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Vietnamese-style caramel chicken on skillet with sticky, sweet, savory, and mildly spicy caramel sauce. This chicken is so good with steamed rice.
Vietnamese Caramel Chicken
Vietnamese food is one of the most popular Asian cuisines in the United States.
In the past 10 years or so, Vietnamese cuisine has captured the heart (and tummy) of many diners.
I love Vietnamese spring rolls, summer rolls, banh mi, garlic noodles, and so much more.
This caramel chicken recipe is Vietnamese-inspired. It’s sticky, savory with mild heat from the jalapeno.
Caramel Chicken Recipe Ingredients
This recipe is sure to whet your appetite. It’s very delicious and made with simple ingredients below:
- Chicken thighs
- Garlic
- Fish sauce
- Sugar
- Ground black pepper
- Jalapeno
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
This recipe is adapted from The Ravenous Couple.
Fish Sauce
Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Vietnamese cooking.
While many people are skeptical about fish sauce because of its pungent smell (from a low-grade brand), a good fish sauce doesn’t smell funky.
Made with anchovies and salt, fish sauce is a natural umami bomb that makes everything so much better.
I recommend Red Boat Fish Sauce or Three Crabs Brand Fish Sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 447 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Caramel Chicken
Serve this dish with other Vietnamese dishes. For a healthy Vietnamese meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
- Vietnamese Chicken Curry
- Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)
- Vietnamese Chicken Wings
- Pok Pok Wings (Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings)
Caramel Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken thighs , with skin, deboned
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 jalapeno, sliced
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- black pepper
Caramel Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 3 teaspoons rice vinegar , or apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with the marinade ingredients for 10 minutes. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the caramel sauce and set aside.
- Heat up a skillet (cast iron preferred) on medium to high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. Pan-fry the chicken (skin side up) until the bottom turns slightly crispy and brown. Repeat the same for the skin until it becomes slightly charred. Transfer the chicken out of the skillet.
- Add the remaining oil into the skillet and sauté the garlic. Then, add the chicken back into the pan, followed by the caramel sauce mixture.
- Lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the caramel sauce reduces and becomes amber in color. Be sure to turn the chicken a couple of times during cooking.
- Add the jalapeño and continue to cook for about 1 minute. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What is caramel sauce is this the same caramel u put on icecream
In Vietnam, we tend to season our meat, at least 30 mins in advance. My mom usually leaves it overnight. But really… that does not work for either American or college life culture ?. My favorite way is to start with caramelized the sauce halfway, turn the heat down, then add chicken until it’s done caramelized. I cut my cubes relatively small. One-pot chicken, I call it. And to avoid the chicken being dried out, I actually don’t defrost it all the way, if I even do it.
Hi Zana, thanks for letting me know. Good tip!
In America we too, marinate overnight on many recipes…
Can I replace the jalapeño with Asian pickled green chillies?
Yes, you can.
Hi! How would you suggest to bake it?
You can try baking at 375F covered with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Has anyone tried baking this instead of frying?
You can bake this.
What do you suggest the average time for keeping the chicken marinated before it is introduced to the cooking process?
30 minutes will be good.
I’ve made this a few times now and a great accompaniment is an asian coleslaw with shredded wombok,carrots,slices of apple, spanish onion with a sauce made from 1 tbl. vinegar, 2 tbl. caster sugar, 1 tbl. sesame oil,2 tbl. soy sauce, 1 tbl. fish sauce.
Just made this dish this evening! I had already thawed chicken but had no veggies in the fridge and I didn’t know what to make for dinner. Of course being an Asian household I did have fish sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and jalapenos on handy. Made this dish in 30 minutes and my dad loved it! He even had a second bowl of rice to eat more, and that is not typical for him. Thank you!
Hi, we have been in Malaysia twice visiting a lovely family there. We were given a dish with chicken, potato wedges and peas mixed with a fantastic Caramel sauce which you can get in Tesco. I have tried to buy this sauce in the UK with no success, is there a substitute to this fantastic sauce?
Hi Barbara, sorry I am not sure what it is without trying it.
How is 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and 1 tablespoon of sugar enough to marinate 1 lb of chicken? Can you please confirm the recipe for the marinade is correct? Thanks! Looks amazing, very excited to make.
Yes it’s correct. Try it.
This is the first of your recipes that I’ve tried, and it was a hit with my daughters, even my picky 6 yr old. Thank you so much for sharing this. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Thanks Elina. I am so glad that your family liked my recipe. :)