Vietnamese Style Caramel Braised Chicken Recipes

VIETNAMESE GINGER CHICKEN (GA KHO GUNG)

Steps:

• Marinate chicken with chicken bouillon powder, sugar, salt, and fish sauce for at least 15 minutes.
• Make the caramel sauce: To a large skillet with a lid, add sugar and oil. Evenly disperse water and sugar by giving it a gentle shake. Heat on medium-high and wait until sugar melts and caramelizes to a dark amber color. Add ginger, garlic and shallots and pan-fry until fragrant. Add marinated chicken and all its marinade liquid. Toss chicken with caramel sauce to get a nice brown color.
• Cover skillet with a lid for 10 minutes and reduce heat to a low simmer. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes.
• Garnish with ground black pepper, green onions/cilantro, and red chilies.

VIETNAMESE CARAMEL CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine sugar, fish sauce, and black pepper in a shallow plate and turn chicken in the marinade. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Combine water, fish sauce, sugar, and rice vinegar in a bowl. Set caramel sauce aside.
• Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and pan-fry chicken, skin-side up, until bottoms turn slightly crispy and brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until skin is slightly charred, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and transfer to a plate.
• Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and cook garlic for 30 seconds. Return chicken to the skillet and add caramel sauce. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. Caramel sauce should be reduced and turn amber in color. Add jalapenos and cook for 1 more minute.

VIETNAMESE COCONUT CARAMEL CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place sugar and water in a skillet over medium heat. Stir, then when it bubbles and the sugar is melted (it looks like caramel), add the rest of the ingredients except chicken.
• Stir, then put the chicken in SKIN SIDE DOWN.
• Adjust the heat so it is simmering energetically. Not rapidly, not a slow simmer (I use medium high heat on a weak stove, medium on a strong stove).
• After 25 minutes, turn the chicken.
• After another 25 minutes, the fat should separate from the sauce and turn a pale brown (see video).
• Turn chicken so the skin side is down. Move it around so the sauce doesn't catch on the bottom of the skillet and to brown the skin.
• Once sauce and skin is brown, remove from heat.
• Place chicken on serving plates, spoon over some sauce (don't need much, chicken is infused with flavour + sauce is strong).
• Garnish with shallots and chilli, if using. Serve with rice.

VIETNAMESE-STYLE CARAMELIZED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and add to the skillet; cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
• Remove and discard 3 tablespoons rendered fat from the skillet; reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic, shallot and ginger and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the coconut water, fish sauce and brown sugar and stir until the sugar is melted. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens (the bubbles will begin to slow as it thickens), 4 to 5 minutes.
• Return the chicken and any collected juices to the skillet and stir to coat the chicken. Cook, reducing the heat if the sauce starts thickening too much, until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the jalapeños. Serve the chicken over the rice and top with cilantro leaves.

VIETNAMESE CHICKEN (CARAMEL CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add water and sugar and cook until sugar starts to melt and turn brown, about 5 minutes. Cook, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and pour caramel into a bowl.
• Rinse the skillet with hot water and return to medium heat. Add olive oil, onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes; transfer mixture to a bowl.
• Season chicken breasts with salt and black pepper and add them to the hot skillet. Cook for 10 minutes. Add caramel, soy sauce, and ginger mixture to the skillet. Reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes more.

VIETNAMESE-STYLE CARAMEL CHICKEN WITH BROCCOLI

Steps:

• combine baking soda and 1 1/4 cups cold water in large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Rinse chicken in cold water and drain well.
• Meanwhile, combine sugar and 3 tablespoons water in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, until mixture begins to turn golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, gently swirling saucepan, until sugar turns color of molasses and registers between 390 and 400 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes longer. (Caramel will produce some smoke during the last 1 to 2 minutes of cooking.) Immediately remove saucepan from heat and carefully pour in 3/4 cup hot water (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously). When bubbling has subsided, return saucepan to medium heat and stir to dissolve caramel.
• Transfer caramel to 12-inch skillet and stir in fish sauce and ginger. Add chicken and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken is forktender and registers 205 degrees, 30 -40 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through simmering. Transfer chicken to serving dish and cover to keep warm.
• Bring 1 inch water to boil in Dutch oven. Lower insert or steamer basket with broccoli into pot so it rests above water; cover and simmer until broccoli is just tender, 4.5 to 5 minutes. Transfer broccoli to serving dish with chicken.
• While broccoli cooks, bring sauce to boil over medium-high heat and cook until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water together in small bowl, then whisk into sauce; simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in pepper. Pour 1/4 cup sauce over chicken and broccoli. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

VIETNAMESE-STYLE CARAMEL BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken thighs on a rimmed baking sheet in a 400º oven for 20 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce and 1/4 Celsius water. In another small bowl, mix the shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/2 t. black pepper.
• Put the sugar and 2 T. water in a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium heat and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Let the melted sugar come to a boil and cook, swirling the pan occasionally at first and more frequently as the sugar browns, until it has caramelized to a deep amber color, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and carefully pour in fish sauce mixture to the pan. Swirl the pan to combine and return to medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the shallot mixture and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the shallots soften.
• Add the chicken pieces, stirring to coat them. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and your favorite rice.