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Vietnamese Caramel Chicken

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: vietnamese
Keyword: chicken thighs, coconut milk, fish sauce, gluten free, rice wine vinegar, vietnamese
Servings: 2 servings
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Ingredients

  • 4 large or 5 small chicken thighs (drumsticks can also be added) bone in, skin on, trimmed
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar loosely packed
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk low fat is best for this recipe but full fat can also be used
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar or cider vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 shallot finely sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper white pepper can also be used

Garnish Options

  • 1 scallion finely sliced or a few chives cut into long pieces
  • 1 red chili finely sliced
  • Serve with white rice (your favorite kind)

Instructions

  • Place sugar and water in the skillet over medium heat. Use a whisk or rubber spatula to combine and when the sugar is melted and bubbly (it should look like caramel), add the fish sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, shallot, white/black pepper and coconut milk. Stir ingredients together.
  • Carefully add chicken to the pan SKIN SIDE DOWN.
  • Turn the heat up to medium-high. You want the sauce to be at a gentle boil, adjusting the heat as necessary.
  • Cook chicken for 25 minutes and then flip pieces to cook the bottom side for another 25 minutes. Continue cooking the chicken for an additional five minutes, flipping the pieces a few times to fully coat the chicken in the sauce. The sauce really comes together in these last 5 minutes turning from a milky white to a golden brown. Once sauce and skin are a deep brown, remove pan from heat. Total cooking time 55 mins. (Cooking time will vary depending on the size the chicken pieces).
  • Place chicken on a platter or individual plates, spooning over the sauce.
  • Garnish with scallions or chives and red chili slices, if using. Serve with white rice.

Notes

If you want to use boneless chicken breasts or skinless, boneless thighs, you can but be aware that the chicken will be cooked before the sauce is fully done so you'll need to make the following adjustments: 1) reduce the cooking time to approx. 35-40 minutes and 2) remove the chicken from the pan and continue cooking the sauce until it is a deep golden brown. 
I have not tried this recipe using bone in, skin on chicken breasts.  If you want to try using bone in, skin on breasts keep in mind these pieces can be rather large, so you may need to cook the chicken for longer than 55 minutes.  If this is the case, you will  want to pour the sauce into a small saucepan to keep it warm while the breasts finish cooking.
The sauce transforms itself in the last 5 minutes so be patient.