Caramelized Chicken with Lemongrass and Chilis (Ga Xao Sa Ot Cay)

This is another recipe that Alex and I have been holding on to for some time now.  Make that, a recipe that I have been holding on to.  I don't think that Alex even knew the recipe existed.  But I tend to spend a lot more time pouring over our cookbooks in search of new recipes than he does.  Alex only tends to go through the cookbooks when I hand him one (or tell him to go get one) and ask him to figure out what we should cook for dinner.  Anyway, the biggest deterrent to our ever making this recipe was the amount of lemongrass required.  At any given time we tend to have no more than about two stalks of lemongrass in the apartment.  But last night we hit Fairway and picked up 6 stalks, specifically so we could make this recipe.  We didn't have chicken thighs, but we figured that boneless, skinless chicken breasts would work just fine.  And the recipe actually cautions you against using chicken breasts, or removing the skin, but we made do with what we had.

In the future, I would definitely recommend using skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe.  Like the recipe promised, chicken thighs would just give the dish that extra boost of flavor.  But with that said, even without chicken thighs this dish was really really good.  Alex and I always play this game trying to decide what we would change while we eat our meal.  Generally the first thing that Alex says is that he wishes the dish were spicier.  It's his favorite comment and he uses it quite often.  Sometimes he wants more salt, but usually it's more spice.  This was one of the few times where neither of us had anything we would change (except of course for using chicken thighs rather than breasts).  This dish is super flavorful and the onions sauteed in the caramel sauce with the lemongrass are amazing.  The lemongrass gives the dish a nice floral quality, which contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the caramel sauce, the heat from the chilis and the savoriness of the fish sauce.  Using a caramel sauce, rather than just adding some sugar to the dish, gives it a really nice depth of flavor in addition to the sweetness.  This is one of my favorite dishes that we have prepared recently, and is definitely my favorite dish from the last week or two.

Recipe after the jump!

Caramelized Chicken with Lemongrass and Chilis (Ga Xao Sa Ot Cay)

Adapted from The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook: Home Cooking from Asian American Kitchens

By Patricia Tanumihardja

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (the recipe called for boneless thighs, with skin, but we didn't have any but you should definitely use them if possible)

1 1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

6 plump stalks lemongrass, trimmed, bruised, and minced, divided

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp sugar

1 large yellow onion, halved and cut into thin crescents

3 tbsp minced garlic, divided

2-3 Thai chilis, thinly sliced into rounds (ours are green and incredibly spicy so we used 2, but if yours are milder, use 3)

1 tbsp fish sauce

chopped cilantro for garnish

chopped scallions for garnish

In a medium bowl, season chicken with salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.  Add 1/4 cup lemongrass, toss, and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it becomes runny and starts to shimmer.  Add the sugar and cook and stir continuously.  After 1-2 minutes, the sugar will start to clump together then melt into a syrup.  Cook and stir for another 2-3 minutes, or until the clear syrup thickens into a gooey caramel-brown liquid suspected in the oil.  You will also smell a pleasant burnt sugar aroma.  Watch the caramel closely during this process as it can burn very quickly.  If the caramel starts to turn black and smell acrid, pull the skillet off the stove for a few seconds before continuing.

Stir in the remaining lemongrass, the onion, and 1 tbsp garlic and cook and stir until the ingredients turn golden brown and fragrant, 1-2 minutes.  Add the chicken and raise the heat to high.  Cook, tossing the chicken in the caramel sauce, for about 1 1/2 minutes.  If there isn't enough sauce to evenly coat the chicken, carefully add water, 1 tbsp at a time.  If the mixture starts to sputter and seize, pull the skillet off the stove until it ceases.  Throw in the chilis and cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink, 2-3 minutes.  Add the remaining garlic.  Toss to combine.  Add fish sauce.  Stir to mix well.  When the chicken is just cooked through, taste and adjust seasonings if desired. 

Remove from heat and transfer to a serving platter.  Sprinkle with black pepper to taste and garnish with cilantro leaves and green onions.