Vietnamese Chicken in Caramel-Ginger Sauce Main Courses

By DOMESTICDIVA

This version of kho, a sweet-and-salty braised dish traditionally cooked in a clay pot, simmers gently on the stovetop. While it cooks, you have time to prepare a side dish of rice to soak up the spicy ginger sauce. The recipe calls for chicken thighs, which provide nice dark-meat flavor, but chicken breasts also can be used.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, quartered
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots or onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce*
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup diagonally sliced green onions (2 inches)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until browned.

2. Add ginger, shallots and garlic; cook and stir 1 minute. Add all remaining ingredients except water and green onions. Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute or until sauce begins to thicken. Add water. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Stir in green onions.

TIP *Look for fish sauce in the Asian section of supermarkets.

4 (1-cup) servings

PER SERVING: 405 calories, 20.5 g total fat (5.5 g saturated fat), 37.5 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate, 105 mg cholesterol, 1095 mg sodium, 1 g fiber