Cháo gỏi gà – Vietnamese chicken porridge/congee is easy to make and well loved by we Vietnamese people. While there are many ways to make this chicken porridge soup, I particularly love this recipe. The chicken stock from this recipe is versatile, and can also be used as a base for chicken pho also.
After shredding the meat out for the porridge, the real prize is not the meat, but really the bones and chicken carcass. Using that, we make gỏi gà; a Vietnamese salad that is a bit citrus, sweet, spicy, and full of onions and coriander flavor.
The goi ga is good for those that are drinking and munching (nhau). After drinking and munching on the chicken bones, they can enjoy the chao ga, chicken porridge soup. It is good to end the night and cure hangover the next day!
Chicken Congee – Cháo gỏi gà
Some people like their congee to be thick, while others prefer more soupy congee. So depending on your preference, you can add more water/broth to the pot to find yourself the right consistency for your congee. Be sure to leave some extra meat on the bones so you can enjoy it in the salad mix!
Cost: $25
Ingredients
Chicken Prep
- 1 whole Chicken (Cage Free Recommended) Cleaned and leave whole (clip off claws)
- 4-5 each Kaffir Lime Leaves
- 2 each Lemongrass Cut to length and semi smash to release flavor
- 1/2 each Fresh ginger a few slices of ginger (skin on is ok)
- 1 each Shallot
- 1 each Yellow/white onion
Congee ingredients
- 1-2 cups Jasmine Rice washed and leave in strainer to dry
- 2 oz Rock Sugar
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 can Vegetable/chicken broth
- 2 tbsp Chicken Granulated Seasoning or 1 tsp MSG
- 2-3 tbsp fish sauce ADJUST to your taste preference
Chicken Salad Mix
- 2 Each White Onions Sliced thin
- 2 Bunch Coriander Leaves (rau răm)
- 1-2 each Red Chili optional
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 tbsp fish sauce depending on your brand it might be salty, taste and add to your taste preference.
- 1/2 each Lime
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
Other ingredients
- Fried Shallots
- Cilantro chopped
- Green Onions chopped
Instructions
Chicken Prep & Soup Stock
- Stuff Chicken with: Kaffir Lime Leaves, Sliced Ginger, Lemongrass, 1 Shallot, 1 Onion.If the ingredients don't fit inside the chicken, you can just drop it in the pot. Feel free to add more onions to add sweetness to the broth.
- Bring water to boil FIRST before adding the chicken to pot.
- Add 2 tsp of salt, 2 oz rock sugar, 2 tbsp chicken granulated seasoning (1 tsp MSG).
- Boil UNCOVERED on medium heat for 35 min. Be sure to skim off any foam that comes to the top. Turn off heat, cover the pot with lid, and leave for 10 min. (this will keep chicken meat moist without overcooking the chicken dry.)
- Take out chicken and discard other "floating" ingredients in broth.Briefly shower chicken with cold water to keep skin glossy and not dry.place chicken on rack bowl to dry and cool down. (can semi cover the chicken with saran wrap so that chicken don't dry out from steam. Be sure NOT to completely seal.)
Congee Soup
- The amount of rice depends on how you want your congee to be, whether it'll be thick or soupy. For my consistency, I use 1 cup of rice for every 10 cups of broth. You have to remember the broth level decreases the more you boil (evaporates). ***Tips: You can always add more broth to thin out the congee, but you can't really add more rice to bring it up to thickness level again since the rice grain won't cook evenly. You can always adjust the consistency of your congee by adding more water/broth (vegetable/chicken broth in cans) to dilute out the thickness of the congee.
- Toast up your Jasmine rice. (no oil)This toasting will: easy up on the starchiness of the congee. Separate each rice grain. Gives it a toasty taste. Toast until rice is fully dry. (~8-10 min)
- Bring broth to boil again before adding the toast rice.
- Stir rice in the broth and make sure it doesn't clump up.Simmer on medium heat. (30 min)
- Check the consistency and see what you want it to be. Cook longer for the rice to break to smaller grains.add more broth for more soupy broth.cook longer to make a thicker congee.
- Add fish sauce, chicken granulated seasoning to your taste
Chicken Carcass Salad Mix
- Shred your chicken by hand and separate the meat and bones. Be sure to leave enough meat on the bones to make the salad.Use the shredded meat to top off your congee.Chicken carcass on the side.
- Use the chicken carcass and mix with: 1.5 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1/2 lime, 1 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tsp black pepper, chopped red chili (optional). Add in the sliced white onions and chopped coriander leaves. MIX WELL!
Video
Notes
ALWAYS adjust to your taste since there is a difference in taste preferences and different brands of ingredients, resulting in different taste.
Add fish sauce if you want more salty, but always balance it out by adding a bit of sugar.
For more savoriness, add Chicken/mushroom granulated seasoning or msg.
I remember my mom making chao ga JUST like this! Well done and such a lovely recipe, Thank you!
Gotta pass the recipe on to the next Vietnamese American Generation! Thanks so much for the feedback :))