Ga Kho Vietnamese Caramelised Chicken

We have had the best Summer Holiday, visiting family and friends in South Australia and driving through the most beautiful countryside including Shepparton, Bendigo, Dubbo, Halls Gap, Port MacDonnell and Mount Gambier.

Our family made sure we ate magnificently whilst we were away. From the beautiful flake cooked in Port MacDonnell to the perfectly barbecued beef eye fillet in Mount Gambier, also Fagoli (bean soup), vegetable + meatball lasagne as well as the surprisingly good Chinese we had in Hay we certainly ate well every step of our journey.   Hubby stated that the vanilla slice he had in Halls Gap was the best he had eaten since childhood.  Slow, cooked lunches on lazy vacation days are incredible and always well remembered.  Arriving home though, I was craving some nice Asian food.

So we enjoyed an amazing and full flavoured Ga Kho with Thai basil rice and broccolini in oyster sauce.  The Ga Kho (Vietnamese Caramelised Chicken) recipe comes from The Ravenous Couple.






I cooked this dish with chicken thigh fillets as they are quick and always tender.
You could use chicken thigh cutlets or drumsticks but increase the cooking time to 30 minutes and check they are cooked before taking off the heat.

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  Caramelised Chicken - Ga Kho

• 1 kilo chicken thigh fillets
• 2 tbs fish sauce for marinade
• 1 tbs brown sugar for marinade
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup water
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 tbs grated/finely minced ginger
• 2 shallots minced (you can substitute a small onion)
• 2 jalapenos thinly sliced (or other hot chillies)
• 2 shallots (green onions) sliced in 1 cm slices
• fresh cracked pepper
• sesame seeds for garnish

Marinade the chicken with 2 tbs of fish sauce and 1 tbs brown sugar for about at least1/2 hr, 2 hours is better. Whilst it is marinating in the fridge, in a small bowl make the sauce by combining 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup water, rice vinegar, and fish sauce and mix until dissolve. Add the ginger, shallots, and garlic and set aside.

Heat a large pan on high with cooking oil and add the chicken. Allow to sear without touching them for a minute or so and then pour in about 1/4 of the sauce. Try not to move around the chicken as you want the chicken to sear and caramelise. The sauce will start to thicken and the chicken will brown after a few minutes. Check to see if it's nicely caramelised, then turn the pieces of chicken over and pour in the rest of the sauce. Continue to cook until sauce is reduced to a nice thick consistency (approx 15- 20 minutes) and just before you turn off the heat, toss in the chillies and spring onions. Transfer to serving platter and generously top with sesame seeds and fresh cracked pepper.

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Buon appetito, enjoy Merryn xx