Caramel Chicken

4.46 from 79 votes
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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.

Caramel chicken in a skillet.
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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.

Vietnamese caramel chicken, ready to serve.

Caramel Chicken Recipe Ingredients

Caramelised chicken on a skillet.

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

Caramel chicken recipe with chicken thighs and 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

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 447 calories per serving.

Caramel Chicken.

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 FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


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4.46 from 79 votes

Caramel Chicken

Vietnamese-style caramel chicken on skillet with sticky, sweet, savory, and mildly spicy caramel sauce. This chicken is so good with steamed rice.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 people
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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

To debone chiken thighs, please check out "How to Debone Chicken Thighs."
You may use skinless and boneless chicken thighs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 447kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 34g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 148mg, Sodium: 1060mg, Potassium: 363mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 145IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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66 Comments

  1. Robert Chriscoe says:

    Hi, I just wanted to ask if there were any liquids that go in the marinade? Maybe Iโ€™m missing something. I donโ€™t think that alone would marinate 1lb. of chicken thighs. If itโ€™s this is a stupid question then I apologize.
    Marinade:
    โ–ข 1 tablespoon sugar
    โ–ข 1 tablespoon fish sauce
    โ–ข black pepper

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      The fish sauce is liquid, and is very potent and salty. It’s enough for the 1 lb of meat. There’s also the caramel sauce that will add even more flavour in the later part of the recipe.

  2. BobB says:

    5 stars
    Another excellent recipe Bee. And, simple too! The whole family enjoyed it.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thanks, Bob. Lovely to hear that your family enjoyed the dish.

  3. Marie says:

    Could I do this dish baked in oven instead of stovetop?

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Yes.

  4. Marianne Schick says:

    Tried it out a week or so ago following the recipe exactly. It’s really good. We like a little more heat than the jalapeno provides so when I make it tonight I’m adding a little red pepper too.

  5. Helena says:

    Made this today. Doubled the sauce. So simple and amazingly delicious.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome thanks and please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/