Spicy Caramel Chicken and a History Lesson

I’ve wanted to film an updated version of this caramel chicken for many years. It was one of the first videos I ever posted, and its unexpected popularity made me realize that there were actually people (non-relatives) watching these videos.

The original vision for Food Wishes was an online cooking school, where I’d charge tuition for a series of courses that would mimic the culinary school I’d just left. I started filming a few recipes each week, knowing full well that only a handful of people would see them, but I had to learn my new craft.

Caramel Chicken, Circa 2007

As the library grew, so did the audience, and I realized that instead of charging for the content, I could give it away for free, and maybe survive on the ad revenue that YouTube was just starting to offer. Above and beyond that, I was getting emails and comments, telling me that what I was doing was making them happy.

This wasn’t something I’d anticipated, and while at the time I would have preferred money, it was great to hear, and inspired me to push on. The rest, as they say, is history, and every time I got an email asking for an updated version of this recipe, I would fondly remember how all this came to be.

So, whether you were here from the very beginning, or you’re brand new, and will be trying caramel chicken for the very first time, I really hope you give this fast, easy, delicious, and historically significant recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 4 large portions:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in about 1 inch chunks

1/2 cup sliced, seeded jalapeno peppers

1/2 cup sliced, seeded mild red chilies, or bell peppers

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

4 cups cooked white rice

For the sauce mixture:

2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

4 cloves finely minced garlic

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup fish sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp hot sauce, or to taste