In Vietnam, cháo gà is usually eaten for breakfast, but you can serve it for any meal. This recipe shows you how to make the chicken broth for the cháo, a basic technique that’s useful to know, but feel free to use good quality store-bought chicken broth and leftover cooked chicken.
Cháo Gà is Comforting Nourishment
Because it is light and delicate, cháo is usually eaten when you are feeling poorly. In Vietnam, it’s served to patients in hospitals with minced chicken or pork and spring onions on top. At home, when you are feeling under the weather, mamma would bring you cháo. Following Vietnamese tradition, I weaned my baby, who is now six years old, with cháo. I made it plain, with rice and water, and unseasoned fish, pork, or chicken broth. I left it simmering for a long period until silky along with tiny strands of chicken or flaked white fish. Over time, I added more and more ingredients, like carrots, potatoes, and beans, to introduce a new world of flavors and nutrition to my child. I imagine the time spent cooking cháo to be therapeutic and harmonious. Nothing heals your mind and body more than a lovely bowl of steaming cháo ga.
The Best Rice for Cháo Gà
Cháo used to be a poor farmer’s meal because a handful of rice grains fed one person but when thinned out with water or broth in the form of cháo, it would feed four. The rice blooms as it cooks, expanding. I like using jasmine rice for cháo. It’s also my preferred grain of choice at home. Short-grain rice has more starch and makes a thicker and creamier cháo, whereas long-grain like basmati isn’t as starchy and doesn’t bloom much—the porridge won’t be as thick or creamy. Cook the porridge to the consistency you prefer. Use less liquid and cook it without a lid on for a shorter amount—about 15 minutes—for a thick and chunky porridge. Add more liquid and cook it for much longer—about 60 minutes—for a thinner and silkier porridge. It is up to you!
A Good Broth is the Secret
A good broth is the secret to an excellent cháo. If you can, make your own chicken broth as I do in this recipe, but any good quality store-bought chicken broth or chicken stock cubes work too. Then, a generous amount of ginger, good quality fish sauce, and freshly ground black pepper is all you need to boost the flavors.
Use What You’ve Got in the Fridge and Pantry
Raid the fridge to make this soothing and comforting porridge. When it comes to toppings, cháo is a blank canvas for many toppings, a great way to use up leftovers and eat up what’s going in your fridge or pantry. Here are some ideas:
Use leftover rice. Any kind of leftover rice will work. Simmer the rice in the broth until they expand and melt into the porridge. Use any kind of leftover meat for topping the cháo, like roasted or poached chicken or cooked fish or pork. Specifically, cháo is great topped with traditional Vietnamese meats, like caramelized fish, pork, or chicken, if you ever end up with leftovers. Use any type of vegetables you have in the crisper for topping the cháo, like cilantro, scallions, carrots, daikon, or pickled vegetables.
How to Serve Cháo Gà
The chicken in this recipe is tossed in a salad with cabbage, carrots, and red onion. The crunchy salad is an incredibly delicious textural contrast to the silky porridge. Traditionally, the salad is set in the center of the table for sharing. Provide each guest with a small bowl of the sweet and spicy dipping sauce so that they can dip the salad into it. As a contrast to the smooth cháo, I recommend serving it with crispy, crunchy toppings on the side for guests to sprinkle on top. A few ideas: crispy fried shallots, fresh herbs like cilantro and basil, a dollop of chili crispy, and coarsely ground black pepper. Then, a squeeze of fresh lime and a drizzle of good quality fish sauce lifts the bowl to another level! Three Crabs or Red Boat are two brands of fish sauce I recommend.
Make it a Party
Not only is cháo gà an easy midweek meal, but you can also make it an occasion! Imagine a fantastic dinner party with the chicken, salad, and toppings laid out in beautiful platters for guests to share. Each topping can go into individual bowls for sharing too. Chào gá is served during Têt, Vietnamese New Year, or celebrations as a light and easy, yet utterly delicious hot soup course.
1 yellow onion
1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons rock or granulated sugar
1 teaspoon chicken or mushroom bouillon (optional)
1 1/3 cups (250g) uncooked jasmine rice
2-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons good-quality fish sauce
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
For the salad
3 1/2 ounces (100g) green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 ounce (15g) carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Handful of cilantro, tender stems and leaves
For the dipping sauce
2 bird’s eye chilis, finely chopped (optional: remove seeds)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons high-quality fish sauce
For the fried shallots
2 tablespoons vegetable cooking oil
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
For garnish
Scallions, chopped
Cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly torn
Freshly ground black pepper
Do not discard the hot chicken stock in the pot. You will use it to cook the rice porridge. You can discard the onion. Cover the pot with a lid and bring it to the boil over medium heat. Skim off any fat and foam that floats to the top with a large spoon. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the rice has blossomed and thickened the broth, stirring occasionally. Season the porridge with fish sauce and 1 teaspoon black pepper. If the porridge is too thick for your liking, you can thin it out by adding a little water. Cháo is best served immediately, but some would argue that making it ahead of time is even better. Store it in the fridge for a couple of days. It’ll thicken up as it sits and the rice soaks up the broth. Loosen it by adding more broth or water when you reheat it either on the stovetop or microwave. If reheating in the microwave, stir it well halfway through. Did you love the recipe? Leave us a review!
