A few years ago, Eric had a business trip to San Francisco, CA. It was the second or third time he had a trip to that beautiful city, but the first time I was available to go with him. As with most of the work trips I accompany Eric on, I go out and do touristy stuff on my own while he conducts whatever business he is there for, then we have wonderful evenings together exploring the sites and having fabulous meals.
Fast forward to a few months ago. I was looking for a new chicken dish to make on a rainy day. I found one of interest on the Food & Wine website. The recipe was an intensely sweet and savory peppered Vietnamese chicken dish to be served over rice. The savory & quick & easy parts sold me, and serving it over rice sold Eric. After sampling it, we deemed it blog-worthy.
Fast forward again to yesterday. I read the background blurb on the origin of the recipe before starting to write this post. The recipe came to Food & Wine during an interview with chef Charles Phan of the Slanted Door in San Francisco. Something clicked in my brain and I looked up the restaurant’s website. Turns out, we had eaten at this particular restaurant not once, but twice in the week we spent in San Fran 3-1/2 years ago. The first time we ate there, the wait for a table was very long so we sat in the bar area and had a drink and an appetizer. We enjoyed the food and atmosphere so much that we went back later in the week and had an intimate dinner for two overlooking the San Francisco Bay. I would highly recommend both the restaurant (if you are visiting that area) and this recipe if you want a great chicken dish with a Vietnamese flair to make at home!
Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken
Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken (adapted from foodandwine.com) Total Time Required: 35 minutes, Active Time: 25 minutes, Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon crushed or minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 1 roasted Hatch chile, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- cooked rice for serving
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce, water, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, pepper, and chile.
Combine all the ingredients for the sauce.
Prep the shallot.
Prep the chicken.
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the shallot to the pan and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 4 minutes.
Add the shallot to the hot oil.
Add the fish sauce mixture and the chicken to the pan and simmer over high heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Add the sauce and the chicken to the shallot.
Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the chicken and sauce to a serving bowl. Serve over cooked rice.
Serve the chicken over cooked rice.
Looking forward to the next opportunity to visit San Francisco! ~Linda
Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken (adapted from foodandwine.com) Total Time Required: 35 minutes, Active Time: 25 minutes, Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon crushed or minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 1 roasted Hatch chile, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- cooked rice for serving
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce, water, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, pepper, and chile.
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the shallot to the pan and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the fish sauce mixture and the chicken to the pan and simmer over high heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken and sauce to a serving bowl. Serve over cooked rice.