Caramel Chicken

click photo to enlarge

OK, that name sound odd, but I assure you that I am not putting syrup on my chicken. I will say that the "caramel" sauce on this Asian inspired dish is a bit gooey and "salty, sweet". The main ingredient is dark soy sauce which is different then your standard water soy. Dark soy is aged longer than standards soy sauce with molasses added at the end of processing which makes it almost black in color. It's available in most Asian markets but may be hard to find in your local grocery store.

The reason why I love this dish is because it's so easy to make after work and the chicken always comes out real tender. The recipe calls for boneless chicken thigh and I would use breasts or anything with a bone. You can serve this with some fluffy jasmine or basmati rice and some greens. I usually use simple buttered green beans because I love them so much. It could be equally as good with some spinach, baby bok-choy or even matchstick carrots. The recipe below is good for 4-6 people. You can easily cut this in half if you want less.

Here's the recipe;

• olive, vegetable or peanut oil
• 8 boneless chicken thighs, skinless
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced (I have a little contraption to do this)
• 1/4 cup dark soy sauce (standard soy sauce is not acceptable)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar

1. In a bowl toss the chicken thighs with oil until lightly coated.

2. Place the chicken thighs in a hot frying pan and saute for about 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Remove from pan and transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

(at this point it would be a good idea to start cooking the rice)

3. In the residual fat in the frying pan, saute the sliced red onion until soft and semi transparent. Keep the temperature at low to medium so the onion doesn't burn.

4. Once the onion is semi-transparent, add the garlic. Saute for another few minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic. If it burns it is horrible and bitter. Think sweet!

click photo to enlarge

5. Once the onion mixture is ready, add the chicken back to to pan. Pour 1/4 cup of the dark soy sauce over the chicken. Turn the chicken until everything is well coated with the soy sauce.

6. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Turn the chicken after 5 minutes.

7. After the chicken cooks, uncover the pan and add 1/2 cup of light brown sugar. Mix well into the sauce.

8. Continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes until the sauce is thick and rich.

click photo to enlarge

Serve in a nice bowl over rice with steamed vegetables.

Wine Suggestion - I think this dish would go well with a nice fruity white wine such as a Pinot Grigio, Australian Chardonnay or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. If  you like a Chinese beer may be nice too!

Comments

[Robert]

This is a terrific little recipe. Thank you. I very much enjoy chicken dishes which fall into my "lacquered chicken" category. This is the first of your blog entries I have read. I REALLY like the indication - "Serve in a nice bowl ..." Nice.