A recipe for Gà Rô Ti: Grilled spatchcock, Vietnamese style

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By Thi Le and Jia-Yen Lee

Saturday May. 03, 2025

nzme

The irony of gà rô ti? The bird is actually panfried, not roasted. Photo / Mark Chew

Thi Le shares a personal iteration of a classic Vietnamese dish from new cookbook Viet Kieu.

Roasted chicken is a simple joy. When I first considered starting my own business, I intended to open a chicken rotisserie – something I could manage on a small scale, with really delicious roast chickens. I was only deterred by the difficulty of acquiring an inexpensive rotisserie. The irony of gà rô ti is that the chicken is actually panfried, not roasted. The name is borrowed from the French poulet rôti, but households in Vietnam did not traditionally own an oven. (This deficit is the reason flans in Vietnam have typically been steamed rather than baked.) I like using a spatchcock for this dish. In this instance, spatchcock refers to both the noun, a younger bird, and the verb, with the bird splayed out flat.

GÀ RÔ TI RECIPE

Serves 1–2

1 × 400g spatchcock (Cornish game hen)

Marinade

100g red Asian shallots

20g fresh ginger

20g fresh turmeric

20g (¾ oz) garlic cloves

30ml fish sauce

30ml light soy sauce

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp raw sugar

1 tsp cracked white pepper

1 tsp Chinese five spice

1 tsp măc khén or native Australian pepper

To serve

Glutinous (sticky) rice

Vegetable pickle (see below)

Châm chéo (see below)

Prepare the spatchcock.

Pat the spatchcock dry with paper towel.
Place the bird, breast side down, on a chopping board, with the neck facing towards you.
Using a pair of kitchen scissors, split the spatchcock into two pieces, down the breastplate and backbone.

Marinate the spatchcock.

Peel the shallots, ginger, turmeric and garlic cloves and roughly chop.
Place in a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl, add the remaining marinade ingredients and mix together well.
Add the spatchcock, gently tossing to coat. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4–6 hours.

Cook the spatchcock.

Start a barbecue. While bringing the grill up to medium heat, I like to smoke my meats for 20–25 minutes to impart a smoky flavour. After smoking, the bird’s skin starts to dry and show a light amber colour.
When the spatchcock is smoked and the barbecue is at medium heat, grill for 8–10 minutes, flipping the spatchcock to ensure even cooking on the surface. Probe the meat to check it is done – it should reach 76°C (169°F) at its thickest part.
Rest for 20 minutes before serving with the sticky rice, vegetable pickle and chẩm chéo.

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VEGETABLE PICKLE

Makes 1 × 900ml jar

150g carrot

150g daikon (white radish)

150g kohlrabi

100g red Asian shallots

3 Tbsp table salt

400ml rice vinegar

210g granulated white sugar

2½ tsp sea salt

1½ tsp black peppercorns, toasted and coarsely cracked

A basic vegetable pickle for use with nước chấm (page 34) or to accompany a cuốn platter or part of a meal.

Peel the carrot, daikon, kohlrabi and shallots, then slice them about 3 mm (⅛ inch) thick. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with the table salt and leave to sit for 30 minutes.
Wash the vegetables to remove the excess salt. Shake them dry and place in a large sterilised jar.
Place the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour the pickling liquor over the vegetables.
Leave to stand overnight with the lid ajar. The pickles can be eaten the next day, but are best eaten after 3–4 days. After this time, seal the lid on the jar and keep in the fridge, where your pickles will last for up to 6 months.

CHÂM CHÉO (GREEN CHILLI & MẮC KHÉN RELISH)

Makes 100g

3 green scud chillies, roughly chopped

1 red bird’s eye chilli, roughly chopped

1 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp mắc khén or mountain peppercorns

3 garlic cloves, peeled

30g young tender lemongrass

30g coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped

30g calamansi juice or lime juice

In a mortar and pestle, pound the chillies with the salt, mắc khén and garlic until smooth.
Add the lemongrass and pound, then incorporate the coriander.
Add the calamansi juice, to taste. It should be peppery, a little spicy, citrusy and seasoned.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.