Chao Ga, Vietnamese Chicken Rice Porridge
This Vietnamese chicken congee recipe simmers jasmine rice in water with chicken, ginger and onion until the grains break down into a silky porridge. The chicken is lifted out, shredded, and piled back on top with spring onions, coriander, fried shallots, lime and black pepper, with fish sauce to season. One serving is about 500 g.
Chao ga is Vietnam's home answer to a cold morning or a queasy stomach: rice and chicken cooked together in one pot until the porridge turns silky. The Vietnamese version is seasoned with fish sauce and fresh ginger, and the chicken is shredded and piled on top with herbs, lime and black pepper — a lighter, brighter bowl than the plain Chinese congees it is related to, and a dish every Vietnamese family cooks its own way.
Pairs well with: Fried dough sticks (quay) and pickled garlic
Provenance
Vietnam
Vietnamese Home-Cooking Classic
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
1h 30m
20m prep • 70m cook
Batch Yield
6 Servings
417 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 500 g
Technical Skill
Intermediate
Easy (One Pot)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Prime Morning Fit
Lunch
Inappropriate
Dinner
Inappropriate
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Vietnamese Home-Cooking Classic
Photo: Phuong Huy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $2–3 per serving at home (USD)
The rice is simmered slowly until the grains break down completely, so the porridge turns silky rather than watery.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Rinse the Rice and Ready the Chicken
20 Mins • Rinse + Slice
Rinse the 200 g jasmine rice three times until the water runs clear. Peel the 40 g ginger — slice 20 g for the pot and julienne 20 g for topping. Halve the 100 g onion, slice the 40 g spring onions, pick the 15 g coriander leaves, slice the 10 g chilli and cut the lime into 6 wedges. Keep the 500 g thigh fillets and 300 g chicken breast whole; they poach in the porridge and are shredded later.
Maestro Tip: Rinsing the rice is what keeps the porridge silky instead of gluey.
60 Mins Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Put the rinsed rice, 2.2 L water, the 500 g thigh fillets, 300 g chicken breast, 20 g sliced ginger, the halved onion and 3 g salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then turn down to the gentlest simmer, cover with the lid ajar, and cook for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes so the rice does not catch.
A bare simmer is the secret — a hard boil makes the porridge stick and burn.
Done when: Rice grains broken down, porridge thick and silky, chicken cooked through.
10 Mins Cooling from about 95°C (200°F)
Lift the chicken out onto a plate and check the thickest piece reads 74°C (165°F). Let it cool for 5 minutes, then shred it into bite-size strips with two forks. Discard the onion and sliced ginger from the pot.
Shred while the chicken is still warm — cold chicken shreds into dry crumbs.
Done when: Chicken in tender strips, no pink, 74°C (165°F) inside.
5 Mins Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Stir the 30 g fish sauce into the porridge and taste. Add a little more fish sauce or a pinch of salt if it needs it — the porridge should taste gently salty, with the ginger in the background. If it is too thick, stir in a splash of hot water.
Season at the end, not the start — the porridge thickens as it cooks and salt concentrates.
Done when: Porridge flowing slowly off the spoon, seasoned and fragrant.
5 Mins Hot, about 80°C (175°F)
Ladle the porridge into 6 warm bowls. Pile the shredded chicken on top of each bowl, then scatter over the julienned ginger, spring onions, coriander, 20 g fried shallots and sliced chilli. Finish with a generous grind of the 2 g white pepper and serve each bowl with a lime wedge to squeeze over.
Let each person squeeze their own lime — the sourness wakes the whole bowl up.
Done when: Steaming bowls, chicken piled high, herbs bright and fresh.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the Vietnamese chicken congee steaming hot, with the shredded chicken and fresh herbs on top and a lime wedge on the side of every bowl.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
417
kcal / serving
Protein
33g
Complete AA
Carbs
32g
Complex
Fats
16g
Healthy
| Energy | 417 kcal |
| Protein | 33 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| Fibre | 1.3 g |
| Sugar | 1.3 g |
| Sodium | 656 mg |
| Energy | 83 kcal |
| Protein | 6.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 6.4 g |
| Fat | 3.3 g |
| Fibre | 0.3 g |
| Sugar | 0.3 g |
| Sodium | 131 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Provides niacin and vitamin B6 from the chicken, vitamin C from the lime and coriander, and iron from the chicken and herbs.
High in Protein
About 33.3 g of protein per serving from the chicken, so a bowl keeps you full through the morning.
Gentle and Easy to Digest
Slow-simmered rice porridge with ginger is one of the gentlest breakfasts there is — soft, warm and easy on the stomach.
Warming Ginger
Fresh ginger gives the porridge its warmth and fragrance, and ginger is traditionally used to settle the stomach.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Sides
Fried Dough Sticks (Quay)
Crisp fried dough sticks are made for dipping into congee — they soak up the porridge and add crunch.
Vegetables
Pickled Garlic
Sharp pickled garlic cuts through the rich chicken porridge and wakes up the palate.
Soups
A Small Bowl of Chicken Broth
A clear cup of the poaching broth on the side stretches the meal and keeps it light.
Drinks
Hot Green Tea
Unsweetened hot green tea with congee is the classic Vietnamese breakfast drink — warm, clean and simple.
Complete menu
Serve the Vietnamese chicken congee with fried dough sticks for dipping and a small plate of pickled garlic for a classic Vietnamese breakfast.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Boiling the Porridge Hard
A hard boil makes the rice catch and burn on the bottom of the pot, and the porridge turns bitter. Keep it at the gentlest simmer and stir often. This is general food information, not medical advice.
Undercooked Chicken
Chicken poached in porridge must reach 74°C (165°F) all the way through — check the thickest piece with a thermometer before shredding. This is general food information, not medical advice.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
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WARNING: This dish is made from raw duck blood and eating it is NOT recommended. Raw blood can carry Streptococcus suis (which causes meningitis and sepsis — people in Vietnam have died after eating pig-blood tiet canh), avian influenza from duck blood, salmonella and other dangerous germs. Vietnam's Ministry of Health advises against eating tiet canh, and no preparation method — not even blood from a fresh or trusted source — makes raw blood fully safe. This page describes the traditional Hanoi preparation, tiết canh vịt, for cultural knowledge only. One serving is about 241 g: a small bowl of fresh duck blood mixed with fish sauce, poured over finely chopped cooked duck meat and left to set into a soft, trembling jelly, then finished with crushed roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, lime and chili, and served cold.
Cultural Discovery
A traditional northern Vietnamese snack of raw duck blood set into a soft jelly with cooked duck meat, herbs and peanuts — described here for cultural knowledge, with a serious safety warning.
