 1 tablespoon Vân Vân dried shallot
- 2 tablespoon Vân Vân dried ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cups coconut water
- ¼ teaspoon Vân Vân chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Season the chicken chunks with the dried shallot, garlic, and ginger. Add the salt, pepper and fish sauce and mix well to coat all the chicken pieces. Let this marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- When you're ready to start cooking, heat the sugar in a heavy bottomed pot on medium-high heat. Stir the sugar occasionally so it melts and caramelizes at the same time. Continue to stir the sugar as it bubbles and browns.
- Once the sugar is a deep caramel color, add the chicken and all its juices. Stir the chicken quickly to coat it in the melted sugar.
- Once the chicken is browned, add enough coconut water to cover the pieces. Add some chili flakes if you want the dish to be spicy.
- Simmer the chicken uncovered until the coconut water has evaporated into a thin sticky sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Note: Nutrition facts are estimated based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
🦺 Food safety
- Cook chicken minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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