Do you find that there are not enough hours in the day sometimes? That was me last week! I had all intentions of getting this recipe posted, but ran out of steam every night. I had a work event one night, plus it was month-end with my business…so needless to say evenings were spent taking orders and training my new business partner. Plus I was a little under the weather too…it was just not a great week. I’m back on track this weekend, my menu is planned and I’m determined to get back into a schedule of working out and eating better again.
In my stack of recipes out of magazines, I came across a recipe for caramel chicken that looked amazing. It was perfect to use half of a family pack of chicken thighs I bought last week. The recipe was fairly simple and I only needed to pick up one ingredient, rice vinegar, to make the dish. One thing I love about having a large pantry…I have almost everything I need in had to make just about any recipe.
The chicken was super moist, sticky and had the perfect amount of sweetness and tangy. Everyone agreed and gobbled it up…there were no leftovers! I served it with brown rice and a side salad.
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 lbs skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
2 pieces of peeled ginger (approximately 1/4 inch thick)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place into the hot oil and cook both sides of the chicken until it is golden brown, approximately 6-8 minutes per side and then transfer to a plate. To the pot, add in the garlic cloves, stirring continuously until they are golden brown. Transfer to the plate with the chicken and drain the fat from the pot.
Place the pot back on the stove and heat on medium-high heat. Add in 1/2 cup water to deglaze the pot, scrap up all the brown bits on the bottom. Stir in the brown sugar until completely dissolved. Allow to cook for about 4 minutes until the mixture thickens and turns to a deep golden amber color. Using caution, slowly add in the vinegar and stir to dissolve the crystallized sugar.
Add the ginger slices, chicken broth, and soy sauce and stir until combined. Add in the chicken skin side up and the cooked garlic cloves. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 20-25 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Turn the heat to high to bring the mixture to a boil and cook down the remaining liquid until it thickens enough that it covers the back of a spoon, approximately 10 minutes. Place the chicken back in the pot and coat both sides. It’s time to serve it up with a side of rice and some veggies – enjoy!
Source: Bon Appetit Magazine, October 2013
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