Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

Name: Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/2 cup dark brown sugar; About 1/4 cup nam pla (fish sauce); 1/4 cup water; 3 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger; 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper; 2 fresh Thai chiles, halved, or dried red chiles; 1 tablespoon canola oil; 1 shallot, thinly sliced; 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces; 4 cilantro sprigs

4,039 Ratings
7 Reviews

In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best: Working with chefs and their recipes has always been inspiring, from the most challenging dishes to the simple ones that become instant home classics. We asked Charles Phan, executive chef and owner of The Slanted Door in San Francisco, what he liked to cook at home, and he shared this take on caramelized black pepper chicken, a sweet and hot Vietnamese dish. It's intensely sweet and savory and comes together in just minutes.

By Charles Phan

December 1998

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

active:

25 mins

total:

35 mins

Yield:

Directions

Step 1
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce, water, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, pepper and chiles.

Advertisement
Step 2
Heat the oil in a large deep skillet. Add the shallot and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the fish sauce mixture and the chicken and simmer over high heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the cilantro and serve.

Notes

Because fish sauces vary in their saltiness, Phan advises adding the fish sauce to taste.

Serve With

Steamed jasmine rice.

Suggested Pairing

An oaky, round and ripe Napa Valley Chardonnay will balance the pepper-sweet sauce of this chicken dish.

Sort by: Newest

Newest Oldest

Food & Wine Member

03/14/2022

Phenomenal. But — you need to cook it on high until the sauce reduces to a sticky consistency. That takes longer than 10 minutes. If you do that, it’s divine.

chefpaulo

04/22/2020

Nice flavor but I ended up with more of a soup than a caramelized stir fry. I cut back on the sugar making me think the water was unnecessary. Also, only a restaurant wok can get hot enough to do this right.

Shelley F. Harris

12/23/2019

Can you use something other than fish sauce?

Kelly Little

07/08/2019

!/2 cup Brown sugar to 1 lb of Chicken and less than a cup of liquid?

Jennifer de Jong

07/02/2019

Absolutely loved it!

Lynn Jacobsen

05/26/2019

Followed the recipe, it came out really sweet, and the chicken thigh was rubbery. I should have sauteed the chicken first, not dumped it in the sauce to cook. Also, scaled way back on the sugar.

h0nest_0pini0n

10/26/2018

Fast, easy and amazingly good. The only downside is the pungent fish sauce that makes your kitchen stink. Still worth it though.

Back to Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

All Reviews for Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

- of Reviews

F&W Cooks

Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes

50 Affordable Wines You Can Always Trust

Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Notes

Serve With

Suggested Pairing

Reviews (7)

All Reviews for Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

Your Profile

Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Notes

Serve With

Suggested Pairing

Reviews (7)

All Reviews for Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken