Caramel Chicken
Ready in just 20 minutes, this Caramel Chicken is crispy on the outside, tender inside, and coated in a sticky, sweet-savory caramel sauce. It’s restaurant-quality but so easy to make at home—perfect for any night of the week! Serve it with steamed rice for the ultimate comfort meal.
Servings: 3 people
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
Source: The Ravenous Couple
- I always use chicken thighs for this recipe—they’re juicier, more flavorful, and hold up so much better to the caramel sauce than breasts. If you’re not sure how to debone them, check out my guide, How to Debone Chicken Thighs, for an easy step-by-step.
- Double the caramel sauce if you’re like me and love extra sauce. It’s amazing drizzled over rice or noodles.
- Keep an eye on the caramel sauce as it reduces. You want it to turn a rich amber color, but stir occasionally and lower the heat if it’s bubbling too much.
- Adjust the spice level to your taste. I love adding extra jalapeño for heat, but you can remove the seeds to keep it milder.
Nutrition
Serving: 3people | 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