If you need a warm and comforting stew you can make on weeknights, this Ragu Ga or Vietnamese Chicken Ragu is for you! This stew is made with chicken and vegetables seasoned with warm spices, making it extremely flavorful. Pair this with a baguette or some rice for the perfect meal.
Something I’ve been thinking about is how comforting soups and stews take such a long time to cook. There are of course a few exceptions like my chicken tomato soup, but oftentimes, things like chicken pho take forever to cook and develop flavor. It makes sense though. It takes time for all the ingredients to blend and infuse the soup with flavor. That’s why I was so excited to discover this dish Ragu Ga or Vietnamese Chicken Ragu.
What is Ragu Ga?
Ragu or Lagu Ga is a dish that is a marriage of Vietnamese and French cuisines. I learned a lot about this dish reading the amazing Andrea Nguyen’s blog post about it. The term “ragu” comes from the French dish “ragout”. Ragout comes from the French word ragouter which means “to revive to taste”. It is a popular French vegetable stew that is heavily spiced and sometimes made with meat. Normally when you think of ragus, you think Italian cuisine, but according to Andrea, the Italian dish was influenced by French ragout. The French introduced this dish to Vietnam during their colonization of the country, but the Vietnamese ended up spelling ragu the Italian way.
This dish can be made with any kind of protein – beef, chicken, fish, or even no meats, but through my research, it seems like the most popular way to make this dish is with chicken. This recipe is inspired by Andrea’s with my own twists to it. I added cinnamon to the dish because I’m obsessed with that spice right now, and I used my own simplified method of making this stew. What I love most about this stew is it takes about an hour to make, which makes it the perfect weeknight soup dish.
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- Chicken thighs – I personally love using chicken thighs because I think they yield the best flavor. The bones make the broth richer and more flavorful. You can use any cut of chicken for this dish.
- Fish sauce – This ingredient adds a Vietnamese flair to this dish. You can add up to 3 tablespoons of fish sauce to this dish. Feel free to only use 2 tbsp of fish sauce.
- Pepper for seasoning
- Yellow onion – Adds sweetness to the stew. Substitute with white onion or shallots.
- Garlic – Adds more flavor to the stew.
- Salt for seasoning
- Ground cinnamon – I am so in love with cinnamon right now. I think it adds so much extra flavor to the dish. You can leave out the cinnamon if you don’t like it, but I highly recommend it. I used Vietnamese cinnamon for this dish, but feel free to use any variety you can find.
- Tomato paste – Adds more flavor to the dish. If you don’t have tomato paste, substitute with 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and cook for 1 minute, so some of the liquid evaporates.
- Bay leaves – Adds more flavor to the dish. If you can’t find bay leaves, I would leave it out. You can make this dish without bay leaves. It will however not have as much flavor, so I highly recommend using it if possible.
- Chicken broth – This is the liquid that the chicken and all the other ingredients are stewed in. Substitute with vegetable broth. You can also use half chicken broth, half coconut water for a sweeter flavor.
- Carrots – Adds more flavor to the broth and it tastes so good when it absorbs all that broth flavor.
- Russet potatoes – The potatoes help thicken the broth and it’s so yummy when it absorbs all that flavor. Substitute with Yukon gold.
- Cremini mushrooms – I personally just love mushrooms, so I loved having them in the stew. If you don’t like mushrooms, don’t add them to the stew. You can substitute cremini mushroons with shiitake mushrooms and portobello mushrooms.
How to make my version of Ragu Ga
First, marinate chicken thighs in fish sauce and pepper for 15 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, cut your onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a dutch oven or large soup pot. Sear the chicken on all sizes. Make sure to save the fish sauce marinade for later. Set aside. Add the onion to the pot, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion becomes slightly brown. Add the garlic and salt and cook for 30 seconds. Next, add the ground cinnamon, tomato paste, and fish sauce marinade to the pot. Mix.
Add the seared chicken back to the pot and mix until the chicken is coated in the sauce. Cover and lower the heat to medium low and let the chicken cook for 10 minutes. Pour the chicken broth into the pot and add the bay leaves, carrots, and potatoes. The broth should cover 80% of the ingredients. If you feel like there is not enough liquid, add water or more broth. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until both are cooked through. Lastly, add the mushrooms to the pot and cook for 5-10 minutes until cooked through. Taste the broth to make sure it is seasoned to your liking. If it tastes too bland, add more salt until it is perfect for your tastes. Serve with a baguette or rice.
How do I eat Ragu Ga?
Ragu Ga is best served with a baguette or rice. Any kind of rice works for this recipe whether that be brown rice or white rice.
How do I store Ragu Ga?
Store Ragu Ga in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Tips on how to make the perfect Ragu Ga
Make Ragu Ga the night before for the best flavor
Like all soups and stews, this dish tastes better the next day. While I was testing, I discovered that this dish had so much more flavor when I had leftovers the next day. So if you have time, make this dish the night before and enjoy it the next day!
What should I use as a substitute for meat?
If you don’t want to use meat in this dish, I would recommend using tofu instead. One of the benefits of using tofu is it will shorten the cook time. If using tofu, sear it on all sides like the instructions say, but don’t simmer for 10 minutes. Once you sear tofu, it’s ready to eat. The rest of the instructions should be the same.
Did you make this dish?
If you made this dish, I would love to see!
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Ragu Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Ragu)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lb chicken thighs bone in, skin on
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 yellow onion cut into chunks
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can chicken broth low sodium, 14.5 oz
- 3 carrots large, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 lb russet potatoes peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 10 oz cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
Instructions
- Marinate chicken thighs in fish sauce and pepper for 15 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, cut your onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a dutch oven or large soup pot. Sear the chicken on all sizes. Make sure to save the fish sauce marinade for later. Set aside.
- Add the onion to the pot, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion becomes slightly brown. Add the garlic and salt and cook for 30 seconds.
- Next, add the ground cinnamon, tomato paste, and fish sauce marinade to the pot. Mix.
- Add the seared chicken back to the pot and mix until the chicken is coated in the sauce. Cover and lower the heat to medium low and let the chicken cook for 10 minutes.
- Pour the chicken broth into the pot and add the bay leaves, carrots, and potatoes. The broth should cover 80% of the ingredients. If you feel like there is not enough liquid, add water or more broth. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until both are cooked through.
- Lastly, add the mushrooms to the pot and cook for 5-10 minutes until cooked through.
- Taste the broth to make sure it is seasoned to your liking. If it tastes too bland, add more salt until it is perfect for your tastes. Serve with a baguette or rice.
Notes
- How do I eat Ragu Ga? Ragu Ga is best served with a baguette or rice. Any kind of rice works for this recipe whether that be brown rice or white rice.
- How do I store Ragu Ga? Store Ragu Ga in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Make Ragu Ga the night before for the best flavor. Like all soups and stews, this dish tastes better the next day. While I was testing, I discovered that this dish had so much more flavor when I had leftovers the next day. So if you have time, make this dish the night before and enjoy it the next day!
- What should I use as a substitute for meat? If you don’t want to use meat in this dish, I would recommend using tofu instead. One of the benefits of using tofu is it will shorten the cook time. If using tofu, sear it on all sides like the instructions say, but don’t simmer for 10 minutes. Once you sear tofu, it’s ready to eat. The rest of the instructions should be the same.
I really wanted to like this dish, but the cinnamon throws off the balance of all the flavors. It is far from a traditional chicken ragu. I’m so mad because I wasted all that time and money to make it. It’s going on the trash!
I’m sorry this dish didn’t work out for you!