Xôi gà - sticky rice chicken

xôi gà at the (street) restaurants with mung bean  milk (right corner above)

Xôi stands for sticky rice, gà is the chicken part. It is sticky rice served with chicken meat pulled from the bones. It is full of flavours and different textures, a great example of a typical Vietnamese party-in-your-mouth dish. Just perfect for lunch or as a big snack to survive the last hours before dinner.

In Da Nang, xôi gà is often served with crunchy fried shallots, thinly sliced (green) onion that is shortly fried to tone down the raw bite and make them a bit sweeter, some white pepper and rau răm, also known as Vietnamese coriander. I am no fan of fresh coriander (to me it tastes a bit like soap), but this herb was nothing like it. It has citrus and anise notes, very fragrant and it is an essential part of this dish.

The rice is cooked in the chicken stock with the chicken fat & skin to flavour it. Sometimes the chicken organs are included too. Pandan leafs give its coco-nutty flavour and at home, people may add soy or coconut milk to the rice. A small amount of fresh turmeric root is added too, to give its yellow appearance.

The chicken pieces are tender, and have a clean, non-spiced flavor, like it is poached or boiled slowly, similar to the Cantonese poached chicken. This may have been done in chicken broth that is made from the left over bones. Pieces of skin are served along with the meat, but you can also order it without the skin (không da).

For the people who like it spicy, try some of the typical Da Nang chili sauce. It is somewhat sweet and has a sticky jelly texture. You can find it as a standard condiment on the tables of nearly all Da Nang restaurants & streets.

xôi gà at the corner of the street Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai and Quang Trung street, with mung bean milk

Some restaurants serve xôi gà with clear chicken broth, like the one next to the Pink Lotus hotel.
But probably the most tasty xôi gà is sold on the corner of the street Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai and Quang Trung street. The portions here are a bit smaller, there's no soup on the side, but they are definitely more flavourful and they cost only 10.000 VND each. And.. you can get fresh mung bean milk and soy milk to wash it down!

There are 3 different stands there that sell xôi gà, all for same price and same flavour, but they each have a different rice texture. According to my local expert the one on the corner has its rice more sticky. The third one from the corner sells its rice somewhat drier, but you can ask for their (free) soup, since they also sell the noodle soup bún măng gà, rice vermicelli with chicken & bamboo broth.

Be aware they open in the morning and late afternoon, during lunch they can be closed.

xôi gà take away (mang ve)

Details:

Street restaurants

Just north of the intersection Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai with Quang Trung (google maps says 35 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, but google maps in Da Nang is not very accurate) you will find a few food stalls with xôi gà for 10.000 VND per portion. The third food stall from the Quang Trung street also provides free soup & sells bún măng gà, rice vermicelli with chicken & bamboo broth, for 20.000 - 25.000 VND (Feb 2015)





Restaurant

Lê Hồng Phong, somewhere between 45 and 49 according to google maps. It is open all day and in front of the shop you'll see xôi gà written on the food stall.
25.000 VND including a small bowl of soup (Feb 2015)

How to order:

xôi gà - sticky rice chicken

xôi gà không da - sticky rice chicken without skin

xôi gà mang ve - sticky rice chicken take away  (same price)

bún măng gà - rice vermicelli in chicken & bamboo broth, only available in third xôi gà stall

cho một bát nước lèo - can I have a bowl soup?

sữa đậu xanh - mung bean (green bean) milk

sữa đậu nành - soy milk