Do you ever lay in bed at night and think to yourself, “I wonder what would happen if I made a spiced caramel sauce for chicken?” No? That’s probably a good thing. That being said, I definitely do.
I’m not sure exactly where the inspo for this recipe came from, but this past week I couldn’t resist the impulse to grab a bag of dried apricots at the store, and I found myself thinking that I wanted to use them in a sweet (but not overly sweet) chicken dish. My husband had (for reasons unknown to me) not one, but two full jars of Chinese 5-Spice in the cupboard when I moved in, and I’ve been considering how to start making a dent in the stuff since I adopted his address.
Some of my favorite Chinese dishes are the ones that seemingly flawlessly blend sticky sweetness with a hint of spice and umami, and so I figured a dried fruit-Chinese 5-Spice crossover couldn’t go too sideways. To create that sticky sweetness I love so much, I decided to stick with what I know: caramel. It’s basic, easy, and I know it’ll create a sticky sauce every single time. If there’s a better way to create a sticky sauce, I’m not sure I wanna learn about it, because this dish came out PERFECTLY. It’s sticky, but not inedibly so; sweet, but not cavity-developing territory, and the spices are absolutely perfect.
Let’s just say my husband and I have a pretty clear idea how we’ll be using up that Chinese 5-Spice supply (of unknown origin) from here on out and it involves a lot of this chicken.
Here’s how to make it:
Sticky & Sweet Chinese 5-Spice Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 package or lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp Chinese 5-Spice *store bought is perfect here!
- 3 tbsp butter cubed
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped, dried fruit *I find apricots work well here
- olive oil
- butter
Instructions
-
Season your chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper and the Chinese 5-spice (about 1 tbsp per side, or as much is necessary to thoroughly dust each thigh with the seasoning).
-
Heat a pan over medium-high heat with olive oil and butter – I add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom of the pan and then I add approx. 2 tbsp butter. Once the pan is very hot, add your chicken thighs to the hot pan, skin-side down, and cook them until the skin is well-browned and crispy, about 7-10 minutes. Flip them over and cook them another 5 minutes, until the underside is also well browned.
-
Add the 2 tbsp butter and brown sugar to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, until the butter has melted and the brown sugar has dissolved. The brown sugar will get nice and bubbly.
-
Flip the chicken thighs over, coat them in the bubbling sauce, add the dried fruit and cook everything for an additional 2-3 minutes, covered. When the fruit is just soft and everything is nicely caramelised, serve the chicken, in the sweet gravy, immediately. I like mine over white rice with red chili flakes as garnish. Enjoy!