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Okay, so
this may not be the exact recipe for Caramel Chicken, made famous by The Slanted Door, a popular
Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco. Theirs is actually made in a clay pot and
takes much longer to prepare. Ain't nobody got time for that! It’s been
well reported that this dish is a favorite of Mick Jagger, who makes a point of ordering it when he’s in the city by the bay. This version is quick, easy, and delicious, and can be whipped up in just a few minutes on the stove top. No clay pot
required.
The Slanted Door Caramel Chicken
Serves 4 to 6
¾ cup dark brown sugar
1/3
cup water
3
tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)
1/3
cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1
teaspoon dry sherry
1
teaspoon tamari
2
tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated
4
cloves garlic, minced
2
Thai chilies, sliced thin
2
pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
Freshly cracked black pepper
3
tablespoons vegetable oil
5
scallions, thinly sliced on an angle, for garnish
½
cup roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Steamed jasmine rice, for serving
In a small bowl, whisk
together the brown sugar, water, fish sauce, vinegar, sherry, tamari, ginger,
garlic and chilies.
Season chicken generously with
pepper. In a large sauté pan, heat the
oil until shimmery and almost smoking; add the chicken and sear on all sides
until golden brown, about 5 minutes total. Adjust the heat as necessary. Push the chicken to the sides of the pan
forming a well. Pour the sauce in the
middle of the well and reduce until thick and syrupy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir to coat the chicken and finish cooking
through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the
scallions.
To serve, mound rice on a
platter and pour the chicken over.
Shower with peanuts and cilantro.
Note: Tamari
is dark aged soy sauce.
