Gà Rô-ti - Roasted Chicken or Braised Chicken

Difficulty: Hooker Easy

There is three ways to make ga roti.  The ones who can afford an oven in Vietnam, make a roasted version.  You can grill it over charcoal. My preferred method is the braised version.  It offers a sauce and the chicken can be very tender if you braise it at a low enough heat for a longer period of time. This is an adaption of my mother in-law's version.

For the braised version of this recipe, leg quarters is the preferred cut of chicken to use. The dark meat offers the fattiness that lends to a tastier dish.  I personally don't like drumsticks, so I use thighs.

8 thighs

6-8 cloves garlic, minced finely

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

Ground black pepper, preferably freshly ground for sweetness

Sugar

Water

First you want to prepare the chicken.  Start by trimming off any excess skin on the thighs and bits of visible fat.  You can go skinless also.  Marinade the chicken with the garlic, soy sauce, and oyster sauce.  Allow for marinade for about 2 hours or more.

Heat up a deep pan or wok with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle in about 1 Tbsp or enough to have a thin layer of sugar covering the bottom of the pan and allow for it to develop color.  You want the sugar to be almost black but not burnt.  You want a very rich dark color.  Add the chicken and turn the chicken so that the caramel coats the chicken.  Brown it on both sides.  Add 1-2 tsp of water and cover the pan.  Simmer the chicken for about 5-7 minutes on each side.  Add the freshly ground black pepper and fish sauce.

If like a more tender chicken, braise for about 30-40 minutes on low with the lid on.