Pan-Seared Vietnamese Turmeric Chicken (Ga Nghe)

This Vietnamese turmeric chicken has become a staple in my weeknight dinner rotation. Inspired by Cha Ca (Vietnamese turmeric fish), chicken thighs are marinated in fish sauce and turmeric and then cooked with fresh dill and other aromatics for the ultimate flavor bomb. Serve with rice and veggies for the perfect weeknight meal.

I love making traditional Vietnamese dishes, but I also love creating new dishes with all the Vietnamese flavors I love. This Vietnamese turmeric chicken is inspired by Cha Ca, a famous Vietnamese dish that combines turmeric, fish sauce, dill, and fish. I really hope someone makes this dish because it is unbelievably good. That subtle dill flavor really makes this dish special.

I just made this tonight and used shrimp and even added in a small amount of cubed eggplant (it added a nice sweet hint). It was amazing! I really appreciate the flavors and simplicity of this recipe!

Abby

How I developed this Vietnamese turmeric chicken recipe

I think Cha Ca is such an underrated, deep cut dish from Vietnamese cuisine. It is a dish made with fish marinated in fish sauce, turmeric, and other aromatics. It is then cooked with shallots, green onions, and dill before being served in a vermicelli noodle bowl. I thought the marinade for this dish would make a great marinade for chicken, so I tested it out! Honestly, I was shocked how unbelievably good it was. I was surprised how well the dill, fish sauce, and chicken all worked together flavor-wise! This chicken plus some roasted veggies and rice made for the perfect weeknight dinner.

I did make a few tweaks to the cooking method however. Instead of adding the green onions and dill at the end, I simmered the chicken with both, so the chicken takes on some of the green onion/dill flavor. All in all, this is a 10 out of 10 weeknight dish I will keep in the rotation.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Garlic and ginger – Adds flavor to the chicken. I used grated ginger, but feel free to cut the ginger up into small pieces and just add it to the marinade. I used grated ginger because it mixes in better with the other ingredients.
• Turmeric powder – Adds color and turmeric flavor to the dish. You can also use freshly grated turmeric as well (~1 tsp of freshly grated turmeric).
• Salt and white pepper for seasoning – Substitute with black pepper if you don’t have white pepper.
• Granulated sugar – Adds a bit of subtle sweetness to the marinade. Feel free to substitute with sugar substitutes or even light brown sugar.
• Olive oil – You can use either vegetable, olive, or grapeseed oil for this recipe. This helps give the chicken its brown color on the outside.
• Chicken thighs – I used bone in, skin on chicken thighs because they are my favorite cut of chicken to use. You can use any cut of chicken you want however. Make sure to adjust the cook time accordingly for different cuts. Refer to the tips section for cook times for different cuts of chicken.
• Shallot, green onion, and dill – These ingredients add more flavor to the chicken. You can substitute shallots with 1/4 of a yellow onion.

How to make Vietnamese turmeric chicken

In a large bowl, combine 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp of grated ginger, 1 tsp of turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of white pepper, 1 tsp granulated sugar, 2 tbsp of fish sauce, and 1 tbsp of olive oil and mix. Add 2 1/2 lbs of chicken thighs to the bowl and coat in the marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, cut 1 shallot, 2 tbsp of dill, and 2 stalks of green onions. Heat a large pan over high heat. Sear the chicken on both sides and set aside. Lower the heat to medium high. To the pan, add the shallot and green onions. Saute for 30 seconds. Add the dill to the pan and mix. Add the chicken thighs back to the pan and lower the heat to medium low. Cover and let it cook for 30 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F. Once the chicken is done, remove from the pan and turn the heat to high. Reduce the sauce for 2-3 minutes until it thickens. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve!

Vietnamese Turmeric Chicken Video

Tips on how to make the perfect Vietnamese turmeric chicken

Get a nice sear on the chicken

To get a nice sear on the chicken, heat the pan on high for a minute before adding the chicken. Searing the chicken also allows some of the fat to render out into the pan. That is what you will use to cook the rest of the ingredients, which yields a more flavorful dish.

How do I know the chicken is done?

The best way to know if you’re chicken is done is to use a meat thermometer and measure that the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F. What I like to do is turn the chicken upside down and pierce the thickest part of the chicken. If the juices run clear (there are no red juices), the chicken should be done.

Cook times for other cuts of chicken

You can use any cut of chicken for this recipe. Below are a few cook times for other cuts of chicken. Make sure to use a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.

1. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs – Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
2. Chicken breast – The cook time will depend on how thick the chicken breast is. I would estimate 10-15 minutes simmering should cook the chicken breast through.

What can you serve with this Vietnamese turmeric chicken?

This chicken recipe has a lot of intense flavor, so I would recommend serving this with white rice (see my post on how to cook rice for cooking instructions!) and some sort of fresh or roasted vegetable. If you want to up your rice game a bit, you can even serve it with turmeric rice! When I tested this recipe, I served it with roasted broccolini seasoned with only salt and pepper (also seen in the pictures). Another good side would be curry roasted carrots or pickled mustard greens. You can also serve it with vermicelli and fresh herbs to make a vermicelli noodle bowl.

How do you store this dish?

This dish should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

Follow Cooking Therapy on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @cooking__therapy and #beccascookingtherapy.

Stay connected and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all my latest recipes.

Disclaimer: If you purchase anything through a link on this site, I may receive a small commission from the purchase at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I would personally use. Thank you so much for the support!