Vietnamese Caramel Chicken is an amazingly simple recipe to follow giving a delicious dinner option. Served on a bed of rice with steamed vegetables, this recipe is savory with a deliciously tender chicken. Allowing the sliced chicken to rest in water with baking soda allows the fibers of the chicken to break down which helps promote juicy and tender chicken.
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Published June 6, 2022
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Vietnamese Caramel Chicken Recipe on pages 486-487.
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Vietnamese Caramel Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
1 Tbsp baking soda
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken,
7 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 Tbsp fresh ginger
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional
Directions
1. On a cutting board, trim any fat off the chicken and then slice the chicken across the grain into 1/4-1/2-inch slices.
When cutting chicken, having a dishwasher safe cutting board is great, so it can then get sanitized when done.
2. In a large bowl, combine 1 1/4 water and 1 Tbsp baking soda, add the chicken to the bowl and then toss. Let the chicken stand at room temperature in the water mixture for 15 minutes, doing so makes the chicken so tender and helps to maintain the juiciness without drying the chicken out.
3. Rinse the chicken in a sink colander and then let it rest to drain well.
4. In a medium saucepan, combine 3 Tbsp water and sugar and whisk, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat and let cook without stirring for 4-6 minutes, it should become a golden-brown color close to molasses.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, swirling the saucepan gently, until the sugar turns the color of molasses, and the temperature reaches 390-400 degrees Fahrenheit using a candy thermometer.
6. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully pour in 3/4 cup hot water being careful because the mixture will steam and bubble, once the bubbling stops, return the saucepan to the burner at medium-high heat and continue to stir until the sugar is dissolved.
7. Transfer the caramel sauce to a 12-inch skillet and then stir in the fish sauce and ginger. I used a ginger that was already a paste as we do not use it often enough to buy it fresh. Buying ginger paste is a good option for recipes when you need the choice of having ginger.
8. Add the rinsed chicken to the caramel sauce and simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the saucepan and simmer the chicken in the caramel sauce until the chicken temps at 205 degrees.
9. Flip the chicken after simmering for 15 minutes, then simmer another 15-20 minutes making sure it is fully cooked.
10. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and then cover to keep warm.
11. Bring the sauce in the saucepan back to a boil and cook until it reduces to 1 1/4 cups which should take 3-5 minutes.
12. Whisk the cornstarch with 1 Tbsp water in a small bowl, then whisk it into the caramel sauce and simmer until thickened, around 1 minute.
13. Stir in pepper and then using a whisk mix well into the caramel sauce.
14. Pour 1/4 cup sauce over the chicken and then sprinkle with cilantro if using. Finally, serve with remaining sauce and enjoy!
~Monica
Recipe for Vietnamese Caramel Chicken
Vietnamese Caramel Chicken
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Large Bowl
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Baking Soda
- 2 pounds Chicken Tenderloins boneless, skinless
- 7 Tbsp Sugar
- 1/4 cup Fish Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Ginger grated cheese
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro chopped, optional
Instructions
- On a cutting board, trim any fat off the chicken and then slice the chicken across the grain into 1/4-1/2-inch slices.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 1/4 water and 1 Tbsp baking soda, add the chicken to the bowl and then toss, let the chicken stand at room temperature in the water mixture for 15 minutes.
- Rinse the chicken in a sink colander and then let it rest to drain well.
- In a medium saucepan, combine 3 Tbsp water and sugar and whisk, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat and let cook without stirring for 4-6 minutes. It should become a golden-brown color.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, swirling the saucepan gently, until the sugar turns the color of molasses, and the temperature reaches 390-400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully pour in 3/4 cup hot water being careful because the mixture will steam and bubble, once the bubbling stops, return the saucepan to the burner at medium-high heat and continue to stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Transfer the caramel to a 12-inch skillet and then stir in the fish sauce and ginger.
- Add the rinsed chicken to the caramel sauce and simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the saucepan and simmer the chicken in the caramel sauce until the chicken temps at 205 degrees.
- Flip the chicken after simmering for 15 minutes, then simmer another 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and then cover to keep warm.
- Bring the sauce in the saucepan back to a boil and cook until it reduces to 1 1/4 cups which should take 3-5 minutes.
- Whisk the cornstarch with 1 Tbsp water in a small bowl, then whisk it into the caramel sauce and simmer until thickened.
- Stir in pepper and mix well.
- Pour 1/4 cup sauce over the chicken and then sprinkle with cilantro if using.
- Finally, serve with remaining sauce and enjoy!
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