SWEET & SPICY CARAMEL CHICKEN

Serves: 4

Print

With ImageWithout Image

SWEET & SPICY CARAMEL CHICKEN

Ready in: 1 H & 30 MTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

This comforting chicken dish gets extreme flavor from the garlic and ginger, and the sauce is scrumptious and served over rice. You can use bone-in chicken breasts, if you like, just be careful not to overcook them.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 12 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon arrowroot
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Cooked Jasmine rice

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place the chicken in the hot oil, skin side down. Sauté the chicken pieces until they are golden brown and crisp, about 6 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set it aside. Add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove the garlic and ginger mixture with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain off the fat from the pot and discard.
2. Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the water, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the brown sugar and stir to dissolve, then cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color, about 4 minutes. Carefully add the vinegar and stir to dissolve the crystallized sugar.
3. Add the garlic/ginger mixture back to the pot along with the chicken broth and soy sauce. Add the browned chicken pieces, skin side up and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through for about 20 minutes.
4. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and bring the sauce to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon arrowroot (or make a cornstarch slurry by adding a few tablespoons of the sauce to 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in a small mixing bowl; then add the slurry back to the pot).
5. Simmer the sauce until it thickens slightly. Return the chicken to the pot and coat with the sauce. Garnish with green onions and serve with rice.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @chefjamiegwen on instagram and hashtag it # chefjamiegwen