Ga Kho Gung
Chicken braised in a gingery caramel sauce.
Ingredients
- 700 g Chicken thighs
- 1 Ginger
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 2 Shallot
- 4 tbsp Fish sauce
- 4 tbsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- 2 Scallions (optional)
Method
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces; julienne the ginger and mince the garlic and shallot.
- In a heavy pot over medium heat, melt the sugar and cook it to a dark amber caramel, swirling and watching closely so it does not burn.
- Add the chicken, ginger, garlic, shallot, and fish sauce to the caramel and stir over medium heat until the chicken is well coated and lightly seared on all sides.
- Pour in a splash of water, add the black pepper, lower the heat, and braise gently, covered, until the sauce is glossy and the chicken is tender.
- While the chicken braises, thinly slice the scallions.
- Scatter the sliced scallions over the chicken and serve with rice.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Ga Kho Gung
Ga Kho Gung is a Vietnamese braise of chicken cooked in a savory-sweet ginger caramel — one of the country's beloved kho dishes, where meat or fish is simmered in caramelized sugar until the sauce turns dark, glossy, and intensely flavored. The caramel is what defines the whole style: sugar cooked to a deep amber before the chicken goes in, lending a bittersweet complexity that plays against the salty funk of fish sauce. Generous julienned ginger gives this version its name and its warmth, cutting the richness and adding a fragrant heat, while shallot, garlic, and black pepper round out a deeply aromatic braise. The result is tender chicken thighs coated in a lacquered, spoonable sauce.
Getting there hinges on the caramel, and the recipe is right to flag it — sugar taken to a dark amber, swirled and watched closely, because the line between rich and burnt is a matter of seconds. Once the chicken is seared in that caramel and braised gently with just a splash of water, the sauce reduces to a glossy glaze that clings to every piece. This is everyday home cooking in Vietnam, a comforting main built to be eaten with plenty of steamed white rice to soak up the sauce, often with something fresh and green alongside. A scatter of sliced scallion at the end adds a final bright, oniony lift.
Ga Kho Gung: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Ga Kho Gung?
A serving has about 469 calories — 30.7g protein, 20g carbs, 29.1g fat, 1.1g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 30.7g of protein, roughly 26% of its calories.
Is Ga Kho Gung gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Ga Kho Gung has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Ga Kho Gung take to make?
About 40 minutes start to finish, but only around 20 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Ga Kho Gung?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out scallions — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Ga Kho Gung make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.