Thick caramel-ginger sauce on pan-seared chicken thigh pieces, served over steamed white rice.
Rodney requested the Vietnamese Chicken recipe the old way again. Instead of going experimental with the ingredients, I thought I'd implement some cooking methods of the Ravenous Couple's Ga Kho recipe by doing more of a chicken sear, increase cooking times in other areas, and eliminate the addition of water. It'll be interesting to see if the sauce turns out to be more of a caramel.
Click the link below to see how I did it last time and what my comments were:
Vietnamese Chicken in Caramel-Ginger Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
Add ginger, shallots and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes.
Add fish sauce, sugars and peppers; stir. Bring to a boil; boil until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add green onions, reduce heat to low and continue to cook until sauce is further reduced, approximately 9 minutes.
Serve over steamed rice. And a side of kimchi if you see fit.
This was fantastic -- not as good as Ravenous Couple's Ga Kho, but it was much closer in texture, flavor and caramel-ness -- and much better than how I'd been making this recipe before.
The alterations in cooking times made a tremendous difference, particularly how the chicken was first cooked. Usually, I'd flip the chicken pieces regularly to ensure even browning; this time I added the chicken and only tossed the pieces once to get really nice browning on two sides. While not exactly a sear, it did make a difference in the texture of the meat.
Extended cooking times upon each addition (ginger and sugar mixtures) improved the consistency, bringing the sauce more toward a caramelization.
Dark meat is necessary in this recipe due to the prolonged heat exposure and cooking times. Doing this with breast meat is a way to ensure dry flesh. Don't make that mistake!! I regret having ever done this recipe with breasts.
Cost:
In the future, I'll do this again with whole chicken thighs and I'll be sure to sear the chicken pieces on each side before moving on.
3 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, quartered
3 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp chopped shallots or onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 c diagonally sliced green onions (2 inches)
Heat large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot. Add chicken thighs, shake to spread out evenly and cook 2 minutes before turning chicken pieces.
Flip chicken and cook an additional 3-5 minutes without stirring.
3 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp chopped shallots or onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 c diagonally sliced green onions (2 inches)
Heat large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot. Add chicken thighs, shake to spread out evenly and cook 2 minutes before turning chicken pieces.
Flip chicken and cook an additional 3-5 minutes without stirring.
Add ginger, shallots and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes.
Add fish sauce, sugars and peppers; stir. Bring to a boil; boil until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add green onions, reduce heat to low and continue to cook until sauce is further reduced, approximately 9 minutes.
Serve over steamed rice. And a side of kimchi if you see fit.
This was fantastic -- not as good as Ravenous Couple's Ga Kho, but it was much closer in texture, flavor and caramel-ness -- and much better than how I'd been making this recipe before.
The alterations in cooking times made a tremendous difference, particularly how the chicken was first cooked. Usually, I'd flip the chicken pieces regularly to ensure even browning; this time I added the chicken and only tossed the pieces once to get really nice browning on two sides. While not exactly a sear, it did make a difference in the texture of the meat.
Extended cooking times upon each addition (ginger and sugar mixtures) improved the consistency, bringing the sauce more toward a caramelization.
Dark meat is necessary in this recipe due to the prolonged heat exposure and cooking times. Doing this with breast meat is a way to ensure dry flesh. Don't make that mistake!! I regret having ever done this recipe with breasts.
Cost:
- chicken: $4.98
- minced ginger: $1.75
- green onions: $0.79
In the future, I'll do this again with whole chicken thighs and I'll be sure to sear the chicken pieces on each side before moving on.
2 comments:
Mmm, this looks fantastic as well! I am getting so many great recipes from you :)
Thanks for the compliment!
If you use this many thighs, it'll be necessary to quarter them (which I now see I've neglected to mention in the post and will correct straight away). Otherwise they probably won't fit and thus won't get the "searing" action -- unless your skillet is monstrous.
Also, with dark meat, you can allow the pieces to actually sear by letting them cook 5 minutes on each side and they will NOT dry out.
I could keep rambling on, but I'll shut up after I say this: let me know how it turns out for you!
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