Pan-Fried Chicken with Fish Sauce Caramel
Tender pan-fried chicken thighs glazed in a sweet-savory fish sauce caramel with garlic and black pepper. A classic Vietnamese weeknight dinner ready in under 30 minutes.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 485
- Protein
- 42g
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless and skin-on
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 6 cloves garlic cloves, peeled
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Pat the chicken thighs dry on both sides with paper towels, pressing gently so the skin becomes completely dry — this helps the skin crisp when cooking.
- 2
Crush each garlic clove with the flat side of your knife by placing the clove on the cutting board, laying the blade flat over it, and pressing down hard with your palm until the clove flattens and splits.
- 3
Stir the fish sauce and sugar together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture looks uniform, about 30 seconds.
- 4
Place a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly.
- 5
When the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, lay each chicken thigh skin-side down on the hot skillet, leaving space between them.
- 6
Cook the thighs without moving them for 7 minutes, until the skin turns deep golden-brown and the edges look darker — resist the urge to flip early.
- 7
Use tongs to flip each thigh to skin-side up, then cook for another 5 minutes until the second side is light golden, with the thickest part of the thigh feeling firm when you press it gently.
- 8
Pour the fish sauce and sugar mixture around the thighs in the skillet, then scatter the crushed garlic cloves on and around them.
- 9
Sprinkle the black pepper evenly over the chicken and sauce, then cook uncovered for 3 minutes, tilting the pan and spooning the sauce over the thighs occasionally so they glaze with the caramel.
- 10
Transfer the chicken thighs to a serving plate, then pour all the sauce and garlic from the skillet on top of them.
Tools you’ll need
- 12-inch skillet
- paper towels
- knife
- cutting board
- small bowl
- spoon
- tongs
- serving plate
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