This Vietnamese salt steamed chicken is simple yet delicious with incredibly tender, juicy, fragrant, and flavorful meat.
I’m always looking out for excellent chicken recipes and was very curious about the Vietnamese salt steamed chicken, gà hấp muối, that went viral on YouTube last year. It became so popular that even the supermarkets started selling them at $50 per chicken. I was tempted but would rather spend that money on something else. Luckily I found the recipe for the salt steamed chicken in chef Nini Nguyen’s cookbook Đặc Biệt and the rest is history. The lemongrass and makrut lime leaves lent a wonderful fragrance while the meat was incredibly tender, juicy, and flavorful. I served the chicken with Jasmine rice, fresh Vietnamese corianders, and a simple dipping sauce made with salt, pepper, kumquat, lime leaves, and bird's eye chili.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: I used a free range chicken for this recipe.
- Lemongrass: much of the lemongrass’s flavor is concentrated in its lower, cane-like stalks. Look for firm, pale-green stalks with fat, bulbous bottoms. Trim off the spiky tops and the bases and crush the stalks with the side of a knife to release their aromatic oils. You will use both the stalks and the leaves.
- Makrut lime leaves: they are one of the most aromatic herbs and a wonderful addition to many soups, curries, and desserts. Look for fresh makrut lime leaves that are dark green, shiny, and without any browning or yellowing. We grow our own but you can find them in the fresh herb section at many Asian grocery stores. If you can't find makrut lime leaves, substitute with any citrus leaves like lemon, lime, or grapefruit.
- Salt: you need two types of salt, coarse sea salt and kosher salt. The coarse sea salt is used to steam the chicken and kosher salt is used to flavor the chicken.
- Turmeric: I added turmeric powder to the chicken to give it a yellow color but it's completely optional.
How to Steam Chicken
- Wash and pat the chicken dry.
- Make the seasoning mixture with salt, turmeric, and olive oil. Season the chicken and cavity with salt mixture. Leave in fridge for 1 hour or overnight to dry out.
- Crush the bulbs of lemongrass with a mallet and cut them into batons long enough to fit your steaming vessel.
- Bruise the makrut lime leaves with a mallet or your knife.
- Spread an even layer of coarse salt at the bottom of the pot. Lay the lemongrass batons and a few makrut lime leaves over the salt.
- Stuff the cavity of the chicken with lemongrass leaves and makrut lime leaves. Place the chicken over the lemongrass. Place a few lime leaves on top of the chicken.
- Steam the chicken at medium-low heat for 40 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it rest undisturbed for 20 minutes.
- Make the dipping sauce with salt, pepper, lime leaves, bird eye's chili, and kumquat juice.
- Remove chicken from pot and cut into small pieces.
- Serve with rice, dipping sauce, and Vietnamese corianders.
Make Ahead and Storage
The chicken can be seasoned one day ahead. Store any leftover chicken in a lidded container for 72 hours and rewarm in microwave when ready to eat.
For more chicken inspiration:
Vietnamese Salt Steamed Chicken Gà Hấp Muối
Ingredients
- 1 free range chicken, (3.5-4 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 cups coarse sea salt
- 4 stalks of lemongrass with top, bulbs crushed and cut into batons
- 10 makrut lime leaves
Dipping Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh kumquat juice (alt lime or lemon)
- 1 bird's eye chili, sliced
- 1 makrut lime leaf, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Vietnamese corianders for serving
Instructions
- Wash and pat the chicken dry.
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, salt, and turmeric. Mix well. Rub the salt mixture all over the chicken and the cavity. Let the chicken dry out uncovered in the fridge for an hour or overnight.
- Crush a lemongrass bulb with a mallet. Crush the makrut lime leaves with a mallet. Stuff the lemongrass leaves and three lime leaves into the cavity of the chicken.
- Pour the coarse sea salt into a large pot or Dutch oven so it forms an even layer. Lay the lemongrass batons over the salt. Scatter a few lime leaves over the lemongrass.
- Place the chicken breast-side-up over the lemongrass. Put three more lime leaves on top of chicken.
- Cover the pot with the lid and cook over medium-low heat for 40 minutes. Do not open the lid.
- After 40 minutes, turn the stove off and leave pot covered for another 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes of resting, take the chicken out and let it rest outside the pot for 10 minutes before cutting it into smaller pieces.
- To make a dipping sauce, in a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, chili, lime leaf, and kumquat. Mix well.
- Serve chicken with rice, Vietnamese coriander, and dipping sauce.
Joanna
Wow I learned something new. Mind blown how flavorful and juicy it turned out and not salty.
Lan
One of the best chicken recipes! So moist and juicy.