Caramelized Chicken Claypot
Today I’m sharing one of my favorite Vietnamese chicken dishes, caramelized chicken claypot. This sweet and savory chicken dish is packed with flavor, and is super easy to make especially on a busy weeknight. Not to mention it makes for great lunch meal prep — that is, if there are any leftovers.
If you already have a batch of caramel sauce in the fridge, this dish comes together in about twenty-five minutes. But no need to fret if you don’t have the sauce already on hand, it requires minimal time and two ingredients to whip up.
Pair with some freshly steamed jasmine rice, some greens like bok choy, and a side of kimchi, if that’s your jam.
Anyways, after cooking Thanksgiving for four you can bet we still had and still have a solid amount of leftovers to be eaten. So after enjoying a handful of thanksgiving leftovers for dinner, you can bet I was starting to crave different flavors and asian cuisine, which is my kind of comfort food.
To my surprise we already had a jar of caramel sauce in the fridge that needed to be used up, so this dish came together really easily for a quick, simple, and satisfying dinner. Perfect for a night when nobody feels like putting in a ton of effort for a solid and delicious meal.
Caramelized Chicken Claypot Ingredients:
Serves 4
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
2 medium shallots, sliced lengthwise into rings
2 Thai chilies, halved (or adjust based on your preferred level of heat)
1/2 cup caramel sauce
Cilantro, for garnish
Steamed jasmine rice, for serving
Caramel sauce:
1 pound light brown palm sugar (or coconut sugar)
1 1/4 cups fish sauce
Instructions:
Cut the chicken into 1 inch sized pieces (bit sized) and set aside.
In a shallow sauté pan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the ginger and shallots and sauce for about 2 minutes.
Increase the heat to high and add the chilies, chicken, and caramel sauce. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer, stirring occasionally for about twenty minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Caramel Sauce Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, melt the sugar on medium-low heat until melted, for about 10-12 minutes. Turn off the heat, and slowly stir in the fish sauce, taking caution as the sugar will bubble.
Let the sauce cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.
This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite Vietnamese cookbooks, The Slanted Door by Charles Phan.