8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh pieces
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup coconut water
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
roughly chopped coriander (cilantro), to serve
sliced cucumber, to serve
steamed rice, to serve (click here to see my recipe for how to cook rice)
salt
Season the chicken pieces with salt.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down and sear for about 5 minutes until you get a golden colour. Then turn and sear for another 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken pieces to a large plate or tray.
Remove and discard some of the fat from the pan, being sure to leave about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Place the pan back over medium heat. Add the garlic, brown sugar and fish sauce. Cook, stirring for a minute. Then add the coconut water and black pepper. Place the chicken in the sauce skin-side up. Simmer for 2 minutes. Then turn the chicken over, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Turn the chicken again, then cover with a lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (keep an eye on the caramel sauce, if it looks too thick or starts to burn add a little more coconut water or plain water).
Transfer the chicken to a plate. Drizzle over the sauce. Sprinkle with coriander and chilli. Serve with cucumber and steamed rice.
