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Preparation
1 hour 30 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Chicken cooked with gac creates a very delicious, nutritious dish that has beautiful, eye-catching colors, often served as the main dish at parties. Let’s cook this dish together!
Ingredients for Chicken cooked with gac Serves 4
Chicken 1 bird Gac 1 fruit Shallots 3 bulbs Onion 1 bulb Ginger 1 piece Garlic 5 cloves Cornstarch 1 tablespoon Baby potatoes 100 gr Chicken seasoning powder 1 teaspoon Five spice powder 1/2 teaspoon Soy sauce 1/2 tablespoon Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Rock sugar 1 tablespoon Common seasoning a little (salt/ sugar/ pepper/ seasoning powder)
Ingredients: Five-spice powder, salt, sugar, cooking oil, soy sauce, seasoning powder,…
Tools: Stove, pot, bowl, plate, chopsticks, spoon,…
How to choose good native chicken:
- If choosing pre-made chicken, select one with pale yellow, thin, smooth skin, and high elasticity. The skin should only be dark yellow in certain areas like the breast, wings, and back.
- The chicken should be compact, firm, and have a narrow breast. Pressing the chicken should reveal elasticity and firmness.
- The chicken should not have a foul smell, and should not show signs of bruising or blood pooling. Avoid chickens with darkened skin, as they are likely to have died before being slaughtered.
- If selecting a live chicken, choose one that is mature, with shiny feathers and no foul smell. Roosters are preferable as their meat is tougher than hens, making them suitable for dishes like curry, stew, chicken pho,… while hens have softer meat, making them better for boiling or salad,…
How to choose good gac fruit:
- Good gac fruit is round, orange-red in color, with evenly spaced spikes, and feels heavy in hand.
- Choose fruit that is intact, without bruises, cracks, or decay.
- When cut open, the flesh inside should be red and divided into 5 sections.
How to cook Chicken with Gac
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Prepare the ingredients
Shallots peeled and minced. Ginger peeled, washed and minced.
Onions peeled and cut into wedges about 3 – 5mm in size.
Garlic peeled and minced. Cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of cold water (40ml).
Baby potatoes peeled and washed. If using large potatoes, cut them in half or into thirds.
Mix the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of chicken seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/3 teaspoon of pepper. Marinate the potatoes for about 10 minutes.
Tip: To prevent the peeled potatoes from browning, prepare a bowl of diluted salt water, and immediately place the peeled potatoes in it. Take them out when you are ready to cook.
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Prepare and marinate the chicken
Clean the chicken, cut it into pieces about 3 – 4cm, then rinse it again to remove the blood.
Set aside 1/2 of the gac flesh to sauté for color; the remaining flesh and seeds will be used to marinate the chicken.
Put the chicken in a bowl with gac, 2 teaspoons of salt, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of five-spice powder, 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, and 1/2 of the minced shallots. Mix all the ingredients well and marinate the chicken for about 30 minutes to absorb the spices.
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Stir-fry potatoes
The portion of potatoes should be added to the bowl containing the chicken, along with the remaining gac flesh from the bowl, mixed well to give the potatoes a beautiful red color.
Place a large pot on the stove, add a tablespoon of cooking oil and heat it, then add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic to sauté until fragrant, then add the potatoes to stir-fry so they absorb the seasoning.
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Cook the chicken
Add a tablespoon of cooking oil to the pot, turn the heat to low, and add the remaining gac flesh, stirring to release the color.
Next, add minced ginger and the remaining minced shallots, stir until fragrant, then add all the chicken to stir-fry. At this point, turn the heat up and stir-fry for about 10 – 12 minutes until the chicken is firm.
Boil 1.5 liters of water, then pour it into the pot with the chicken, stir well. Reduce the heat and simmer the chicken.
After about 15 minutes of simmering, pour all the simmered chicken into the pot with stir-fried potatoes, stir well, and add 1 tablespoon of rock sugar.
Continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, check the chicken and potatoes to see if they are tender, adjust the seasoning to taste, and then pour in the diluted cornstarch, adding the cornstarch while stirring to prevent lumps.
Continue cooking for another 2 minutes, then add the onions and stir well, cooking for another minute before turning off the heat.
Serve the Gac chicken in a bowl, garnish it nicely, and enjoy it while it’s hot for the best taste.
Tip: To make the Gac chicken sweeter, you can use fresh coconut water instead of boiled water.
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Final Product
Chicken cooked with gac is a combination of the chewy sweetness of chicken meat, the creamy taste of potatoes blended with a rich broth, alongside a visually appealing color. Dipping the chicken in lime salt or chili lime salt and serving it with bread, vermicelli, or white rice is all very delicious.
Tips for Preserving Gac
- For fresh gac, keep it in a cool place away from direct sunlight; it can last for a week. Alternatively, you can store the whole gac in the fridge refrigerator for 10 – 15 days.
- Separate the gac flesh and blend it, then divide it into small portions and place them in small bags to freeze. When needed, just take the gac out to thaw, allowing for a preservation time of up to 6 months.
See more
The dish stewed chicken with gac is incredibly delicious and nutritious, wishing you success when making this dish!
*Refer to images and recipes from: YouTube channel Vành Khuyên Lê
