Ga Roti Vietnamese Roasted Chicken

Ga Roti - Vietnamese Roasted Chicken

We recently got an email asking for Vietnamese chicken recipes and realized that we really haven't featured our little feather friend as we should. So this past weekend, when Hong came to visit, I decided to make the traditional Vietnamese poultry dish for dinner known as com ga roti, the term roti, is the Vietnamese way of trying to say rotisserie/roasted chicken. Just as Americans tend to Anglicized things, Vietnamese also Vietnamize things too! :)

We love to use Cornish hens for this recipe because they're really juicy and tender and the perfect portion for both of us. The meat is so juicy, skin so crispy, and goes perfectly with rice. Traditionally, this is served with tomato rice, but I decided to serve it with xoi vo (mung bean sticky rice) , a semi sweet glutinous rice dish with mung beans.

Ga Roti - Vietnamese Roasted Chicken
Printable recipe

• 2 Cornish hens (bone in, skin on and split in half, lengthwise)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of five spice powder
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of white pepper
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 3 tbs diced green onions
• 2 tbs cooking oil
• Rice, tomatoes, cucumbers

Dipping Sauce

• Juice from roasted chicken
• lime wedges
• chili garlic sauce or thai red chilies
• soy sauce

In a mixing bowl or large ziplock bag, combine soy sauce, five spice powder, honey, peppers, sesame oil and garlic along with the cornish hen and mix well. Marinate the Cornish hens preferably overnight, but a 4-6 hours will probably still do.

Preheat oven for 350 degrees. Place in baking pan and bake hens in middle rack with skin facing up. In the meantime make the scallion oil by heating the cooking oil and when hot, add the green onions with a sprinkle of salt and remove from heat and set aside.

Bake for about a half an hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (or pierce the chicken-juice should be clear, not bloody) . The baking pan will contain the juices and marinade. DO NOT throw this out! Take the juices and add a little soy sauce, squeeze of lime, and garlic chili sauce or Thai peppers for a great dipping sauce.

For extra crispiness, you can quickly sear the skin on high heat on a heavy skillet right before serving. Top ga roti with a bit of scallion green and serve with tomatoes, cucumber, and rice.

These photos were taken around 9:30 pm so you'll have to excuse the quality as it really belies how delicious and tasty the ga roti with the xoi vo was. Check out our xoi vo and a caramelized chicken recipe!

 If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe and