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Vietnamese Caramel Chicken
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The classic Vietnamese technique of simmering meat or fish in dark, bittersweet caramel mixed with fish sauce and a few aromatics yields rich, wonderfully complex savory-sweet flavors. And the technique could hardly be simpler. Instead of a traditional clay pot, we use a 12-inch skillet to make our version of gà kho, or caramel-simmered chicken, and we cook the chicken until the sauce forms a glaze, as we were taught in Vietnam by Peter Franklin, owner of the Ănăn Saigon restaurant. Bruising the lemon grass releases its flavor and fragrance but since the stalk is still whole, it is easy to remove and discard before serving; the simplest way to bruise it is with the blunt side of the blade of a chef’s knife or the butt end of the handle. Serve the chicken with steamed jasmine rice.
Vietnamese Caramel Pork Tenderloin
Cut two 1¼-pound pork tenderloins (trimmed of silver skin) in half lengthwise, then crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces. Follow the recipe to make the caramel and cook the chilies, lemon grass, ginger and pepper. Add the pork and cook, stirring often, until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a medium bowl, then continue to cook the caramel mixture, stirring occasionally, until thickened to the consistency of honey, about 2 minutes. Off heat, return the pork to the skillet and stir to coat. Discard the lemongrass, then stir in the lime juice. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the scallions.
Vietnamese Caramel Salmon
Cut 2 pounds 1-inch-thick skinless salmon fillets into 1½-inch cubes. Follow the recipe to make the caramel and cook the chilies, lemon grass, ginger and pepper. Add the salmon and cook, stirring often, until the salmon is just opaque throughout, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove and discard the lemongrass, then stir in the lime juice. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the scallions.
4 to 6
Servings
Tip
Don’t be shy when cooking the caramel. Allow it to darken deeply—a smoky, bitter caramel is what gives this dish depth of flavor. It should reach a mahogany hue and will smoke lightly when ready.
40 minutes
¼ cup white sugar
4 tablespoons coconut water or water, divided
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 Fresno or serrano chilies, stemmed and sliced into thin rings
1 stalk lemon grass, trimmed to the lower 5 or 6 inches, bruised
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Ingredients
-
¼
cup white sugar
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4
tablespoons coconut water or water, divided
-
3
tablespoons fish sauce
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2
Fresno or serrano chilies, stemmed and sliced into thin rings
-
1
stalk lemon grass, trimmed to the lower 5 or 6 inches, bruised
-
2
teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
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1
teaspoon ground black pepper
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2
pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
-
1
tablespoon lime juice
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2
scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Directions
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01In a 12-inch skillet, combine the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the coconut water. Cook over medium-high, occasionally swirling the pan to help the sugar dissolve and to encourage even browning, until the caramel is mahogany in color and smokes lightly, 4 to 6 minutes.
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02Remove the pan from the heat and add the fish sauce along with the remaining 2 tablespoons coconut water; the mixture will bubble vigorously and the caramel will harden in spots. Bring to a simmer over medium and cook, stirring, until the hardened bits have dissolved. Add the chilies, lemon grass, ginger and pepper, then cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Increase to medium-high and stir in the chicken. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces and clings to the chicken, 10 to 14 minutes.
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03Remove from the heat, then discard the lemongrass. Stir in the lime juice. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the scallions.
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Reviews
November 30, 2022
Great but not 6 servings
Recipe is delicious and easy to make but I would be hard pressed to serve 6 unless you make substantial side dishes. We are not heavy eaters so I was surprised at the low yield both times I made it.
March 18, 2023
Delicious and easy
This chicken recipe was so flavorful, satisfying and simple to make! another winner from milk street
January 23, 2023
This was great
I made the receipt exactly as it was written and didn't have any problems with it coming together. It was delicious. I plan on trying it with extra firm tofu as well since the sauce was so good.
I really liked how easy this dish came together. I had all the ingredients prepped since the recipe had things moving very quickly. I did not have the chiles specified but used 3 small dried thai chilies that I had in my pantry (they were so old I am surprised they still packed that much heat even after removing the seeds!). The dish was spicier than I would have liked so I will cut back next time I make the dish but overall it was very good.
Made the pork tenderloin version but I did not end up with the beautiful glossy caramel finish that I see in the chicken photo. It had great flavor but without the caramel. I walked back through the recipe and didn't miss a step so not sure what happened. Perhaps I didn't let the caramel cook long enough but it had become very thick and mahogany colored before I moved forward.
I also had a problem with the caramel sauce staying glossy and coating the meat (chicken thighs in my case). The sauce came together seemingly fine in the beginning, and after adding the fish sauce/water still fine, but after I added the chicken it turned back into a soupy liquid. Delicious, but watery. Is there too much water leaching from the chicken thighs? Is there something I'm missing that is "breaking" the caramel?
Fantastic flavors, but I also couldn't get the caramel sauce right - it didn't turn mahogany color nor was it glossy. I used pork and when I added it back into the pan, there was liquid in the bowl that I also added in. Per a prior response from Milk Street Team, next time I'll make sure no extra liquid is added in - and there will be a next time as the flavors really are fabulous.
Here’s one for y’all. I have no way to get fresh lemongrass here. How can I incorporate squeezetube refrigerated lemongrass into the recipe? 1tbls split? 1 1/2 tsp in with chicken and 1 1/2 tsp last 2 mins? More? Less? Thanks!
Hi John -
I have definitely made this in a pinch with the squeezable lemongrass, it works fine! I usually add in a couple of teaspoons when I add the chiles and ginger. Good luck!
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Hi Rob -
We haven't tested this with tofu or seitan, but I'd make sure to use firm or extra-firm tofu and let it drain on a paper-towel-lined plate for 10 minutes or so after cutting it into pieces. Tofu may release more liquid when added to the caramel sauce so make sure to continue to cook the tofu and sauce until the sauce thickens and coats the tofu. This may take a bit longer than it does with the chicken/fish. Good luck!
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Made this tonight and turned out great! Word of warning: it is far spicier than expected. This wasn’t a problem for me, but my wife — who is VERY sensitive to heat — thought it was agonizingly hot. I really didn’t think the two Fresnos (which I de-seeded) would have driven the heat level up that much.
One suggestion to the people above who have complained of the sauce getting too watery after adding the thighs: I salted the chicken thighs after I cut them up with about a half tablespoon of kosher salt and placed them in the refrigerator about two hours before cooking. This is generally a step I do to help season the meat and keep it moist from a high heat process, but it most likely also eliminated some of the wateriness people are describing.
I made this tonight with salmon but half the amount of salmon. Therefore, I thought I would half the liquid amount. Don't do that! I ruined the first time I tried this when doing half the amount of the liquid. The sauce burned and I had to start over. The second time, I did the full sauce recipe and when I took it off the heat to add the fish sauce and water, I kept it off the heat when dissolving the fish sauce. Then I put the pan back on the heat on Medium so it wouldn't burn. That turned out much better and was delicious! I'm glad I didn't use 2lb of salmon as I don't think it would have been enough sauce.
For those having problems with the sauce becoming watery after adding the chicken or pork, it is likely the type of chicken or pork you bought causing the problem. Try to find air chilled, not water chilled chicken, and natural or minimally processed pork, not enhanced pork. Most chicken is water chilled and retains 4% to 6% or more of the water it was chilled in. That water comes out when you cook your chicken in the sauce and makes it watery. Air chilled chicken is, well, air chilled, and retains no excess water. Look at the small print on your chicken and it will tell you the approximate excess water retained. Air chilled chicken is almost always labeled as air chilled. Similarly, enhanced pork is injected with water, salt and sometimes other additives. It has 7% to 10% or more added water which comes out to make your sauce watery. While the word "Natural" on a label doesn't mean much, most pork labeled "natural", or "minimally processed" usually has no added retained water. Again look for the small print, which will tell you if there is added retained water. Hope this helps some.
Hi I wanted to make this with palm sugar instead of white sugar. As palm sugar is already brown, is there a specific temperature I should be looking for to attain the proper carmelization? Thanks
Hi Susan -
We haven't tested this with palm sugar, but we would likely recommend against it unless you are really skilled at making caramel. Palm sugar burns at a lower temperature than refined granulated sugar so it will be much trickier to achieve the proper level of caramelization.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
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Your First Issue
Why does the written recipe have Salmon and Pork in it for this recipe, which is a chicken recipe??