Vietnamese Caramel Chicken

We made two recipes from The New York Times. Both were good and we would make them again. Vietnamese Caramel Chicken has a sweet taste that appealed to us. The Sautéed Baby Bok Choy was a perfect accompaniment. We served it with Jasmine Rice.

Vietnamese Caramel Chicken

New York Times

Adapted from The Slanted Door by Charles Phan.I tinkered with the recipe, mostly with the portion size. Although I think they have their place, chicken thighs, rather than boneless chicken breasts, are best to use here. I've tried it with all breast meat and the dish is less-appealing made with white meat. For those who insist, a good compromise would be a mix of dark and white meat. Palm sugar is available in Asian markets and online. It usually comes in disks, although it's sometimes sold in tubs, which is harder to portion out. Indian markets carry jaggery, a cousin to palm sugar (sometimes made from sugar cane, and is a bit more stubborn to melt), could be used, although I recommend tracking down palm sugar.

For the caramel

8 ounces light brown palm sugar, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup fish sauce

2 Thai chiles, sliced lengthwise
For the chicken

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1-1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned

3 medium shallots (about 2 ounces, total) shallots, peeled and sliced into rings

fresh cilantro, for garnish

1. To make the caramel, melt the palm sugar over low heat in a medium-to- large saucepan or skillet, stirring frequently (and breaking it up) to encourage it to melt. It'll take about 10 minutes to liquefy completely. Similarly, you can place the palm sugar in a large glass heatproof measuring cup or bowl and melt the palm sugar in a microwave oven, which will take about 20 to 30 seconds.

2. When the sugar is melted and bubbling, remove from heat and gradually add the fish sauce into the liquefied palm sugar, while stirring. (If you have a hood fan, you may wish to turn it on before adding the fish sauce.) It may also bubble up a bit, so be careful. Add the chiles and set aside.

3. To cook the chicken, heat the oil in a medium-to-large sauté or wide braising pan, or regular-sized Dutch oven. Add the ginger and shallots and cook until they start to wilt, about 2 minutes.

4. Stir in the chicken and the caramel, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat until the sauce is just simmering. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. (The original recipe said to cook the chicken for 20 minutes, but mine was done sooner.)

Serving: Serve the chicken with rice.

Storage: The chicken is best eaten right after it's made. The sauce can be made up to one month ahead, and refrigerated. Rewarm until liquified before using.

Sautéed Baby Bok Choy

New York Times

2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil, like canola 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 1⁄2-inch piece ginger root, peeled and minced 1⁄4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, or to taste

4 bunches of baby bok choy, approximately 11⁄2 pounds, cleaned, with the ends trimmed

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chicken stock or water Toasted sesame oil for drizzling.

1. In a large sauté pan with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add garlic, ginger and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 45 seconds.

2. Add bok choy and stir carefully to cover with oil, then cook for approximately 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, stock or water, then cover pan and cook for approximately 2 minutes more, until steam begins to escape from beneath the lid of the pan.

3. Uncover and continue to cook until liquid is close to evaporated and stalks are soft to the touch, approximately 3 minutes more.

4. Remove to a warmed platter and drizzle with sesame oil. 

Serves 4.