Black chicken has always been a top favorite food of the Vietnamese due to its bold taste and high level of nutrition. Here is our guide on the Vietnamese black chicken. Read more to get to know about this particular breed of chicken and where to find it in Ho Chi Minh City.
What is the Vietnamese Black Chicken
Vietnamese black chicken (also called Ga ac or Silkie) is a breed of chicken that has several particular qualities, including bluish-gray skin, pitch-black bones, and five toes on each foot. Vietnamese black chicken often has white feathers, whereas black chicken in some other countries may appear in various colors, such as black and brown. In Vietnam, black chickens are often used to make special chicken soup and other nutritious dishes, as their meat is considered more nutritious than other chicken breeds.
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Medicinal Values of Black Chicken
Most Asians often consider foods with black colors, such as wood ear mushrooms, black tea, and black rice, to be highly nutritious with several medicinal values. This is one of many reasons Vietnamese black chicken meat is considered much healthier than other regular chicken. Black chicken meat is quite rich in minerals and proteins and low in fat. Thus, it is usually used to cook hot soup for children, pregnant women, and physically weak people. Besides, according to traditional Chinese medicine, black chicken meat is a good treatment for asthenia, low blood pressure, and irregular periods.
Black Chicken Soup
Asian cooks, especially Vietnamese and Chinese, love black chicken due to its gamey flavor and high nutritional value. The black chicken soup originated in Jiangxi Province, China, where people used it as a traditional treatment for various ailments. In Vietnam, black chicken is often used to cook herbal soup, in which the chicken is cooked with a double boiling process together with many Chinese herbs, including goji berries, red dates, dried scallops, ginger roots, lotus seeds, wild yam, and bamboo shoots. As boiling is the foremost step of the cooking process, the key attraction of a black chicken soup dish is its flavorful broth.
Where to Eat Black Chicken in Ho Chi Minh City
Com Ga Dong Nguyen
Address: 801 Nguyen Trai, Ward 14, District 5
Opening hours: 9 AM – 9 PM
Dish: Ga Ac Tiem Thuoc Bac (Black Chicken Herbal Soup)
Price: VND 68,000
Located in Chinatown in District 5, the restaurant is quite famous for dishes originating in China with key flavors of Chinese food, including salty, spicy, sour, sweet, and bitter. This restaurant has been open for over 70 years, and a certain number of Chinese go to the restaurant to enjoy the food. There are two floors in the restaurant. Entering the restaurant, you can easily see its kitchen full of several kinds of chicken dishes and busy staff running back and forth to take orders and bring out the food.
The broth of the black chicken herbal soup here is tender and slightly sweet. The chicken is stewed carefully until it becomes fork-tender. You can order a dish of rice to use with the chicken soup. It is VND 5,000 for a plate of rice. The rice is cooked in the chicken bone broth and, thus, has a pleasant taste.
Ga Ac Chao Dau Xanh
Address: 343 Phan Xich Long, Ward 2, Phu Nhuan District
Opening hours: 4:30 PM – 11 PM
Dish: Ga Ac Chao Dau Xanh (Mung Bean Black Chicken Porridge)
Price: VND 55,000
As this is a small food stall located on Phan Xich Long Street, it could be difficult to find the address, and you may need a local guide to take you there. The food stall is 130 meters from Hoan My Hospital and on the same street side as the hospital. It would take about 20 minutes to get there by car or motorbike from the city center in District 1.
The inside space of the food stall is slightly narrow, with around 4 tables. Despite not being as famous as Com Ga Dong Nguyen, the black chicken dish of the food stall is always a favorite among locals. People often prefer buying the black chicken porridge here instead of taking it away.
Mung bean black chicken porridge is the best dish in the food stall with a nice rich taste. You can eat the chicken with a small amount of pepper and salt to enhance its flavor.
Duong Thanh
Address: 64 Phan Xich Long, Ward 16, District 11
Opening hours: 11 AM – 12 PM
Dish: Ga Ac Tiem Thuoc Bac (Black Chicken Herbal Soup)
Price: VND 50,000
Since Duong Thanh Restaurant is located away from District 1, it could not be easy to get there. You can take 3 Thang 2 Street and 200 meters before reaching Cay Go Overpass, and turn left to Phan Xich Long. The restaurant will be on your left side.
Despite not being located in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, Duong Thanh is a popular Chinese restaurant for anyone who likes Chinese foods, especially black chicken soup. The inside space of the restaurant is clean and wide-open, giving you a pleasant feeling.
The black chicken herbal soup here has a pleasant herbal smell and a distinctive strong taste. The chicken is stewed in sufficient time to be tender but still slightly tough. Also, the fabulously bold herbal broth makes the dish tasty and particularly attractive.
Summary of Vietnamese Black Chicken
Originating from China, black chicken has always been a top favorite food of Vietnamese, especially those who need more nutrition due to its flavorful meat and high level of nutrition.