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.
Mmm, this looks fantastic as well! I am getting so many great recipes from you :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment!
ReplyDeleteIf 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!