Chicken Clay Pot

我做了这道菜,味道很好,但我gave it 3 forks for the sake of honesty... I did a lot of alterations, and I suspect that if I followed this recipe as written, it probably wouldn't have been my cup of tea. I also had the same problem other people reported with the sugar seizing up, though it dissolved with heat and this didn't seem to affect the end flavor. It certainly gave me a fright, though! :) It's possible that this is supposed to happen and has some affect on the taste of the sugar? I don't know, but I will probably experiment to find out. Anyway, I did really love my version which was more inspired by this recipe than strictly following it, so here are the alterations I made: - Used Hoisin instead of fish sauce... I have no idea how it compares to fish sauce, but we don't get fish sauce where I live, so I worked with what I had access to... And I have cooked with Hoisin before, so I was relatively confident it would taste good, even if it wasn't the chef's intended flavor! - I used light brown sugar, but the amount called for as substitution in the recipe was way off. I judged by taste and ended up using about twice what the recipe called for. - I did not use dark soy and instead substituted the same amount of regular soy, and did not feel that it was overly salty. I might cut back the soy a tiny bit, but I wouldn't say it was as salty as other reviewers are claiming. I prefer less salt than most and it was fine by my tastes. (Fish sauce may be saltier than Hoisin?) In any case, it wouldn't hurt to cut it back by half and then add soy at the table if you still feel it isn't salty enough. - I don't have access to the type of chiles called for, so I made a judgement call and substituted pablano based on my personal tastes (I'm over sensitive to spiciness, and went with the pablanos because they are more fruity than spicy... If you prefer a noticeable heat, go with whatever you know you like) - After the chicken had cooked and the sauce had been reducing awhile, I realized it was going to stay very thin (probably due to leaving out the dark soy?), so I added a corn starch slurry, and this thickened it very nicely without affecting the flavor adversely. Finally, I served the chicken and sauce mixture over stir-fried veggies and rice. I don't think I would have liked this dish by itself, because the sauce is very strong. However, it was perfect poured over rice and veggies! I could see the point that another reviewer made in saying the chicken might be better grilled... If you want a 'crunch' to your chicken, grill it first and it will be lovely. If you don't mind a softer texture and want the chicken to soak up the sauce as it cooks, put it directly in the sauce. I prefer the latter in this case, but I can see the appeal of both. :) All this being said, the recipe does give you a fantastic jumping off point! It must be a fairly flexible recipe, since it tolerated all the substitutions I had to make due to preference and availability of ingredients. :) But for the sake of honesty, if you are looking for precise instructions, and don't have experience altering a recipe to suit your tastes, you'll probably want to give this one a pass.

• Mysteriousem

• West Texas

• 9/7/2016

this is very good but the proportions of soy, fish sauce have to be greatly reduced otherwise is WAY too salty. Almost like there are typos in the recipe!

• Lrc666

• new york, ny

• 3/31/2014

I would like on substitute suggestions for the fish sauce because a member of my family is allergic to fish

• Ellenkathryn

• San Francisco

• 11/10/2013

This was very good. I substituted red chili flakes for the thai chiles. Recipe was very easy and my family loved it. I'm sorry I did not double it.

• A_Cook_from_VT

• 10/26/2011

I really love Charles Phan's restaurants and cooking, so I was a little disappointed in this. When I first cooked the brown sugar to a slight bubbling consistency, I slowly (as it directs in the recipe) added in the fish sauce and it seized up. I did keep cooking it down until most of the lumps were gone, but it had a very strong almost acrid smell and taste. I actually threw it out and started over again. Instead, I simmered up the soysauce mix (with less soy) and a little chicken stock, added in the brown sugar to this mixture and let that simmer on the stove for a little while. Then, I added in the fish sauce, garlic, chiles, ginger, then the chicken pieces and simmered that for about 8 -10 minutes. The result was not carmelized chicken, but it was tastey and similar to a Vietnamese dish with more of a liquid sauce than a thick sauce. I agree with the feedback on the soy sauce - it's too much. I also agree that is not the recipe from the slanted door - something is missing in this. Overall I suggest play with this recipe a little and alter it to your own tastes. The ingredients are all there but take some creative license and make it your own!

• VanessaP

• 4/5/2011

I'm not Vietnamese and I generally do not consider myself strong when I cook with Asian flavors. Having said that, this is AWESOME! It is super easy. One change I'd make is to slightly thicken the sauce. It would make it tastier.

• Anonymous

• Fort Worth, TX

• 1/15/2010

This was good and very easy to make. I had to substitute lime juice for lemon and apple cider vinegar for the white, since it's what I had on hand. Overall, good but great.

• Anonymous

• Danville, CA

• 8/30/2009

I liked this recipe, but I agree with another reviewer who said there was too much of a soy sauce taste. I used a wonderfully dark brown sugar which gave it a rich caramel flavor, but the soy sauce was overpowering. I would try it again with less soy sauce, more garlic, and maybe a little bit more vinegar or lemon juice. Also, I think the chicken would be better marinated and grilled and then added to the sauce, rather than cooked in the sauce.

• bearwithme

• New York, NY

• 11/15/2007

My husband and I both thought this was terrible. A bad example of true Vietmanese food. Way too much soy sauce, and the dish is missing something to make it seem authentic. Mr. Phan (chef) did not give the secret to his real dish.

• Anonymous

• San Francisco

• 3/8/2006

this was fabulous. although i was first intimidated by melting the sugar, it turned out to be easier than expected. it clumped a little when i added the fish sauce and soy mixture, but smoothed out nicely as it heated up. i used shrimp in lieu of the chicken, as i'm not a big chicken fan. i left the tails on and my boyfriend and i ate them with our fingers. it was sooo delicious. it would probably also be great with some scallops. it's a snap to make, and absolutely full of flavor. i served it with the grapefruit and jicama salad (also on this site)for a light, healthy meal. you'll love it if you love the combo of hot, sour, salty and sweet - a defining quality of vietnamese food. and there's a great vietnamese cookbook by the same name, btw.

• Anonymous

• Blowing Rock, NC

• 3/3/2006

So easy to make, and the flavors are intense. My sauce needed thickening a bit, so I added a little flour. I served it on top of rice to utilize the sauce as much as possible.

• CaptainPlanet

• Hillsboro, Oregon

• 12/21/2005

Wow - entirely wonderful!

• Anonymous

• Pikesville, MD

• 12/2/2005

love love love the slanted door. so happy to have a few of his recipes. made this dish last week - didn't have dark soy - used regular, same goes for the brown sugar. used a frying pan. everything turned out beautifully. making it again tonight with shrimp.

• mandiej

• Santa Monica

• 11/5/2005

This was delicious and super easy to make. I sliced an onion into wedges and added it when the chicken was just starting to get cooked through. I then closed the lid of my claypot and the onions soaked up all of the wonderful flavors of the dish. I used golden brown sugar instead of the broken sugar, and the only problem I encountered is that the sugar hardened when I put the fish sauce and the soy sauce mixture in. Everything dissolved in the end and it was very yummy.

• julchoi

• San Francisco, CA

• 10/26/2005