Chicken and lime leaves are a perfect flavor pairing in Vietnamese cuisine. The simplest and most common dish is poached chicken with lime leaves. While limes and lime leaves are common in Vietnam, Kaffir limes and its lime leaves are less popular. However, there is a local dish called gà đốt lá chúc considered as a delicay that utilizes Kiffir lime leaves. The locals in An Giang, a Southern province, call the Kaffir lime leaves “lá chúc“. In other parts of Vietnam, the dish is adapted with common lime leaves and the dish is renamed as “gà nướng lá chanh“.
The chicken is marinated with a variety of seasonings, and then it gets roasted in a cast iron pan covered with lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves.
Prepare a mixture of minced lemongrass stalks, minced garlic, chilli powder, annato powder or shacha powder, honey and/or sugar and salt. Rub the chicken inside out, and let the chicken marinated for about 10 mins.
Place crushed lemongrass stalks or lemongrass leaves at the bottom of a roasting pan. Place some Kaffir limes on top, and pour cooking oil into the pan. Next, place the chicken stuffed with two or three whole garlic bulbs and ginger slices. Turn on the heat, cover the pan and roast the chicken for about 25 mins. Turn the chicken over half-way.
Pound rock salt with 1 bird's eyes chilli, squeeze some lime juice.
Lime leaves can be a substitution for Kaffir lime leaves, but the flavor is less strong, so it's better to marinate the chicken with lime leaf chiffonades.
Pan-roasted chicken should be eaten with a salad dish or some pickled cabbage and carrots.
Serve with a side dish of pickled cabbage and carrots.
Vietnamese cuisine is the method of cooking, the principle of mixing spices and the general dining habits of all Vietnamese people in Vietnam. With a unique geography, climate, and cultural exchange, the cuisine of Vietnam is extremely diverse and rich. The characteristics of Vietnamese cuisine is the focus on the freshness, so Vietnamese dishes are generally perceived as delicious and healthy.
