C – This is the first recipe my dad ever taught me.
It’s one of my favorites. It is guaranteed to be made in my parent’s kitchen weekly. It really means something special to be able to share it with you today. Although it is not quite the same recipe as my dad’s. I will leave that as a family secret. It’s the first recipe my brother and I learned when we started cooking. It’s funny to think that my dad could have taught us something much easier. But, he wanted to teach us something that he would like to eat and have us perfect.
It’s a challenging dish. But, it’s not as complex as the Braised Beef Short Ribs I made a few weeks ago. This one is much easier. It only takes a little over an hour to make.
The first time I ever made this dish, I burned it. I was too scared of the kitchen and was not mindful enough. I guess my dad wanted me to learn a valuable lesson on timing and looking at the pot as we went. Or not … maybe he forgot too. Of course, dinner was almost ruined. The chicken tasted fine, but there was a burnt smell to it. My parents aren’t big fans of wasting food, so we ended up eating it all.
I steered clear of making this dish for years, while my brother was perfecting it. I wanted to relearn it, seeing how proud my dad was of him making it so well. Years after moving away from home, I missed this braised chicken recipe and had to make it myself. Now, I think I would make my parents proud if I served this dish to them.
It’s a simple chicken dish with complex technique to make sure that it really gets the right color and taste. With a watchful eye and good thoughts, this recipe is great. One of my favorite parts of this dish are the peeled hard boiled eggs that go into it.
| Cambodian-Style Braised Chicken |
- 1 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp white sugar
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 Tbsp vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Mr. Yoshida’s brand Gourmet Sauce or teriyaki sauce
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- Pepper to taste
- 5 chicken thighs
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 5 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
- In a medium sized pot, add water and white sugar, stirring on medium high heat until caramelized.
- Add garlic and shallots, cook until tender. About 1 minute.
- Add vinegar, gourmet sauce, salt, fish sauce, bay leaves and pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Add chicken thighs and stir until well coated. Cover with lid for 3 minutes. Stir a few times so sugar and seasoning doesn’t burn and chicken doesn’t stick to the bottom. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in chicken broth, bring to a boil and lower to a simmer cook partially covered. Cook for an hour or until meat is cooked through and tender. Sauce should be reduced by half.
- About 30 minutes into the cooking, add hard-boiled eggs and simmer with the chicken.
- Serve with rice.
- Enjoy!
The egg whites have a great brown color and absorb the sauce, making them especially flavorful. Since it is a braised chicken, the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender and packed full of flavor.
Served with white rice, it is a very filling meal and great for lunch the next day.