Skip to main content
Hirsheimer & Hamilton

Don’t be put off by the sugar in this recipe—it’s balanced by the vinegar and soy sauce.

Ingredients

4 servings

2

tablespoons vegetable oil

pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken legs and thighs

Kosher salt

8

garlic cloves, peeled

cup (packed) light brown sugar

¼

cup (or more) unseasoned rice vinegar

2

slices ¼"-thick slices peeled ginger

1

cup low-sodium chicken broth

¼

cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2

scallions, thinly sliced

Cooked white rice (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oil in a large wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and, working in 2 batches, cook until golden brown and crisp, 6–8 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. Add garlic to pot and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 2 minutes; transfer to plate with chicken. Pour off fat from pot.

    Step 2

    Return pot to medium-high heat and add ½ cup water, scraping up browned bits. Add brown sugar; stir to dissolve, then cook, stirring, until mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color, about 4 minutes. Carefully add vinegar (it may bubble up; sugar will crystallize); stir to dissolve sugar.

    Step 3

    Add ginger, broth, and soy sauce, then add chicken, skin side up, and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, 20–25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

    Step 4

    Bring cooking liquid to a boil and cook until thick enough to coat a spoon, about 10 minutes. Return chicken to pot; turn to coat. Top with scallions and serve with rice.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 490 Fat (g) 18 Saturated Fat (g) 4 Cholesterol (mg) 235 Carbohydrates (g) 22 Dietary Fiber (g) 0 Total Sugars (g) 18 Protein (g) 58 Sodium (mg) 910
Sign In or Subscribe
to leave a Rating or Review

How would you rate Caramel Chicken?

Leave a Review

Reviews (448)

Back to TopTriangle
  • This was wonderful. I held the chicken over in a 350 degree oven to keep the skin crispy and poured the reduction over right before serving. It was SO divine.

    • Christa

    • Edmonds, WA

    • 2/26/2024

  • one of our family favorite!

    • Anonymous

    • New York City

    • 3/1/2022

  • This is Chicken Adobo, in short, I think.

    • castawayonthemoon

    • 4/13/2020

  • This is Filipino Chicken Adobo with ginger And minus the peppercorns. It’s a more Americanized version, but still tasty.

    • Myeezuh

    • North Carolina

    • 12/8/2019

  • This is delicious. Stop screwing around and make this chicken right now.

    • The Bull City

    • 11/21/2017