Name: Vietnamese Chicken Sticky Rice (Xôi Gà)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1.1 pounds (500 grams) sticky rice; 200 ml coconut milk; 1 pound (450 grams) chicken breasts; 3 eggs; 1.5 teaspoons sugar; 2 teaspoons salt; 1.5 teaspoons oyster sauce; 1.5 teaspoons Vietnamese fish sauce; 4 scallions; 4 shallots; Toppings: fried shallots; scallions and oil garnish

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Xoi Ga (Xôi Gà) is a mouth-watering Vietnamese chicken sticky rice dish that locals often serve at breakfast. But many people like to have it for lunch, dinner, and snacks, too. After discovering how easy and enjoyable this dish is, I’m sure you will follow their example.

In this article, I will show you the significance of Xoi Ga and other Xoi (sticky rice) dishes, must-have tools for making Xoi Ga, necessary ingredients, and a step-by-step guide on how to cook the dish. As a bonus, I will also share a few tips on preparing, serving, and storing Xoi Ga. Let’s read on!

What Is Special About Xoi And Xoi Ga?

Xoi Ga or Xôi Gà is one of the most distinguished members of the family of Xoi, a category of Vietnamese dishes based on sticky rice. You may know about this ingredient as sweet rice or glutinous rice. It is gluten-free like regular rice but boasts a chewier texture and a sweeter taste when cooked.

Xoi can be made with various ingredients, from mung beans to meat and Chinese sausage. Depending on the add-ons, it can be a sweet dessert or a savory snack and breakfast staple. Xoi Ga falls into the latter category and is a very popular street food item.

Vietnamese people usually have this dish for breakfast. This finger-licking Vietnamese dishes is even present at special occasions like weddings or death anniversaries. My recipe incorporates a golden omelet and scallion and oil garnish for extra indulgence.

What Are Other Types Of Xoi?

Besides Vietnamese chicken sticky rice, here are other popular types of Vietnamese Xoi dishes you can try:

Savory Xoi: Xoi Lap Xuong (sticky rice with Chinese sausage), Xoi Xiu Mai (sticky rice with steamed pork dumplings), Xoi Trung (sticky rice with fried eggs or omelet), etc.
Sweet Xoi: Xoi Gac Dau Xanh (red sticky rice with mung beans), Xoi Bap (Corn sticky rice), Xoi Dau Phong (peanut sticky rice), etc.

What Tools Are Required To Make Xoi Ga?

Vietnamese chicken sticky rice doesn’t require complicated tools. Check out the following list to see what you have available.

Stockpot: For boiling the chicken. The bigger it is, the easier you can cook chicken.
Non-stick skillet: This tool is necessary for multiple tasks, such as pan-frying the cooked and shredded chicken, making omelets, and preparing the sticky rice before steaming it.
Steamer: For cooking the rice.
Ladle: For moving and fluffing the rice.
A pair of tongs: For moving the chicken chunks more easily.
Spatula: For scraping, flipping, and rolling the omelet.
Large bowl: For rinsing the sticky rice. You can find many types of dedicated rice-washing bowls on the market.
Fork (optional): For mixing the egg mixture and scraping the omelet.

What Are The Ingredients Needed For Xoi Ga?

You will need the following ingredients to prepare the two main parts of this dish: the chicken and the sticky rice, plus an omelet and additional garnish.

For The Chicken

Chicken breasts: the best cuts of meat for this recipe. They are lean meat and low in fat. You can replace them with similarly juicy cuts, like chicken thighs.
Sugar: for flavoring the chicken. Brown sugar is my favorite choice.
Salt: for flavoring the chicken. It is also added to the sticky rice preparation.
Oyster sauce: for flavoring the chicken.
Vietnamese fish sauce: for flavoring the chicken.

For The Rice

Sticky rice: I recommend white sticky rice from Vietnam, but you can also use Thai sticky rice or Japanese sweet rice.
Coconut milk: for making the sticky rice creamier and more delicious. You can buy unsweetened coconut milk in any grocery store to cut down on the sugar content.

Others:

Chicken eggs: for making the omelet.
Scallions: the white part of scallions, to be more specific. It is great for deodorizing the chicken during the boiling process.
Shallots: for deodorizing the chicken during the boiling process.
Toppings: my choices are the easy-to-make scallions and oil garnish + (IL Mỡ hành) and fried shallots.

What Should I Do To Make Xoi Ga From Scratch?

The making of Xoi Ga involves cooking the chicken and infusing it with flavors, making omelet slices, cooking the sticky rice with coconut milk, and arranging all the ingredients into the finished dish. Let me walk you through the process:

Step 1: Prepare The Sticky Rice

Pour the sticky rice into a large bowl filled with water and rinse it until the water runs clear.

Drain the water from the bowl and let the rice dry.

Step 2: Cook The Chicken

Fill the stockpot with water. Add the white part of the scallions, shallots, and salt to the stockpot.

Add the chicken breasts. Boil them for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a plate.

When the chicken breasts cool down, shred them into delicate but not-too-thin strands with your hands. Alternatively, you can do so with the fork.

Heat up a skillet. Add sugar, salt, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and a little water. Mix them with a spoon.

Add the shredded chicken and stir constantly until it has well absorbed the flavors.

Step 3: Make The Omelet

Heat some oil in the skillet. Beat the eggs in a small bowl with no seasoning.

Add the eggs to the skillet and let it cook. Rotate the pan to distribute the heat more evenly.

When the omelet is nearly done (80% or so), roll it with the fork and the spatula. While this step is optional, it will greatly improve the food presentation.

Step 4: Cook The Sticky Rice

In a heated skillet, stir-fry the sticky rice, coconut milk, and salt until the rice has absorbed the coconut milk.

Fill the steamer with water and place it on the stovetop. Turn on the heat. When the water starts boiling, add the stir-fried rice to the basket and spread it evenly. Put the lid on and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid, fluff the rice, and leave it alone for excess moisture to evaporate. I suggest waiting for at least 3 minutes.

Step 5: Complete The Dish

Cut the rolled omelet into thin slices.

Plate the sticky rice with scallions and oil garnish on top.

Arrange the shredded chicken and omelet slices around the rice.

Decorate the dish with cilantro.

What Are The Tips For Getting The Best Xôi Gà?

To sum it up, you should cook with boiling water, experiment with different ingredients, and exclude the step of soaking the rice. This section also covers in-depth information about pairing suggestions for Xoi Ga, and the correct way to store, reheat the dish.

Boiling water: you should only add the stir-fried sticky rice to the basket when the water is piping hot, or the rice will never be fully cooked.
Use other types of chicken: if you don’t want to cook the chicken by yourself, you can buy premade rotisserie chicken, reheat it, and shred it for this recipe. Additionally, it is a great idea to use leftover fried chicken.
Be creative with eggs: instead of plain omelets, you can also try full-flavored Vietnamese omelets, fried eggs, or scrambled eggs.
More toppings: besides chicken and omelets, you can add other types of savory foods, such as Chinese sausage, Vietnamese pork ham (Cha Lua), meat floss, fried tofu, mushrooms, etc.
No need for soaking the rice: Many Xoi recipes require the sticky rice to be soaked in water for several hours before cooking. Mine replaces it by lightly cooking the rice in coconut oil, so you don’t have to soak it anymore.

What To Pair With Xôi Gà?

Since Vietnamese chicken sticky rice is a full meal on its own, it needs no side dish. But in my experience, some hot sauce, pork pâté, or tangy pickles go very well with the savory flavor of the dish.

How To Store And Reheat Xôi Gà?

The best way to store Xoi Ga is to keep the cooked rice and the chicken separately in air-tight containers in the fridge. Doing so will help them last from three to five days.

In theory, you can freeze the dish for several months. But I advise you to store the rice in the freezer only for a week or less because the longer it stays there, the more its texture and flavor will deteriorate.

To reheat Xoi Ga, you can use a rice cooker, a microwave, or a steamer. Don’t forget to sprinkle a small amount of water over the sticky rice to keep it soft and, well, sticky.

What Are Other Vietnamese Dishes To Explore?

Now that you have tried the savory version of Xoi, how about some sweet ones? Xoi Dau Phong (peanut sticky rice) and Xoi Gac Dau Xanh (red sticky rice with mung beans) are very tasty. I will also introduce several Vietnamese dishes as irresistible as Xoi Ga.

Banh Mi Xiu Mai (Vietnamese meatball sandwich): A wonderful take on the classic Vietnamese Banh Mi, this recipe consists of crusty baguette, savory meatballs, and tangy tomato sauce.
Banh Bao (Vietnamese steamed pork buns): Inspired by Chinese Baozi, this Vietnamese bun has a savory filling of ground pork, eggs, wood ear mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms. Like Xoi Ga, it is a ubiquitous street food and breakfast item in Vietnam.
Trung Chien (Vietnamese omelet): This article employs a non-savory version of omelet to balance the rich flavor of Xoi, but do you want to know what an authentic Vietnamese omelet tastes like? It is more delicious than you can imagine!
Com Chien (Vietnamese fried rice): Here is another terrific dish for breakfast. It is very versatile and can be prepared with any type of vegetable and protein. Think of it the next time you want to clean up the fridge.
Chao Ga (Vietnamese chicken congee): Is Chao Ga the same combo of rice and chicken as Xoi Ga? The answer is a big no! This is always enjoyed warm and has a very tempting aroma. It is my preferred choice for breakfast in the colder months of the year.

Do You Love The Smell Of Xoi Ga In The Morning?

Whether you are wandering the bustling streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City or enjoying a homemade meal in a little-known village in Vietnam, don’t expect to escape the grasp of Xoi Ga. Its contrast between juicy chicken and sweet, chewy rice is sure to be a killer combo.

To find a perfect example of simplicity, creativity, and love for food in Vietnamese cuisine, Xoi Ga is the ideal candidate. Let me know if you agree in the comments. Don’t be afraid to share your tips for cooking or enjoying this dish. Lastly, please share this post with your friends! Many thanks!

Tien – Alden

Content Writer

Expertise

Home Cooking, Recipe Development, Food Editor, Beverage Editor, Cooking-video Maker, Asian Food Content Creator

Education

Saigon Tourism College

Program: Certificate in Culinary Arts
Focus: Vietnamese and Chinese cuisines.

Advanced Culinary Workshop, Beijing

Program: A three-month intensive program of Advanced Culinary Workshop
Focus: Authentic Chinese cuisine.

Vietnamese Traditional Cooking School

Program: Certificate of Vietnamese Traditional Cooking
Focus: A specialized course on traditional and family recipes passed down through generations.

American College of Vietnam

Program: Bartender
Focus: Provide background knowledge and help students confident to create appealing drinks

Alden is a skilled chef with expertise in Asian cuisines, known for blending traditional Vietnamese and Chinese cooking with contemporary innovations. Alden’s passion for Asian flavors and her creative approach to both food and beverages inspires fellow chefs and those aspiring to enter the field.