Crispy Fish Sauce Chicken Thighs
These crispy fish sauce chicken thighs bring all the flavors of Vietnamese fish sauce chicken wings to your home kitchen but made healthy-ish!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skin on chicken thighs bone removed
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Fish Sauce Glaze
- 2 tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 6-8 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Thai chili minced and seeds removed
Instructions
Prep the chicken:
- Salt the skin side of the chicken thighs generously. Place the chicken, skin side down on paper towels to absorb excess moisture.
- Salt and pepper the flesh side of the thighs and allow them to sit for 15 minutes. This helps the seasoning penetrate the chicken thighs while drawing out surface moisture for crispier skin.
- Pat the chicken skin completely dry with paper towels. This step is crucial for achieving crispy skin.
Cook the chicken:
- Place the chicken thighs skin side down in a cold cast iron pan. Turn the heat to low and cook slowly for 10-15 minutes, allowing the fat to render gradually until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
- Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165F degrees. Remove to a cooling rack and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
To make the glaze:
- In a pan, combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, water, minced garlic and Thai chili. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally until the sauce reduces by half and becomes glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
To serve:
- Generously drizzle the warm fish sauce glaze over the crispy chicken thighs and serve immediately by itself or over steamed jasmine rice with cilantro and cucumbers.
Notes
Top tips:
- Start with a cold pan: This allows the fat to render slowly and evenly for maximum crispiness.
- Don't rush the rendering: Cooking the chicken skin low and slow is key to crispy chicken skin. Speeding up the process by increasing the heat will only result in chewy, fatty skin.
- Dry the skin thoroughly: Moisture will prevent proper crisping. Be sure to salt the chicken on both sides and pat dry with a paper towel.
