How to make chicken braised with lychee – a unique twist to summer meals

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This summer, Vietnamese food lovers have been raving about a new combination of food that can diversify everyday meals and make summer more fun: Chicken braised with lychee.

As its name implies, the two main ingredients of this innovative dish are chicken and lychee. The combination of lychee, a popular summer fruit in northern Vietnam, and chicken will create a refreshing, flavorful taste that you cannot resist.

How to make chicken braised with lychee

Ingredients

- Chicken (hen): 1.5kg

- Lychee: 1kg

- Dried red date (jujube date): 200g

- Shiitake mushroom: 200g

- Lotus seeds: 300g

- Fresh coconut water

Lotus seeds, shiitake mushroom, dried red date and fresh lychee. Photo: Dantri

Instruction

First, wash the chicken, then roast the chicken briefly over an open fire so that the chicken’s skin can shrink slightly and won’t break during braising, and the flavor of the dish can be enhanced. After roasting, wash the chicken again with water, then put it into a pot.

You should choose a chicken that is not too big and has straight, slender legs with soft skin. When you press your finger onto the chicken’s meat, you can feel the firmness of the meat. It will not be too soft to the touch. This is so that after braising, the chicken meat is not stringy or mushy and exudes an appetizing aroma.

Next comes preparing the lychee. You only need the flesh of the lychee, so remove the skin and seeds. To prepare the red date, shiitake mushroom and lotus seeds, soak them in warm water until softened, then rinse under running water. These ingredients will make the broth clearer and more umami. At the same time, they have many health benefits (more to that below) and a plethora of nutrients to the dish such as vitamin B, vitamin A, vitamin C, selenium, and fiber.

After washing the chicken and softening the other ingredients, put them in a pot and cover the ingredients in plain water and coconut water. Photo: Dantri

Put these ingredients into a pot, add seasonings, water and coconut water to cover the entire chicken. Coconut water will make the chicken softened more quickly and add a sweet, umami flavor to the dish. Put the pot on the stove. When the ingredients start to boil, turn down the heat and let the ingredients simmer for about one hour.

Braising chicken with lychee over an open fire. Photo: Dantri

When the chicken is soft and the aromatic odor of all ingredients can be smelt, that’s when you know the dish is ready to serve. The final products must have soft, flavorful but not mushy chicken and nutty lotus seeds. The broth is clear and has distinct sweetness from the lychee and coconut water, and an attractive aroma from shiitake mushroom and dried jujube.

Complete product. Photo: Dantri

Chicken braised with lychee tastes best when served hot. You can eat it with bread or rice noodles. Not only easy to make and appetizing, but this dish is also extremely nutritious. It is particularly beneficial for those who have just recovered from sickness. Chicken braised with lychee can add a nice twist to your meal. If you are thinking of feeding your family something special for the weekend, then this dish is not a bad choice!

Chicken braised with lychee, served with rice noodles. Photo: Dantri

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