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This Vietnamese chicken recipe is a braised dish with a lovely salty and sweet sauce. Traditionally made with bone-in chicken, this boneless version simmers in coconut juice and cooks up much faster than the traditional version. Serve Gà Kho over rice to soak up that irresistible sauce.
Vietnamese caramelized chicken might be one of my favorite family-style meals. It’s such a simple, yet satisfying dish and the chicken truly does transform into something truly amazing.
This dish is all about the sauce. Oh, the sauce! It is absolutely *chef’s kiss*. It’s the right amount of salty, savory, and sweet (but not too sweet!).
With a name like caramelized chicken, you may think this chicken is candied or something. The caramelized part just refers to cooking a bit of sugar until it turns very golden brown, giving it a richer and deeper flavor. It’s also what gives the chicken that beautiful color.
Main Ingredients for Gà Kho
- Boneless, skin-on chicken thighs – Typically this is made with bone-in chicken, but I debone the chicken to save on cooking time. You can certainly keep the bones in, but you’ll want to add about 15 minutes to make sure it’s fully cooked.
- See my step-by-step guide on how to debone chicken thighs.
- Sugar – You don’t need a lot here, and it’s what gives the braised chicken a richer, deeper flavor. Don’t skip it!
- Fish sauce – This is what gives the dish its salty and savory flavor. My favorite fish sauce can be found here.
- Coconut water – If you don’t have access to fresh coconut water, it’s very easy to find it sold in cartons at the grocery store or online. Try your best to find something that is 100% coconut water.
How to Cook Gà Kho
The first step is to render the fat from the chicken thighs. Let the chicken cook skin side down for 5-8 minutes or until the skin starts turning golden. Flip and cook the other side of the chicken for just a few minutes before taking it out of the pan. The chicken will not be fully cooked at this point.
Next, you’ll caramelize the sugar. You want the sugar to get very golden brown, to the point where it makes you a little nervous and you wonder if it’s going to burn. The longer you can cook it (but without burning) the richer the flavor will be.
Once you finish caramelizing the sugar (and hopefully not set off any smoke alarms), you’ll deglaze the pan with coconut water. Don’t forget to scrape any delicious bits off the bottom of the pan, there’s a lot of flavor there.
Add the chicken back in and let it simmer away. It’s going to look a little watery and light in color for a while. You’ll wonder if you’re doing this right. Then, right at the end, the sauce will turn a rich deep brown and become a nice glaze. The chicken skin will develop a nice color as well. You need to have a little faith in this recipe, and you will get an amazing, saucy, savory chicken. Serve that chicken over rice to absorb all of that delicious sauce. Yum!
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Air Fryer Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken (Gà nướng sả)
- Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
- Vietnamese Steak Salad
- Fried Tofu With Teriyaki Sauce
Vietnamese Caramelized Chicken (Gà Kho Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cup coconut water
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients.
- Heat a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of oil. When the pan is fully heated, add chicken thighs, skin side down.
- Sear the chicken thighs until the skin is golden brown and the fat has been rendered, about 5-8 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside on a plate (it's ok if the chicken is not fully cooked). Remove excess fat and leave about one tablespoon. Add the sugar to the pan.
- Let the sugar melt and caramelize until it reaches a deep golden color. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to let it completely burn.
- When the sugar is caramelized, add the garlic and optional jalapenos. Cook for about one minute. Deglaze the pan by adding coconut water and the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the chicken back into the pan and let it simmer in the coconut water mixture. Cover and let it cook for about 15 minutes, occasionally flipping the chicken so both sides simmer in the sauce.
- The chicken is done when the sauce is thickened and turns into a nice glaze. Uncover the pan in the last 5 minutes if it hasn't reduced enough. If the sauce gets too thick, just thin it out with more coconut water or water.
- Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!
Notes
- For a step-by-step guide on how to debone chicken thighs, click here.
- When buying coconut water, try to buy the kind that lists 100% coconut water in the ingredients.
Looks delicious. will surely try during the weekend. thank you for sharing.
Looks delicious!!
Oh yum, that looks so good!