Vietnam is home to many wonderful flavors. This dish may sound weird at first, but the savory and complex sauce that results is dynamite. One of the key players in this flavor equation, other than sugar of course, is fish sauce.

Now a word on fish sauce. This is made by fermenting anchovies and bottling the juice. As absolutely abhorrently disgusting as this sounds, this stuff is magic. It’s chock full of flavor enhancing glutamates and really packs an umami punch. I use it all the time and always keep it on hand. Several countries in SE Asia make the stuff and each is slightly different. I prefer the Vietnamese variety, known as nuoc mam. Three Crabs is my brand hands down and is at every Asian market I’ve ever been to which is no small number. You can usually even find this stuff, albeit inferior quality, at your local chain. It’s basically SE Asia’s soy sauce.

The baking soda in this recipe helps the chicken stay moist and tender with the magic of science. The pH gets raised, activating enzymes called calpains. These break down the outer muscle fibers tenderizing them and allowing more moisture absorption. Yet another trick from ‘Cooks Illustrated’, in my opinion the best periodical out there. You should want this if you don’t already. It’s chock full of useful tricks, food science and fantastic recipes.

What You’ll Need

Approximately 1 hr 20 min total time

1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut in halve

1 T baking soda

7 T white sugar

¼ C Nouc Mam (fish sauce)

2 tsp corn starch

½ tsp black pepper

½ C cilantro chopped

1 ¼ C + 3 T water + ¾ C + 1T water

Cut the thighs in half crosswise and put them in a large bowl. Add the baking soda and 1 ¼ C water, mix thoroughly. Let this sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

While that’s happening, combine the sugar and 3T water in a small sauce pan. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat and cook without stirring for 4-6 min, until golden. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, while gently swirling the pan until the color of molasses, 4-6 minutes. If it starts to smoke a bit during the last few minutes it’s ruined…just kidding, that’s normal.

Remove from the heat and carefully add ¾ C hot water, this may be a bit violent. Once the bubbling and hissing have subsided, return the sauce pan to medium heat and stir until caramel is dissolved.

Transfer the caramel 12” pan and stir in the fish sauce. Next add the chicken thighs and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Flip the chicken over after 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce to about 1 ¼ C, about 3-5 minutes. Whisk corn starch together with 1 T water in a small bowl, then whisk into the sauce. Simmer until thickened, about 1 minute, and stir in black pepper.

Lay the chicken on top of rice and pour the sauce over and serve…YUM!