caramel chicken goodness

when i found this simple recipe for chicken in stefan's latest copy of bon appetit that came in the mail i knew it had to be made. warning, this is not a boring dish.  it is all sorts of amazing. the sauce?  oh my goodness, ridiculously good. the chicken?  lovingly braised to perfection by stefan with a rich glaze that includes sugar, vinegar, and soy. 

stefan made it once and then again (at kai's urgency) and i am certain it will make an appearance time and time again in my household. if you make it, and be sure you do, serve it with rice.  you'll want to soak up all that delicious sauce with something.

the recipe is below with a few words by stefan, the cook in our family :)

 

 

 

hot, sour, salty and sweet. those are the main flavours found in south-east asian cuisine. each region has different ways of accentuating these flavours. when cooking thai food, i often use  tangy lemon grass, hot chilies, sweet palm sugar and salty fish sauce.  cooking indonesian is more earthy with milder flavours from shallots, coconut milk, chilies and tamarind.  connie and kai love any meal with lots of flavor and this chinese inspired dish,  the caramel chicken recipe we found in october's bon appetit magazine is full of flavour -  a gorgeous combination of brown sugar, rice vinegar and soy sauce.

 

the chicken is thoroughly browned, then braised in an intensely flavourful sauce.  the result is so good we always devour it to the last morsel. serve it simply with rice and whip up a vegetable side dish to round out the meal.  an ideal side dish would be simple boiled green beans stir fried with a bit of garlic, ginger and and chili paste.

 

ingredients you will need:

vegetable oil (peanut oil or grapeseed oil are good ones for high-heat searing)

2.5 lb skin-on, bone-in chicken legs and thighs

8 garlic cloves, peeled

1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

2 1/4" slices of peeled ginger

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 scallions (green onions), sliced

cooked white rice

 

what to do:

heat oil in a large heavy pot. season chicken pieces with salt and cook in batches (don't overcrowd the pan) until golden brown, 6-8 minutes on each side. remove from the pot and set aside. cook the garlic cloves in the chicken fat for a couple of minutes and add to the reserved chicken. pour off the fat and add 1/2 cup of water, deglazing the pan, scraping the brown bits (flavor!) from the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon. add the brown sugar and stir to dissolve then cook while stirring until mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color. pour in the vinegar, careful of bubbling up, stir to combine. add ginger, broth and soy sauce. add chicken, skin side up, add garlic and bring to a boil. cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes.

 

remove chicken and set aside. turn the heat back on and bring the liquid to a boil, reducing it until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. return chicken to pot, cover with sauce and garnish with sliced green onion. serve with rice, devour.

 

while you ooh and ahh your way through the meal - seriously, make it this weekend! - my boys and i are carving out a long weekend this weekend to celebrate my birthday.  i will be back in this little space of mine on tuesday with pics of our adventures on mayne island.  have a lovely few days.