Black Pepper Chicken

This is the easiest recipe to make and it has so much flavor. I was craving Thai food the other night and remembered this recipe in my Food and Wine magazine and had everything on hand to make it, so dinner was served. This is such a nice balance of sweet, tangy, and spicy, I just finished the left-overs tonight. I love the small amount of ingredients that it takes, and you get enough sauce to serve over rice.

Black Pepper Chicken

½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Asian Fish Sauce (or more to taste)
¼ Cup Water
3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger, finely grated (I love ginger, so I doubled this amount)
1 Teaspoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper
2 Thai Chili’s, cut in half (I substituted Serrano Chili’s)
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 Shallot, thinly sliced
1 Pound Boneless Skinless Chicken (breast or thigh)
Cilantro, for garnish

In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, fish sauce, water, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, pepper, and chilies.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the shallot and cook over medium high heat until softened. Add the sauce mixture and the chicken and simmer over high heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.