Vietnam was a French colony for 27 years. So it’s no surprise that Vietnamese cooking has a lot of French influence. Chicken ragout is one of those dishes. Instead of using the French word “ragout”, the Vietnamese spelled it “ragu” and pronounce it “ra goo”. Don’t let the name ragu fool you, it is not the typical ragu. Confused yet? 🤣
Ragu vs. Ragout
Even though these two words have the same pronunciations, they are in fact different. Ragout is a French stew-like dish consisting of slow cooked vegetables, mushrooms, meat and sometimes fish. It can be served alone or with pastas or couscous. Whereas, ragu is a class of Italian sauces made from minced meat and vegetables. The most common example of ragu is Bolognese sauce.
What is chicken ragout?
As with any slow cooking stews, you can tailor the ingredients to your liking. The chicken ragout I grew up with had chicken, carrots and potatoes in a tomato based sauce. However, I’ve seen recipes that call for mushrooms, or even beans.
Today I’m making chicken ragout using the ingredients I have in my pantry and fridge. This means chicken ragout with carrots, onions and shallots. Feel free to substitute the chicken with the meat of your choice or omit it completely to make a vegetable ragout.
Tips for making chicken ragout:
The first thing I do when I get the chicken thighs home is to wash it using a generous amount of salt. This is a technique that my mom showed me. She believed that it helps to keep the food fresh longer in the fridge, and I’m beginning to think she’s right. This also helps wash away any debris that the chicken came in contact with during storage. Overall, not a bad idea.
The recipe calls for tomato paste. If you use canned tomato paste, you’re probably thinking “what do I do with the leftovers?” This was my thoughts after taking 2 tablespoons out of the 6 oz can. Luckily I came across an article on “How to freeze tomato paste” and was able to save the leftovers. I’ve summarized the instructions for you below:
- Place plastic wrap on a cookie sheet.
- Spray a small amount of oil onto a small ice cream scooper.
- Using the ice cream scooper, scoop the tomato paste into a ball and place them on the cookie sheet with the plastic wrap.
- Place the cookie sheet in the freezer to freeze for a few hours.
- After the tomato paste has frozen, remove them from the plastic wrap and place the frozen tomato paste “balls” into a ziplock freezer bag.
- Remove as needed from the freezer.
Serving chicken ragout
Traditionally served with:
- Pieces of homemade bread to soak up all the delicious broth
- A side of Jasmine rice.
If you’re adventurous, serve it on top of thin rice noodles as a soup. Garnish with chopped green onions and a slice of lime.
Chicken Ragout (Ragu Gà)
Ingredients
Ingredients for the chicken marinade:
- 6 chicken thighs I used boneless, skinless. But you can use bone-in, skin on if you prefer.
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp vegetale oil
- 2 tsp freshly chopped garlic
- ½ tsp chopped shallot
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
Ingredients for making the chicken ragout:
- 3 medium chopped carrots
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 chopped white onion
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ chopped shallot
- 1 tsp chicken powder
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
Instructions
Instructions to marinade the chicken:
- Sprinkle a generous amount of salt on the chicken thighs. Gently rub then wash the salt off using warm water. Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Set them aside to prepare the marinade.
- Combine fish sauce, pepper, oil, chopped garlic, chopped shallot and garlic chili sauce in a bowl. Mix well.
- Place the chicken thighs in a ziplock plastic bag and pour the marinade in. Close the ziplock bag and move the chicken pieces around inside the bag to make sure they are coated in the marinade.
- Store the ziplock bag in the refrigerator overnight to marinade.
Instructions for making the chicken ragout:
- Place butter into a pot to melt. Add to the butter, chopped onion, chopped shallot, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Let them saute for 3 minutes.
- Add the marinated chicken, tomato paste, bay leaves and chicken broth to the pot. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Close the lid and let the chicken cook until done. Approximately 30 minutes.
- After the chicken is cooked through, add the chopped carrots.
- Close the lid and let the carrots cook until they are tender. Approximately 15 minutes.
- After the carrots are soft, add the chicken powder, 2 tsp of fish sauce and ½ tsp salt. Give the broth a taste and adjust seasonings accordingly if needed.
- Serve with a side of homemade bread or over Jasmine rice.
Next time you’re craving ragout, try this Vietnamese version. For more Vietnamese stew recipes, click here.
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