Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Recipe

This meal is the second of our Asian week. The recipe was from Rasa Malaysia. We didn't change much because we were able to find most of the ingredients from the stores we frequent. We did, however, end up baking it because we didn't want to cut up our chicken thighs.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 fresh lemongrass stalks, tender inner white bulbs only, minced
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 chilies, seeded and minced

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F

2. Combine the fish sauce, garlic, curry powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar in a bowl.

3. Add the chicken meat to coat.

4. Bake skin side down in oven and set timer for 30 minutes.

5. After 30 minutes, flip chicken and rotate pan. Bake another 10 minutes.

6. While chicken is baking. Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering.

7. Add the lemongrass, shallot, and chilies and stir-fry until fragrant.

8. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 tablespoon of the water and cook over high heat in a small skillet, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

9. Cook without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms.

10. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of water.

11. Transfer to a bowl.

12. Add the stir-fry and caramel on top of the chicken.

13. Bake for 4 minutes, switch to broil and broil for 1 minute.

14. Serve with steamed rice.