Caramel Chicken

Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. It can get very boring, overdone and bland. I never order chicken when I go out to eat because it is my weekly staple, so I try to find new recipes and ways to cook it at home. Oh man, this recipe is a WINNER. I saw it on my Instagram feed and initially kept scrolling because of the name- Caramel Chicken. Do not let the name put you off from trying this recipe. You will miss out. This is a new favorite and of course, has Asian flare!

Will and I were both pleasantly surprised once we sat down to eat it. I was not expecting it to turn out as good as it did. This will be made again and again and will probably be my next supper club meal! 

I was worried it was going to be a sweet chicken, but as the recipe states, the sweetness is perfectly balanced by the vinegar and soy sauce. The sauce that is created to go with the chicken is Heavenly. I couldn't get enough and will probably make extra next time! 

I didn't make an adjustments to the recipe. It was perfect.

First batch

Second batch

The sauce bubbles and caramelizes when you add in the vinegar, just keep stirring

Those chucks are the ginger!

Caramel Chicken

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable oil
~3 lbs skin-on bone-in chicken legs and thighs (I bought an entire broken down chicken)
Salt
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 (1/4 inch thick) slices peeled ginger
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Cooked white rice (to serve with the chicken)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large wide heavy pot over medium-high heat.

2. Season the chicken with salt and working in batches, cook it in the oil until golden brown and crisp (about 6-8 minutes/side). Transfer to a plate.

3. Add garlic to the pot and cook until golden (about two minutes). Stir frequently to prevent it from burning. Transfer to the plate with the chicken and pour the fat off from the pot.

4. Return the pot to the medium high heat and add 1/2 cup of water, scraping up the browned bits.

5. Add the brown sugar, stirring over the heat to dissolve. The mixture will thicken and turn a deep amber color after about 5-7 minutes of cooking.

6. Carefully add vinegar- the mixture will bubble up and the sugar will crystallize- stir to dissolve the sugar. Then add the ginger, broth and soy sauce.

7. Add the chicken to the sauce (skin side up) and the garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (about 20-25 minutes). Transfer the chicken to a plate.

8. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until thick enough to coat a spoon (about 10 minutes).

9. Return the chicken to the pot and turn to coat.

Top with the scallions and serve with rice.

The recipe can be found here at Bon Appetit