This sweet and savory Vietnamese sticky rice with chicken or xoi ga is made with plump sticky rice, sweet soy caramelized chicken, Chinese sausage and crispy fried shallots. This loaded sticky rice dish is the perfect quick meal prep solution for your busy week.
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This sweet and savory Vietnamese sticky rice with chicken or xoi ga is made with plump sticky rice, sweet soy caramelized chicken, Chinese sausage, and crispy fried shallots. A loaded sticky rice dish is the perfect quick meal prep solution for your busy week.
Vietnamese sticky rice with chicken is one dish that hits close to home for me. Growing up, my mom made this dish for me almost every weekend for breakfast or brunch. I’d roll out of bed on Saturday morning/afternoon half asleep and stumble downstairs to find this sticky rice with chicken in the rice cooker warmed and ready for me to eat.
With just one bite, my taste buds would light up as I savored the bouncy sticky rice mixed with sweet caramelized chicken, savory Chinese sausage, and beautifully crisp fried shallots. It was the perfect way to start the day and now I’m excited to share my slice of happiness with you with this recipe.
Sticky rice, also known as sweet or glutinous rice, is U.S.-grown and predominantly a short-grain variety that is chalk white with plump grains. Glutinous rice, like all types of rice, does not contain dietary gluten and should be safe for all gluten-free diets. When the grains are cooked they stick together due to their glutinous consistency.
Sticky rice is commonly used in many Asian countries including Vietnam, China, India, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Sticky rice is ideally used in both sweet and savory dishes and can be used to thicken up any soup, sauce, gravy, or pudding.
What is Vietnamese Sticky Rice with Chicken (Xôi gà)?
Vietnamese Sticky Rice with Chicken (xôi gà) is a savory, delicious, and popular Vietnamese dish. This Vietnamese breakfast dish can be readily found in street food vendors all across Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Xoi Ga is a savory comfort dish made with a combination of shredded sweet soy seasoned chicken and Chinese sausage that is topped with fried scallions.
Kitchen Equipment
Fine Mesh Sieve: you can use a fine mesh sieve to easily wash the sticky rice until the water runs clear.
Rice Cooker: you will need a rice cooker to cook the sticky rice for quicker, easier and more consistent cooking. I have been using my Tiger Rice cooker since college and it is my absolute favorite kitchen appliance. Alternatively, you can cook the sticky rice in a steamer as well.
Deep Skillet: you will use a deep skillet to fry the shallots, cook the Chinese sausage and the chicken. The skillet needs to be large enough to hold these ingredients about 10-12 inches large.
Mandolin: you will need a mandolin to thinly slice the shallots for frying.
Thermometer with clip attachment. You will need a thermometer with a clip attachment to measure the temperature of the oil while the shallots are cooking. It is important that the oil stays at a lower temperature to prevent them from burning.
Spider Strainer: you will use a spider strainer or a slotted spoon to scoop out the fried shallots.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this Vietnamese sticky rice recipe can be found at your local Vietnamese or Chinese grocery store. Some of these ingredients you may also be able to find online.
Rice
Sticky Rice or Sweet Rice: Make sure the label says the rice is glutinous, sweet, or sticky rice. Sticky rice yields a sweeter flavor and stickier texture that is a bit more dense than regular white jasmine rice. You cannot substitute this rice with any other rice. The texture and flavor would not be the same.
Salt: a pinch of salt will be used to season the sticky rice.
Fried Shallots
Vegetable oil: or neutral cooking oil that doesn’t add flavor yet has a high smoke point.
Shallots: the shallots will be thinly sliced using a mandolin and fried. They will be used as a topping for extra flavor and textural contrast.
Protein Ingredients
Chinese Sausage: the flavors of the Chinese sausage pairs deliciously with the sweet soy shredded chicken. You can find Chinese sausage at your local Chinese or Vietnamese grocery store in the refrigerated aisle.
Yellow Onion: the yellow onions add a sweet aromatic flavor to the chicken.
Rotisserie Chicken: using rotisserie chicken makes the dish simpler to make and easy to shred the chicken. Alternatively, you can use chicken breast or chicken thigh and cook it on the stove and shred it after it is cooked.
Pepper: used to season the chicken.
Chicken Bouillon powder: chicken bouillon powder is a common seasoning used in Vietnamese cooking. It adds a flavorful savory component to the dish. You can find chicken bouillon powder online or at your local grocery store.
Sweet Soy Sauce: sweet soy sauce is a sweetened aromatic soy sauce, which has a darker color, a viscous syrupy consistency and a molasses-like flavor due to the generous addition of palm sugar. The sweet soy sauce will be used to season the chicken. You can find sweet soy sauce online or at your local Chinese or Vietnamese or Thai grocery store.
Garnish
Green Onion
Soy Sauce
How to Make Vietnamese Sticky Rice with Chicken
Making this Vietnamese sticky rice with chicken is really simple! All you need to do is prepare the rice, shallots, and proteins and then serve it all together. Let’s get started.
Sticky Rice
Soak the sticky rice. Add the sticky rice to a large bowl of water and cover with at least 1-2 inches of water. Cover and soak for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Wash and cook the sticky rice. Wash the sticky rice using a fine mesh sieve until the water runs clear. Place the rice in a rice cooker with 1 1/2 cup water and a teaspoon of salt. Mix and cook in the rice cooker.
Fried Shallots
Prepare the shallots. Peel and finely slice the shallots using a knife of mandolin. The shallots should be about 2-3 millimeters thick. On a paper towel lined baking sheet, separate the slices into individual layers and gently blot away excess moisture with a paper towel.
Fry the shallots. Heat the vegetable oil to about 150°F or 65°C over medium low heat. Make sure to use a thermometer to measure the heat of the oil. Add the shallots and gently fry, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. Keep a close watch on the shallots. They should turn a rich golden brown in about 5-7 minutes. The cooking time may be longer depending on the temperature of the oil and how moist the shallots are. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried shallots to a paper towel lined baking sheet. Spread the shallots into a thin layer to cool and crisp.
Proteins
Prepare the chicken. Shred the rotisserie chicken with a fork and thinly slice the Chinese sausage.
Cook the Chinese sausage. In a medium skillet, add the Chinese sausage onto a thin layer and cook on medium high heat until lightly charred for about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
Mix the Chicken. In a large skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium high and sauté the sliced onion until translucent and lightly browned about 4 minutes. When the onions are caramelized, toss in the chicken, black pepper, chicken bouillon powder and sweet soy sauce on medium high and toss together until combined. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Serve. Serve the sticky rice with the chicken, sausage and fried shallots. Top with sliced green onions and a drizzle of soy sauce. Enjoy!
Tips for the Best Vietnamese Sticky Rice with Chicken
Soak the sticky rice! To ensure the grains cook and absorb moisture evenly you need to soak your sticky rice in advance. If you don’t, then you may risk having some hard grains of rice that don’t absorb water when they cook.
Prep out all the ingredients before you start to cook. Chopping all the ingredients and measuring everything out in advance will keep you organized and make the cooking process seamless.
Use a thermometer for the shallots. You will need to use a thermometer to monitor the low temperature of the oil. If the oil gets too hot, it may quickly burn the shallots.
Watch the shallots closely when frying. The shallots may vary with cooking time depending on how juicy your shallots are. Thus, it is very important to closely monitor the shallots and quickly pull them out when they are the perfect golden brown.
Storage Instructions
You can store this Vietnamese sticky rice with chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. To reheat, simply drop a few drops of water over the sticky rice, cover it with a wet paper towel, and microwave until warm.
Frequently Asked Q’s and A’s
Why do I need to soak sticky rice?
Soaking the sticky rice will ensure that the grains cook and absorb moisture evenly. At a minimum, you should soak the rice for 4 hours to a maximum of 24 hours.
Can you steam sticky rice in a steamer?
Yes! Steaming is another method for cooking sticky rice. To steam the sticky rice, line your steamer with a cheesecloth. Heat up your steamer until the water begins to boil. Cover and steam the rice for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice has softened. When cooked the rice should be plump, soft, and chewy.
Can I cook my own chicken instead of using rotisserie chicken?
Of course. You can make the chicken from scratch by simply seasoning it with salt and pepper and cooking it through on a greased hot pan. Once the chicken is cooked through shred the chicken with a knife and continue with Step 3 under protein.
This sweet and savory Vietnamese sticky rice with chicken or xoi ga is made with plump sticky rice, sweet soy caramelized chicken, Chinese sausage and crispy fried shallots. This loaded sticky rice dish is the perfect quick meal prep solution for your busy week.
Soak the sticky rice. Add the sticky rice to a large bowl of water and cover with at least 1-2 inches of water. Cover and soak for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Wash and cook the sticky rice. Wash the sticky rice using a fine mesh sieve until the water runs clear. Place the rice in a rice cooker with 1 1/2 cup water and a teaspoon of salt. Mix and cook in the rice cooker.
Fried Shallots
Prepare the shallots. Peel and finely slice the shallots using a knife of mandolin. The shallots should be about 2-3 millimeters thick. On a paper towel-lined baking sheet, separate the slices into individual layers and gently blot away excess moisture with a paper towel.
Fry the shallots. Heat the vegetable oil to about 150 F over medium low heat. Add the shallots and gently fry, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. Keep a close watch on the shallots. They shallots should turn a rich golden brown in about 5-7 minutes. The cooking time may be longer depending the temperature of the oil and how moist the shallots are. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried shallots to a paper towel lined baking sheet. Spread the shallots into a thin layer to cool and crisp.
Proteins
Prepare the chicken. Shred the rotisserie chicken and thinly slice the Chinese sausage.
Cook the Chinese sausage. In a medium skillet, add the Chinese sausage onto a thin layer and cook on medium high heat until lightly charred about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
Mix the Chicken. In a large skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium high and sauté the sliced onion until translucent and lightly browned about 3-4 minutes. When the onions are caramelized, toss in the chicken, black pepper, chicken bouillon powder and sweet soy sauce on medium high and mix together until combined. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Serve. Serve the sticky rice by layering it with the chicken, sausage and fried shallots. Top with sliced green onions and a drizzle of soy sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Soak the sticky rice! To ensure, the grains cook and absorb moisture evenly you need to soak your sticky rice in advance. If you don’t, then you may risk having some hard grains of rice that don’t absorb water when they cook.
Prep out all the ingredients before you start to cook. Chopping all the ingredients and measuring everything out in advance will keep you organized and make the cooking process seamless.
Use a thermometer for the shallots. You will need to use a thermometer to closely monitor the low temperature of the oil. If the oil gets too hot, it may quickly burn the shallots.
Watch the shallots really closely when frying. The shallots may vary with cooking time depending on how juicy your shallots are. Thus, it is very important to closely monitor the shallots and pull them out when they are the perfect golden brown.
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