Description
This Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken recipe features tender, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs simmered in a luscious caramelized brown sugar and coconut milk sauce, enhanced with savory fish sauce, fragrant garlic, and a hint of vinegar. The dish is finished with fresh shallots and red chili for a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors, typical of Vietnamese home-style cooking. It’s served with rice, making it a comforting and flavorful meal for 4 to 5 people.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 4 large or 5 small chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
Sauce
- 1/2 cup (80 g) brown sugar, loosely packed
- 1 tbsp water
- 400 g (14 oz) low-fat coconut milk (1 can)
- 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar (or cider vinegar)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 eschallot (French onion), finely sliced
- 1/4 tsp white pepper (or black pepper)
Garnish
- 1 shallot, finely sliced (green onion or scallion can be used)
- 1 large red chili, finely sliced
Instructions
- Make caramel sauce: Place the brown sugar and water in a skillet over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugar melts and bubbles, turning into a caramel-like syrup.
- Add ingredients except chicken: Once the caramel forms, add the coconut milk, fish sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, finely sliced eschallot, and white pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add chicken skin side down: Place the chicken thighs into the skillet with the skin side down, ensuring they are evenly positioned in the sauce.
- Simmer energetically: Adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer—medium-high on weaker stoves or medium on stronger stoves. Avoid rapid boiling or slow simmering.
- Turn chicken after 25 minutes: After half the cooking time, carefully flip the chicken thighs to ensure even cooking.
- Continue simmering until sauce changes: After an additional 25 minutes, the sauce’s fat will separate and turn pale brown, indicating deep caramelization and flavor development.
- Brown the skin: Turn the chicken thighs skin side down again and gently move them around in the skillet to prevent burning while browning the skin and thickening the sauce.
- Remove from heat: Once the sauce and chicken skin are nicely browned and flavorful, take the skillet off the heat.
- Serve: Transfer chicken thighs to serving plates, spoon a small amount of the caramel sauce over them (the chicken is already infused with flavor, so use sparingly).
- Garnish: Sprinkle the finely sliced shallots and red chili on top. Serve immediately with steamed rice for a complete meal.
Notes
- Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for best flavor and texture.
- Low-fat coconut milk is preferred to avoid overly rich or greasy sauce.
- Rice vinegar balances the sweetness of the caramel; cider vinegar can be used as a substitute.
- French onion or eschallot provides a mild onion flavor that complements the sauce.
- Adjust chili quantity to preferred heat level.
- Maintaining the right simmer temperature is crucial to avoid burning or undercooking.
- The fat will separate and the sauce will thicken as it cooks; this is a key indicator that it’s ready.
