Vietnamese Caramel Chicken
I am always looking to add culturally interesting recipes to my bag of tricks. This is one that intrigued me, just based on the name, Vietnamese Caramel Chicken. I had seen it on Christopher Kimball’s PBS show, “Milk Street” and was able to find the full recipe on his Milk Street website.
What I love about this recipe
Personally, I am very interested in trying new Asian recipes. This has been the case for years, and probably started with watching Anthony Bourdain traipse around Vietnam, falling in love with the country, the people and the food. He spoke so emphatically about the fact that the country, and the food, in particular, has been influenced by many foreign cultures, while keeping it’s own sense of unique identity. That sounds complicated and interesting, making Vietnamese cuisine immediately appealing to me. I also liked the fact that a bowl of noodles with broth could have numerous additional elements, such as pork meatballs, and dipping sauces, lettuces and other vegetables to personally add as each eater wants. The making of a perfect meal for all.
Of course, I also remember Bourdain having an instance where he could not figure what was in his bowl, only to find that it was porcupine. I will leave that recipe, and others of that nature for someone else to share!
The ingredients
This chicken recipe combines heat and sweet and that, to me, is a perfect combination in a dish. So, the name, Vietnamese Caramel Chicken, spoke to me about what I could expect and what some of the ingredients might be. Not surprisingly, chilis, lemon grass, ginger, fish sauce and lime are included in this Vietnamese recipe. Sugar, of course, is the element that makes the caramel sauce and therefore the name.
Tips
This recipe calls for boneless chicken thighs. I had breast on hand, so used it. It will turn out a lighter looking dish than on the Milk Street site, but was still delicious.
Two serrano chilis are used, which sounds like it would be extremely hot, but it ends up pretty balanced, based on the amount of sugar used. So, if you like a little heat, avoid the desire to cut it back. Rather, you can rinse them lightly in a sieve, which will remove just a bit of the seeds
When cooking the caramel, the 12″ skillet seemed too large and the caramel spread too thin before it had a chance to become the desired mahogany color. I tipped the pan and tried to concentrate it to one end to get the right consistency and color
Once the chicken was back into the pan, with the caramel sauce, I continued to stir, which slowed the process. Once I let it do its’ thing and only occasionally stirred to coat, things really came together!
Access the full recipe on the Milk Street site here. If you are not already a fan, take a run through the site. Christopher Kimball was a co-founder and editor of America’s Test Kitchen before he started his Milk Street gig. The show turns out some amazing recipes and a lot of them are available online.
I served up with coconut rice and salad. For the coconut rice, I had leftover basmati from earlier in the week. I simply heated it in a pan with a can of light coconut milk, a few cloves and one star anise until warmed through. Drain and serve.
If you are an Anthony Bourdain fan, and/or a lover of Asian or Vietnamese cuisine, check out this site, that outlines his travels through Vietnam (and other countries) throughout his career as a travel writer and traveler. Very cool site!
