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    Home » Recipes » Easy Vietnamese Inspired Chicken Curry (Cà ri gà)

    Easy Vietnamese Inspired Chicken Curry (Cà ri gà)

    Published: Jul 10, 2019 Modified: Jun 24, 2020 by Suzanne Nuyen This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

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    I just got back from a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico! It was MUCH needed vacation, and I have so many restaurant reviews for you. But first, a recipe for an easy weeknight chicken curry that uses a spice mix I bought at Savory Spice while I was on vacation.

    The bae and I arrived in Santa Fe a few hours before hotel check-in, so we took a walk into the plaza. Along the way, we stopped at the cutest little spice shop! The store smelled amazing, and the two employees there showed us how to taste whatever we wanted! The bae and I both left with several spices. I'm so thankful he's as weirdly into foodstuffs as I am.

    Ghost pepper chili powder

    We both left the store with a bottle of Ghost Pepper Curry Powder, and when I got home, I was SO excited to use it. The curry powder reminds me of the Vietnamese curry powder that my family buys from Cho Ben Thanh in Vietnam. I used that powder for my Lemongrass Curry Fried Fish (Cá Chiên Cà Ri Sả). This powder has more of a kick though, from the ghost peppers.

    The chicken curry I made with this spice is so easy to customize. You don't have to use the same vegetables I did. You don't even have to use chicken! The recipe will taste just as good with pork, beef or even tofu. The recipe is more of a basic backbone than rigid instructions. Experiment with what you love and let me know how it comes out!

    You don't need this special Ghost Pepper Curry powder to make this dish either. Just increase the amount of red pepper flakes in the marinade to compensate for the lack of heat in your regular curry powder!

    Traditional cà ri gà is thinner and more soupy and typically served with bread for dipping. This recipe has all of the same flavors, but has less liquid and is thicker, like a typical Thai curry. It tastes great by itself or over rice!

    Easy Chicken Curry: Step-by-step instructions

    Start by chopping up your chicken into small cubes, about an inch. I used skin-on chicken thighs because they're flavorful and harder to overcook. You can use any protein that you like! Marinate the protein with fish sauce, chopped lemongrass, red pepper flakes, garlic, shallot, salt and pepper. Omit the red pepper flakes if you can't handle the spice. Increase it if your curry powder isn't already spicy!

    Fry the chicken in a large skillet over medium-high head. After about a minute, sprinkle your curry powder in.

    Add your vegetables when the meat is completely opaque. I added the cauliflower first, waited a few minutes, and then added zucchini, oyster and shiitake mushrooms. Add the vegetables that take longest to cook first. It will look like you have a lot of vegetables, but they will cook down.

    Add some chicken broth and a can of coconut milk. If you like your curry thicc, don't add the chicken broth at all! Let everything simmer for about 5 minutes.

    This chicken curry was good enough to eat on its own, but would be equally delicious served over rice.

    Easy Chicken Curry
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    Easy Chicken Curry

    Recipe by Suzanne NuyenCourse: MainCuisine: Asian, VietnameseDifficulty: Easy
    Servings

    5

    servings
    Prep time

    10

    minutes
    Cooking time

    30

    minutes
    Calories

    475

    kcal

    This curry isn't a traditional Vietnamese chicken curry. It doesn't take as long to make, and the broth is thicker, but all of the flavors are there.

    Ingredients

    • 2 lb chicken, cubed

    • 3 tablespoon chopped lemongrass

    • 2 tablespoon fish sauce

    • 4 cloves garlic, minced

    • 1 shallot, minced

    • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

    • ¼ teaspoon pepper

    • ½ teaspoon salt

    • 1 tablespoon canola oil

    • 1 tablespoon Ghost Pepper Curry Powder, or Madras Curry Powder

    • 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets

    • 1 zucchini

    • 4 oz oyster mushrooms

    • 4 oz shiitake mushrooms

    • ¼ cup chicken broth

    • 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk

    Direction

    • Mix chicken with fish sauce, lemongrass, garlic, shallot, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Let sit for about 10 minutes.
    • While chicken is marinating, chop all of your vegetables
    • Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken and brown for about a two minutes
    • Add curry powder and continue cooking until fragrant, about 3 minutes
    • Add cauliflower. Cook about 5 minutes before adding zucchini and mushrooms. Cook until tender, about 2 minutes
    • Turn heat down to medium-low. Add chicken broth and coconut milk. Simmer for about 10 minutes until cooked.
    • Serve over steamed rice

    Did you make this recipe? Tag @bun.bobae on instagram and hashtag it #bunbobae to be featured!


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    Loved this Recipe? You might also like:

    Fried Fish with Curry and Lemongrass (Cá Chiên Cà Ri Sả)

    Pork Spare Rib Soup ( Canh Sườn)

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christopher Mitchell

      July 15, 2019 at 9:10 pm

      Well, this officially has made me starving! I now am going to have to go and either make this, or head to the nearest Vietnamese restaurant!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 16, 2019 at 6:16 am

        It doesn't take too long to make at all! Definitely try it 🙂

        Reply
    2. Dalene Ekirapa

      July 14, 2019 at 4:38 pm

      Yes! I love the recipe!
      Chicken curry and some hot steaming rice is one of my favorites go-to dishes for lunch! And I also love it peppery!
      Yuum!

      Reply
    3. Ruby - Runaway Baker

      July 14, 2019 at 8:05 am

      I recently found ghost pepper powder down in London and now I have something to try it with! great recipe 🙂

      Reply
    4. Susan Graham

      July 13, 2019 at 8:39 pm

      Hi Suzanne, This looks great! I’m making it right now! Do I dump the marinade in the hot pan with the chicken in Step 3?

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 14, 2019 at 9:44 am

        Yes, you do! All of it goes in together.

        Reply
    5. aisasami

      July 13, 2019 at 1:01 pm

      I don't know if they sell Ghost Pepper Curry Powder here in Japan but I will ask my Vietnamese friend (and ask him how to make the best curry).

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 13, 2019 at 1:10 pm

        You can use regular curry powder and just add some red pepper flake to make it spicier 🙂

        Reply
    6. Kalyan Panja

      July 12, 2019 at 12:22 pm

      Thanks for sharing about this easy chicken curry recipe! It will be helpful to many who are searching for inspiration to prepare it at home.

      Reply
    7. Brandy

      July 12, 2019 at 10:38 am

      That looks so good! I love curry but couldn;t handle the ghost pepper!!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 12, 2019 at 3:54 pm

        You can try regular curry powder and just add a bit of chili pepper to your desired spiciness!

        Reply
    8. twinspirational

      July 12, 2019 at 10:11 am

      It looks so delicious and easy to prepare..! My family will surely love this since they love curry dishes so much. Thanks for sharing..

      Reply
    9. Catherine Santiago Jose

      July 12, 2019 at 1:27 am

      My husband and I loves chicken curry a lot and this recipe of yours looks really delicious. I am going to make this for him and I am sure he is going to like it.

      Reply
    10. Viano Dee

      July 11, 2019 at 8:53 pm

      Chicken curry! So nice. My made it once. It was her first try and it tasted really nice. I had totally forgotten until now. I should make it sometime.

      Reply
    11. Ashli Ferguson

      July 11, 2019 at 5:32 pm

      MY dad would LOVE this!!

      Reply
    12. Chad

      July 11, 2019 at 2:38 pm

      oh yessss!!! This looks soooo delicious!!! I will definitely try to make it, can't wait.

      Reply
    13. Lavern Moore

      July 11, 2019 at 11:41 am

      I would really like to make this curry dish. I think I would really enjoy it. Curry chicken chicken seems like it Would be so delicious.

      Reply
    14. Jen @ Jenron Designs

      July 11, 2019 at 11:14 am

      This sounds so yummy we love to eat a lot of curries in the fall and winter months so I will Pin It for later.

      Reply
    15. Lindsay Veremis

      July 11, 2019 at 10:57 am

      I am obsessed with curry, so this recipe is a must try. A little intimidated by the ghost pepper curry, but I do like spice... so we'll go with it. Yum yum!

      Reply
    16. Lauren

      July 11, 2019 at 10:31 am

      I LOVE CURRY!! So this is something I would easily try!! This looks well made! Thanks for sharing!!

      Reply
    17. Norma Nikutowski

      July 11, 2019 at 10:20 am

      The chicken curry recipe seems delicious and easy to make. I can't wait to try it out myself.

      Reply
    18. Tracy Albiero

      July 11, 2019 at 9:13 am

      It looks very yummy. I am glad it is easy. I may give it a try. Thanks for posting!

      Reply
    19. GiGi Eats

      July 11, 2019 at 9:06 am

      I've been making my husband curry a LOT lately and he's obsessed!!! It's such an easy dish to make as well and so very healthy so I LOVE that he is into it and asks for it (otherwise he's always wanting to eat out).

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 11, 2019 at 12:26 pm

        I love that there are so many different kinds of curry!

        Reply
    20. Ritu Sharma

      July 11, 2019 at 6:58 am

      These look so tasty and the recipe seems really easy.

      Reply
    21. Kuntala

      July 11, 2019 at 1:38 am

      Learned a new recipe. Looks very yummy

      Reply
    22. Amanda J

      July 10, 2019 at 11:15 pm

      Very interesting! I think my husband would really like this!

      Reply
    23. Adriana

      July 10, 2019 at 10:19 pm

      I've never seen a ghost pepper curry powder. I am going to give this recipe a shot.

      Reply
      • Erika Tiara

        July 11, 2019 at 7:42 am

        What a delicious dish! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe, i'll try this out for sure!

        Reply
    24. Sydney

      July 10, 2019 at 9:50 pm

      This looks delicious and simply to make! I'll have to save it to try later.

      Reply
    25. Whitney

      July 10, 2019 at 7:12 pm

      Oh, I'm so hungry right now, and I love to cook. Definitely adding this to my recipe file. And your pics are phenomenal. Love your recipes!

      Reply

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    Hi! I'm Suzanne, your Bun Bo Bae. I'm a journalist, professional amateur baker, noodle enthusiast and food photographer living in Washington, DC. My immigrant parents taught me everything I know about Vietnamese home cooking, and now I want to share it with you!

    More about me →

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