Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 shallot, halved and sliced thin

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce

1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into ¾-inch pieces

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems

Directions

Note: This recipe is inspired by Charles Phan's recipe from his cookbook The Slanted Door: Modern Vietnamese Food (2014). The saltiness of fish sauce can vary; we recommend Red Boat 40°N Fish Sauce. This dish is intensely seasoned, so serve it with plenty of steamed white rice, preferably jasmine.

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shallots and ginger and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, chili-garlic sauce, and pepper and bring to simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook until very thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Stir in chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes (sauce will thin out as chicken exudes moisture). Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Nutrition

• Calories: 355
• Total Fat: 12 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 124 miligrams
• Sodium: 1144 miligrams
• Total Carbohydrate: 21 g
• Total Sugars: 20 g
• Protein: 39 g